first time owner, need feedback on the enclosure

[Rombengy]

Hi everyone, first time caring for a sulcata tortoise and i need help for the feedback on his enclosure if its proper or not.

Size: 120cmx60cmx60cm PVC Closed Enclosure

Substrate: Coco coir and repti bark (originally was gonna try one of em each, but turns out i didnt buy enough. is it okay to mix the substrate in the enclosure?). Is the coco coir safe for him to eat? also feels like its gonna be sticky and can get into the torto eyes, is it safe or i should just stick with repti bark?

Lighting: Zoomed t5 10.0 UVB tube and normal LED bulb for lighting.

Heating: Daylight heat bulb (not spot) and Zoomed CHE. i try checking the temp on the basking spot and its only at 31-32 celcius any suggestion to get it higher? also i can only get the humidity to 70 ish, do i need to mist it with water more?

Diet: Currently growing catgrass/wheatgrass and hibiscus also have zoomed grassland tortoise pellet. how varied a torto diet should be? or just 3 of this would be enough?
Hiding spot: have 1 but planning to get 1 more, or 1 hiding spot is enough?

I haven't adopt the sulcata yet because i want to make sure i have the proper care for it first, but the one i will adopt will be at 8 cm size (too scared to get smaller one because im completely new at this).

Any feeback/suggestion will be appreciated. Thank you guys

 

[wellington]

Yes both the substrates are safe and safe to mix.
If you can lower the basking bulb that will make it hotter at tort level. If you can't lower it you will need a bigger watt.
The diet should be more than 3 items.
Dampening the substrate more will raise humidity. The coir can be patted down tightly so it doesn't stick as much.
Is the enclosure for a hatchling? If not, then it's too small for an adult.
One hide is enough if you don't want to add another. Lower the water dish to be level with the substrate. Adding some plants will make it more relaxed and feel safer.

 

[Rombengy]

Yes both the substrates are safe and safe to mix.
If you can lower the basking bulb that will make it hotter at tort level. If you can't lower it you will need a bigger watt.

I see, i will try to use bigger watt on the lamp

The diet should be more than 3 items.

can you recommend how many variety? if i already have more variety can i stick with it or i still should switch it up? i can feed anything as long its safe too feed in here right? https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/

Dampening the substrate more will raise humidity. The coir can be patted down tightly so it doesn't stick as much.
Is the enclosure for a hatchling? If not, then it's too small for an adult.

I see but in the end i went with the repti bark since the coco coir is so messy. The enclosure is for a baby, according to the breeder he was 3 months old. i have a yard in my house when hes big enough to be outside. i attached the enclosure with the sulcata, is it enough?

One hide is enough if you don't want to add another. Lower the water dish to be level with the substrate. Adding some plants will make it more relaxed and feel safer.

I see, im gonna make a new hiding cave tomorrow which bigger than i currently have. can you recommend on plants to be put inside the enclosure? also is it safe to put rocks/driftwood inside?

i have 6 ventilation holes (3 on each sides) should i cover some of em to increase the humidity?

 

[wellington]

You can get a spider plant but for some reason I was thinking a different species than a sulcata. They usually are pretty bold so won't need plants as much as some others
Yes, cover the vents. Also lower the temp gauge to tortoises height.
As for food variety, as many as possible. Grass, mulberry leaf, optunia cactus pads, hibiscus flower and leaf, mazuri tortoise pellets, just to name a few.

 

[Rombengy]

You can get a spider plant but for some reason I was thinking a different species than a sulcata. They usually are pretty bold so won't need plants as much as some others
Yes, cover the vents. Also lower the temp gauge to tortoises height.
As for food variety, as many as possible. Grass, mulberry leaf, optunia cactus pads, hibiscus flower and leaf, mazuri tortoise pellets, just to name a few.

Is buying plants like spider plant from a plant store safe to put inside if i washed them thoroughly incase they have some chemicals in them? or should i grow them manually?.

