emerald_8122
New Member
Hi! If anyone could provide feedback on my 8 week old Hermann's enclosure I'd really appreciate it. It is 39" by 22" of floor space. The tray of the cage is just over 7" deep and there is 2" of substrate (the baby is about 1.5" long). He is still small enough that he could fit through the bottom rung of the cage so I've taped on cardboard to prevent any chance of escape since the picture was taken. The basking area is at 95-100 degrees with a halogen bulb and the UV bulb is a 22" T5 10.0 about 20" off the ground. The lights are on a timer for 14 hours per day. The substrate is cypress mulch. The bigger box on the left is a humid hide (which we built big enough to last a few years) with moss and I mist/ pour a couple of cups of water on the left side in the morning so the substrate is dry on top but damp underneath. The little log hide on the dry cool side has timothy hay underneath and currently is his preferred sleeping spot. I used a rough terracotta plant tray for his water (4" in diameter, less than 1/2" water depth) and the food dish is the same texture, almost flat except for a very shallow indentation in the middle. I've pulled the plants out from the edge of the enclosure since taking this picture. Today my husband arrived home to find him upside down in his food dish. I am so upset because last year my 10 year old Eastern Box Turtle died this way in his outdoor enclosure. Any suggestions for changes to the enclosure to prevent this? I have purchased a wifi monitor so I can check him from work now but would rather prevent any problems in the first place. Sorry for the lengthy post, just trying to be thorough!
