Enclosure Help

elmtrees

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Feb 21, 2021
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5
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Surrey
Hello everyone, my other half and I have been planning to get a tortoise for a while and have converted and viv to give it more ventilation and so it’s protected from our cats.

We are planning on getting a Greek spur thighed baby around a year old. I will attached some photos of our set up and we would really appreciate some feedback and advice on what we have.

We are a bit unsure of our set up as a breeder we have contacted has said tortoises should only be kept in a tortoise table and not a viv. Although from looking through threads on here either is said to work.

We understand that we may need to screen of the bottom of the glass if our tortoise finds it stressful. We are wondering wether we need to put ventilation holes in the lid aswell as the mesh that is currently there or would the mesh/vents at the back be adequate.

thank you for taking the time to read, any advice would be much appreciated.
 

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JoesMum

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Welcome to TFO

The best place to start is this thread written by @Tom


As you have discovered, there is a huge amount of conflicting and frequently outdated information out there on the internet and, sadly, this is shared by pet stores and some breeders and vets too.

For a baby like you are buying, it should be kept in a closed chamber (a viv is an example of one, but they’re frequently too small) where temperatures and humidity can be kept high and monitored accurately.

Your tort will outgrow a closed chamber and move on to a table and then need outdoor space.
 

Lyn W

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Hi and welcome,
Good idea to research and get everything set up first so that any possible mistakes you might make can be corrected before the tort arrives. The caresheet will help and there's always someone around to answer questions. Forget other websites and FB etc., the information here is up to date and shared by very experienced keepers.

Your viv will be OK to start him off but he will soon need a lot more space to explore, a minimum of 4 x 8 feet is recommended for the smaller species and there are some great ideas in the Enclosures thread.

Don't let pet shops try to sell you unsafe bulbs (curly and cfl types) or steep sided water dishes that are dangerous (use terracotta plant saucers),and the dial type thermometers and hygrometers they sell are usually unreliable so invest in a good digital model.

You won't need it for a good while yet but when he is old and big enough to live outside JoesMum has a great thread for keeping torts outdoors in colder climates, so it will be worth reading up on that.
 

ArmadilloPup

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Jul 15, 2019
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307
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NE Oklahoma
Hello everyone, my other half and I have been planning to get a tortoise for a while and have converted and viv to give it more ventilation and so it’s protected from our cats.

We are planning on getting a Greek spur thighed baby around a year old. I will attached some photos of our set up and we would really appreciate some feedback and advice on what we have.

We are a bit unsure of our set up as a breeder we have contacted has said tortoises should only be kept in a tortoise table and not a viv. Although from looking through threads on here either is said to work.

We understand that we may need to screen of the bottom of the glass if our tortoise finds it stressful. We are wondering wether we need to put ventilation holes in the lid aswell as the mesh that is currently there or would the mesh/vents at the back be adequate.

thank you for taking the time to read, any advice would be much appreciated.
That is a gorgeous tank. I'd be too tempted to get another reptile to put in there after the tortoise has outgrown it ?

Be sure to check out the breeder review section: https://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/tortoise-vendor-reviews.107/
 

elmtrees

New Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2021
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Surrey
Welcome to TFO

The best place to start is this thread written by @Tom


As you have discovered, there is a huge amount of conflicting and frequently outdated information out there on the internet and, sadly, this is shared by pet stores and some breeders and vets too.

For a baby like you are buying, it should be kept in a closed chamber (a viv is an example of one, but they’re frequently too small) where temperatures and humidity can be kept high and monitored accurately.

Your tort will outgrow a closed chamber and move on to a table and then need outdoor space.
Thank you for your reply yes we used that thread when researching what to get, that’s why we were so thrown by the breeder telling us everything we had was wrong. So glad I found this forum ?
 

elmtrees

New Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2021
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Surrey
Hi and welcome,
Good idea to research and get everything set up first so that any possible mistakes you might make can be corrected before the tort arrives. The caresheet will help and there's always someone around to answer questions. Forget other websites and FB etc., the information here is up to date and shared by very experienced keepers.

