First enclosure , any advice or changes needed?

[Iacchus]

I recently acquired my first tortoise a leopard tortoise and it’s quite different from my normal reptile and invert setups that I’m used to . Is there any advice I can get to improve what I have and make his home as best as it can be ! (here’s some pics of his crib )

 

[Holly.thompson]

I recently acquired my first tortoise a leopard tortoise and it’s quite different from my normal reptile and invert setups that I’m used to . Is there any advice I can get to improve what I have and make his home as best as it can be ! (here’s some pics of his crib )

Looks great! Your little one will need some clean water at all times too An optional addition could be a few rocks (tortoises love to climb).
ps - your tortoise is beautiful

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Welcome! Heres a great thread to read through that will answer all your questions. Come back with any questions.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Lyn W]

It's pretty small. Torts are roaming creatures and being able to wander will help their digestion.
What uvb, basking and night heat do you use?

See the caresheet Chubbs posted for information on care and try to follow its recommendations.

A terracotta pant saucer sunk level with the substrate would be safer and easier for your tort to access and they need clean fresh food and water everyday and it may need changing during the day too.

 

[Lyn W]

Looks great! Your little one will need some clean water at all times too An optional addition could be a few rocks (tortoises love to climb).
ps - your tortoise is beautiful

Babies often tip backwards and if they can't right themselves and are left for a long time on their backs they could die, so until they have mastered the trick of getting back on their feet I don't think I would be encouraging them to climb anything too steep.

 

[Iacchus]

It's pretty small. Torts are roaming creatures and being able to wander will help their digestion.
What uvb, basking and night heat do you use?

See the caresheet Chubbs posted for information on care and try to follow its recommendations.

A terracotta pant saucer sunk level with the substrate would be safer and easier for your tort to access and they need clean fresh food and water everyday and it may need changing during the day too.

I’m currently using a reptisun 10 UVB bulb , for basking I have a ceramic heat coil . The area reaches around 90 °F and the rest is warmed by a heat mat . At night the tank is still around 80-90 with the heat from the ceramic emitter and Mat

 

[Yvonne G]

Babies grow smoother shells when kept in a warm, humid environment. My suggestions mirror those above, plus - cover the enclosure to keep the warm, moist air in and the cooler air from the room out (80-85°F day and night), Use a T5 fluorescent UVB bulb instead of a dessicating Mercury Vapor bulb or useless, harmful spiral shaped bulb plus a radiant heat panel or ceramic heat emitter for heat.

 

[Tom]

I’m currently using a reptisun 10 UVB bulb , for basking I have a ceramic heat coil . The area reaches around 90 °F and the rest is warmed by a heat mat . At night the tank is still around 80-90 with the heat from the ceramic emitter and Mat

I don't see the UV bulb in the picture. What type is it? Long tube, or screw in cfl type?

CHEs are no good for basking because they emit no basking light. CHEs are for ambient temp maintenance, and they should be run on a thermostat. You still need a regular incandescent flood or round bulb set on a timer for basking.

This enclosure is much too small. Tortoises, even baby ones, need much larger enclosures than other reptiles. Locomotion is necessary to move the food along in the GI tract, so their living quarters need to be large. I wouldn't use anything smaller than 2x4 for a hatchling, and larger would be better and last longer. You also need a closed chamber to hold in heat and humidity. Open topped enclosures don't work well.

Get rid of the hay. They won't eat that until much larger, if ever. Right now it will only mold and mildew.

All of this and more is in the care sheet.

 

[Iacchus]

I don't see the UV bulb in the picture. What type is it? Long tube, or screw in cfl type?

CHEs are no good for basking because they emit no basking light. CHEs are for ambient temp maintenance, and they should be run on a thermostat. You still need a regular incandescent flood or round bulb set on a timer for basking.

This enclosure is much too small. Tortoises, even baby ones, need much larger enclosures than other reptiles. Locomotion is necessary to move the food along in the GI tract, so their living quarters need to be large. I wouldn't use anything smaller than 2x4 for a hatchling, and larger would be better and last longer. You also need a closed chamber to hold in heat and humidity. Open topped enclosures don't work well.

Get rid of the hay. They won't eat that until much larger, if ever. Right now it will only mold and mildew.

All of this and more is in the care sheet.

So taking you’re advice and all the others I doubled his enclosure today in size and it’s closed top, he now has a incandescent flood bulb for a basking spot , his heat emitter has been moved to keep the ambient temp and a UVB t8 bulb runs the length of the lid to light up the whole enclosure . He has a moist hide in the back rite corner and 2 terra cotta dishes for water and food . The enclosure still feels slightly bare , let me know if I can add anything else or should . Thank you !

 

[Iacchus]

Here’s the new home , what can be changed or added

 

[Tom]

Here’s the new home , what can be changed or added

That looks great. Nicely done!

You can add a potted pothos, spider or Boston fern plant. I like to drop in fresh cut branches of lavatera, hibiscus, grape vines or mulberry, for them to eat and use as cover, but I doubt you'll find any of that outside around your house right now.

 

[Iacchus]

That looks great. Nicely done!

You can add a potted pothos, spider or Boston fern plant. I like to drop in fresh cut branches of lavatera, hibiscus, grape vines or mulberry, for them to eat and use as cover, but I doubt you'll find any of that outside around your house right now.

Thank you for the advice I appreciate it , I’ll definitely add some of those plants if I come by them at my local greenhouse . I am for sure not finding them outside lol , NY winter is relentless .