I see i will try to cover some of the vents and lower the temperature gauge.

Got it, i will try to have more variety on the food

 

[wellington]

New plants can be hung or placed in enclosure if the tortoise can't reach them. Otherwise it's best to start your own.
If you do buy a plant, wash all dirt off it and repot. Spider plants will have babies that if you took those off and reported, they would likely be safe in a shorter amount of time, as the mother plant itself likely hasn't been fertilized since it was ported to be shipped to the store. If you find ones grown organically, still wash the dirt off and repot but should be safe immediately.

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone, first time caring for a sulcata tortoise and i need help for the feedback on his enclosure if its proper or not.

Size: 120cmx60cmx60cm PVC Closed Enclosure

Substrate: Coco coir and repti bark (originally was gonna try one of em each, but turns out i didnt buy enough. is it okay to mix the substrate in the enclosure?). Is the coco coir safe for him to eat? also feels like its gonna be sticky and can get into the torto eyes, is it safe or i should just stick with repti bark?

Lighting: Zoomed t5 10.0 UVB tube and normal LED bulb for lighting.

Heating: Daylight heat bulb (not spot) and Zoomed CHE. i try checking the temp on the basking spot and its only at 31-32 celcius any suggestion to get it higher? also i can only get the humidity to 70 ish, do i need to mist it with water more?

Diet: Currently growing catgrass/wheatgrass and hibiscus also have zoomed grassland tortoise pellet. how varied a torto diet should be? or just 3 of this would be enough?
Hiding spot: have 1 but planning to get 1 more, or 1 hiding spot is enough?

I haven't adopt the sulcata yet because i want to make sure i have the proper care for it first, but the one i will adopt will be at 8 cm size (too scared to get smaller one because im completely new at this).

Any feeback/suggestion will be appreciated. Thank you guys

All good advice from Barb.

If dampening the substrate doesn't raise humidity, then yes, try closing some of the venting. You should not need to mist ever in a closed chamber.

Two humid hides are better than one.

We don't know what the rules are over there, but over here, all decorative plants are grown with toxic systemic pesticides. They put it in the soil and the plants take it into their tissues through the roots. This keeps the bugs from infesting the plants, but it also makes them toxic. The toxins can last a year. Because of this, it is best to grow your own plants from seeds, or from cuttings of older, long established plants.

 

[Rombengy]

New plants can be hung or placed in enclosure if the tortoise can't reach them. Otherwise it's best to start your own.
If you do buy a plant, wash all dirt off it and repot. Spider plants will have babies that if you took those off and reported, they would likely be safe in a shorter amount of time, as the mother plant itself likely hasn't been fertilized since it was ported to be shipped to the store. If you find ones grown organically, still wash the dirt off and repot but should be safe immediately.

All good advice from Barb.

If dampening the substrate doesn't raise humidity, then yes, try closing some of the venting. You should not need to mist ever in a closed chamber.

Two humid hides are better than one.

We don't know what the rules are over there, but over here, all decorative plants are grown with toxic systemic pesticides. They put it in the soil and the plants take it into their tissues through the roots. This keeps the bugs from infesting the plants, but it also makes them toxic. The toxins can last a year. Because of this, it is best to grow your own plants from seeds, or from cuttings of older, long established plants.

Thank you for the input, ill try to grow some plants on my own.

as for the ventilation, ill be closing 4 out of 6 so it would be 1 for each sides. is that okay? or sulcata need more ventilation for oxygen?

 

[wellington]

They will get enough air daily when you open to feed, open to give water, to spot clean and to take him out to soak. Also the doors are not air tight.

 

[Rombengy]

They will get enough air daily when you open to feed, open to give water, to spot clean and to take him out to soak. Also the doors are not air tight.

i see, yeah i just realized theres a gap between the sliding doors.

Thank you for the advice, really appreciate it

 

[TammyJ]

Young or babies should be in a closed chamber to maintain the required humidity. Also, no fruit for Sulcata.