Your viv will be OK to start him off but he will soon need a lot more space to explore, a minimum of 4 x 8 feet is recommended for the smaller species and there are some great ideas in the Enclosures thread.

Don't let pet shops try to sell you unsafe bulbs (curly and cfl types) or steep sided water dishes that are dangerous (use terracotta plant saucers),and the dial type thermometers and hygrometers they sell are usually unreliable so invest in a good digital model.

You won't need it for a good while yet but when he is old and big enough to live outside JoesMum has a great thread for keeping torts outdoors in colder climates, so it will be worth reading up on that.
Hi thank you, yes I think we are nearly ready, we have the temp setting almost correct we just need to find the best way to hang the light over the top of the enclosure so it’s a bit higher. The enclosures thread sounds good for when we need to expand the indoor enclosure is there also one for outdoor enclosures when they are little when they only spend short amounts of time outside?
 

elmtrees

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Feb 21, 2021
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Surrey

Lyn W

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UK
Hi thank you, yes I think we are nearly ready, we have the temp setting almost correct we just need to find the best way to hang the light over the top of the enclosure so it’s a bit higher. The enclosures thread sounds good for when we need to expand the indoor enclosure is there also one for outdoor enclosures when they are little when they only spend short amounts of time outside?
All sorts of enclosures are included in that thread, and JoesMum's thread I mentioned has some good ideas for outdoor housing in the UK too.
 

Tom

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Thank you for your reply yes we used that thread when researching what to get, that’s why we were so thrown by the breeder telling us everything we had was wrong. So glad I found this forum ?
Your enclosure looks wonderful!

I would find a different breeder. The current one is quoting you old, out-dated, wrong info. This tells us they are not up to date and will no doubt start any hatching babies all wrong too. There is a lot of this old incorrect info out in the world and it seems to be perpetuated the most by stubborn old timers that stick to what they learned decades ago, even though it was wrong, and they refuse to be swayed by logic, example, or a preponderance of evidence. How do you keep an open table warm and humid in a cold dry room? You CAN'T! Ask the breeder how warm his/her house would be in winter with no roof on it? The willful ignorance of some of these people is astounding. They are probably going to tell you to use soil/sand as a substrate, which I think you already know is another mistake...

In any case, use your thermometer/hygrometer to measure temps and humidity. Know the parameters you are trying to attain, and make adjustments according to what your measuring instruments tell you. I suspect the screened open top of your enclosure will function as a chimney and pull your warm humid air up and out. You might have to close that in and use a lower wattage basking bulb inside the enclosure. That will make everything much more efficient.
 

elmtrees

New Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2021
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Surrey
Your enclosure looks wonderful!

I would find a different breeder. The current one is quoting you old, out-dated, wrong info. This tells us they are not up to date and will no doubt start any hatching babies all wrong too. There is a lot of this old incorrect info out in the world and it seems to be perpetuated the most by stubborn old timers that stick to what they learned decades ago, even though it was wrong, and they refuse to be swayed by logic, example, or a preponderance of evidence. How do you keep an open table warm and humid in a cold dry room? You CAN'T! Ask the breeder how warm his/her house would be in winter with no roof on it? The willful ignorance of some of these people is astounding. They are probably going to tell you to use soil/sand as a substrate, which I think you already know is another mistake...

In any case, use your thermometer/hygrometer to measure temps and humidity. Know the parameters you are trying to attain, and make adjustments according to what your measuring instruments tell you. I suspect the screened open top of your enclosure will function as a chimney and pull your warm humid air up and out. You might have to close that in and use a lower wattage basking bulb inside the enclosure. That will make everything much more efficient.

Hi Tom
Thank you for your feedback so good to hear another confirmation he was giving the wrong advice. We will monitor the temps and humidity luckily our room temperature stays pretty stable but in the winter not so much so covering the top would be useful.

I’m struggling to find U.K. breeders in the thread tortoise vendor reviews suggested by armadillogroomer is there a specific thread on breeders for the U.K. as it’s not clear on there where they are based.
 
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