I am new to the forum and I have recently purchased (on Sunday March 11th) two 6 month old cherryhead tortoises. First of all, care guides vary from website to website I have the following setup based on guides I have read. Pictures will be below.
- 60x30 wood tortoise table
- Left side (basking area) has a mercury vapour bulb exo terra 160W Solar Glo providing UVA/UVB, visual light, heat.
- Left side also contains a 100W intense basking light providing temperature of 90-95F
- Right side contains a reptiglo 5.0 UVB bulb
- Large sunken water dish
- Two log hides
- Cypress Mulch substrate 1-2"
- Fed collard greens, kale, butternut squash, zuchini, apples, mangoes (so far)
-Using calcium with D3 supplement
- Cuttlebone which one tortoise has chewed on
As I started to research tortoises 6 months ago, at first it looked like aquariums were the way to go. As I read more it seemed like aquariums were not good because they tend to bump into the glass etc. I then learned about the tortoise table and it looked like it was a good option. I read as much about humidity as I could, because I also have Red Eyed Tree Frogs which need high humidity. Most websites seem to say "just spray the substrate a few times a day and all is good." Well I live in Toronto, Canada in a high rise condo building and it is very dry at the moment. The summer usually get nice and hot with good humidity. Judging by my hygrometers I cannot even get passed 50%, and the substrate dries out super quick. To combat this until I come up with a solution, I have been soaking them in water once a night, and spraying the substrate furiously. Humidity equalizes with the rest of the room as science dictates. My torts have been hiding about 18-22 hours a day under the log. This could be a variety of reasons I imagine. Including, being new to the habitat, age, or too hot? Lights are too powerful? Not humid enough? My apartment is not the biggest, one bathroom, one bedroom, kitchen and living room. The torts are in the living room area. I would like to tackle the humidity issue now before it gets to be a problem. I am very open to suggestions and cost, time and effort will not be obstacles. If changing the enclosure will solve the problem for now than I will. When it warms up in the next couple of months they will be getting several hours of sunlight, heat and humidity from outside. However I appear to be stuck in a rut unless I am overanalyzing. I went through these growing pains with my red eyed tree frogs as it was frustrating to find out what is best for the torts. Comments are appreciated, thank you!
- 60x30 wood tortoise table
- Left side (basking area) has a mercury vapour bulb exo terra 160W Solar Glo providing UVA/UVB, visual light, heat.
- Left side also contains a 100W intense basking light providing temperature of 90-95F
- Right side contains a reptiglo 5.0 UVB bulb
- Large sunken water dish
- Two log hides
- Cypress Mulch substrate 1-2"
- Fed collard greens, kale, butternut squash, zuchini, apples, mangoes (so far)
-Using calcium with D3 supplement
- Cuttlebone which one tortoise has chewed on
As I started to research tortoises 6 months ago, at first it looked like aquariums were the way to go. As I read more it seemed like aquariums were not good because they tend to bump into the glass etc. I then learned about the tortoise table and it looked like it was a good option. I read as much about humidity as I could, because I also have Red Eyed Tree Frogs which need high humidity. Most websites seem to say "just spray the substrate a few times a day and all is good." Well I live in Toronto, Canada in a high rise condo building and it is very dry at the moment. The summer usually get nice and hot with good humidity. Judging by my hygrometers I cannot even get passed 50%, and the substrate dries out super quick. To combat this until I come up with a solution, I have been soaking them in water once a night, and spraying the substrate furiously. Humidity equalizes with the rest of the room as science dictates. My torts have been hiding about 18-22 hours a day under the log. This could be a variety of reasons I imagine. Including, being new to the habitat, age, or too hot? Lights are too powerful? Not humid enough? My apartment is not the biggest, one bathroom, one bedroom, kitchen and living room. The torts are in the living room area. I would like to tackle the humidity issue now before it gets to be a problem. I am very open to suggestions and cost, time and effort will not be obstacles. If changing the enclosure will solve the problem for now than I will. When it warms up in the next couple of months they will be getting several hours of sunlight, heat and humidity from outside. However I appear to be stuck in a rut unless I am overanalyzing. I went through these growing pains with my red eyed tree frogs as it was frustrating to find out what is best for the torts. Comments are appreciated, thank you!
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- Right side contains a reptiglo 5.0 UVB bulb .... that isnt a cfl is it ?
