Maintaining Nighttime Ambient Temp

[tpence1991]

I've noticed recently that my RF has started spending a bit more time in the hide box. I'm wondering if its the temperature. She eats just fine in the morning but, but immediately makes her way to her hiding spot when she's done. She doesn't really come out, I've been physically putting her in front of the food. I'm gone most days so I'm not really sure how much she comes out during the day.

I run a mercury vapor bulb for 12 hours. The hot spot is about 90 and varies from the high 70s to high 80s on that side. I have a little heating pad on the other end where she hides that stays around 85(surface temp). But I can't seem to keep much heat over there with just the bulb. The ambient temp reads in the low 70s when the bulb is on and low 60s when its off.

Sorry for the long post but is there anything y'all would reccommend to get the temp up? I just ordered a little ceramic heat emitter, I just have to figure out how to mount it up. This is the enclosure I have: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MZK5YGS/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Right now I do have it sitting by a window. Maybe the cold window is sucking some of the heat out? Anyway I was hoping to get some of y'alls thoughts.

 

[Yvonne G]

My opinion is that RF tortoises don't require the very bright light that a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) provides. For the forest type animals I prefer to use a tube type fluorescent UVB bulb along with either a radiant heat panel (RHP) or Ceramic heat emitter (CHE), coupled with a thermostat. If you want to continue to use your MVB, then I suggest you add quite a few plants to diffuse the light and give him more hiding places.

I like to keep all my species of babies in 80-85F degree enclosures, day and night, with no hot side/cool side - just 80-85F all over the whole enclosure. You won't be able to keep the whole enclosure warm in an open top table like what you have. Try to figure out a way to cover it. A cover would keep the cooler air from the house out, and it would give your lights/heat a better chance at heating up the whole enclosure. And yes, being next to a cold window does have an affect on your temperature.

 

[tpence1991]

My opinion is that RF tortoises don't require the very bright light that a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) provides. For the forest type animals I prefer to use a tube type fluorescent UVB bulb along with either a radiant heat panel (RHP) or Ceramic heat emitter (CHE), coupled with a thermostat. If you want to continue to use your MVB, then I suggest you add quite a few plants to diffuse the light and give him more hiding places.

I like to keep all my species of babies in 80-85F degree enclosures, day and night, with no hot side/cool side - just 80-85F all over the whole enclosure. You won't be able to keep the whole enclosure warm in an open top table like what you have. Try to figure out a way to cover it. A cover would keep the cooler air from the house out, and it would give your lights/heat a better chance at heating up the whole enclosure. And yes, being next to a cold window does have an affect on your temperature.

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Thanks for the advice. I do have a few plants in there and a couple hide spots, but i'll look into adding more. I added some hay to one of her hide spots, think that might trap some heat. She seems to like it

I should get a couple ceramic heat emitters in the mail today. The window hasn't been an issue in the past but it hasn't been so cold until now. I stuffed some blankets in between the window and the enclosure but it doesnt seem to make a difference.

I might order some plexiglass to cover the top? I'll wait to see how these heat emitters work

Thanks again

 

[tpence1991]

My opinion is that RF tortoises don't require the very bright light that a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) provides. For the forest type animals I prefer to use a tube type fluorescent UVB bulb along with either a radiant heat panel (RHP) or Ceramic heat emitter (CHE), coupled with a thermostat. If you want to continue to use your MVB, then I suggest you add quite a few plants to diffuse the light and give him more hiding places.

I like to keep all my species of babies in 80-85F degree enclosures, day and night, with no hot side/cool side - just 80-85F all over the whole enclosure. You won't be able to keep the whole enclosure warm in an open top table like what you have. Try to figure out a way to cover it. A cover would keep the cooler air from the house out, and it would give your lights/heat a better chance at heating up the whole enclosure. And yes, being next to a cold window does have an affect on your temperature.

I added some faux vines today to break up the light. They should be high enough where she won't try to eat them. She explored a bit then went bacj in her cave (bottom left). I should get that ceramic heater tonight. I was probably going to position it above the open area in the middle

 

[tpence1991]

 

[tpence1991]

Here's an update for anyone who cares:

I added a ceramic heat emitter above the enclosure. Took me a few days of checking temps to get it where I wanted. I also buried a heating pad in the covered part of the enclosure underneath some plexiglass and rigged up a temperature controller. I've been keeping an eye on that to make sure my tort doesn't try to dig underneath it or anything. But its been fine so far.

Turtellini has been quite a bit more active over the last few days. I think she's happy with the temps now; for the most part the temp is consistently between 80-85. The covered part is a bit cooler and stays somewhere in the high 70s.

I lowered the lamp a few inches to get some more heat. I also added some faux vines so the light wouldn't be so harsh.

On a side note; those fluckers clamp lamps suck. It fell on the enclosure the same day I set it up. Luckily I was there to see it happen and the lid was closed. I secured it with safety wire and gorilla tape, that has been holding up well.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Too hot or too harsh/bright would also be my theory.
My Redfoot (that live outdoors) always retreat when the sun is bright. Or when the temps get above 85.
Aside from that....It's perfectly normal for a small Redfoot to sleep or hide for most of the day.
The one thing you're going to be fighting is HUMIDITY.
That open topped wooden box isn't ideal for the very high humidity tortoise that you have chosen.
The easiest way to keep humidity in is to close that top with plexiglass.
But then your lighting can't work because there's not enough room to mount the lights INSIDE of the box.
You may need to incorporate some sort of greenhouse type dome to it.
My suggestion would be to build a whole new enclosure. A dedicated "closed chamber".
And always safety wire those clamp on lights. As you've seen, they always fail.

 

[tpence1991]

Too hot or too harsh/bright would also be my theory.
My Redfoot (that live outdoors) always retreat when the sun is bright. Or when the temps get above 85.
Aside from that....It's perfectly normal for a small Redfoot to sleep or hide for most of the day.
The one thing you're going to be fighting is HUMIDITY.
That open topped wooden box isn't ideal for the very high humidity tortoise that you have chosen.
The easiest way to keep humidity in is to close that top with plexiglass.
But then your lighting can't work because there's not enough room to mount the lights INSIDE of the box.
You may need to incorporate some sort of greenhouse type dome to it.
My suggestion would be to build a whole new enclosure. A dedicated "closed chamber".
And always safety wire those clamp on lights. As you've seen, they always fail.

Yeah I've added some faux plants to try and break up some light, but I've read a lot of people saying the Mercury vapor bulbs are too bright. I may just get a fluorescent set up and use the Ceramic heaters for temp.

Humidity is definitely an issue. I run a humidifier half of the day but it still is lower than I would like.

I'd hate to start over on an enclosure, but the issues just keep piling up with the setup I have now. And I'd rather not have some crazy bastardized setup trying to make the wooden one work.

Thanks for the advice. I have some time this weekend to work out these issues

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Yeah I've added some faux plants to try and break up some light, but I've read a lot of people saying the Mercury vapor bulbs are too bright. I may just get a fluorescent set up and use the Ceramic heaters for temp.

Humidity is definitely an issue. I run a humidifier half of the day but it still is lower than I would like.

I'd hate to start over on an enclosure, but the issues just keep piling up with the setup I have now. And I'd rather not have some crazy bastardized setup trying to make the wooden one work.

Thanks for the advice. I have some time this weekend to work out these issues

You should be able to find one of these Xmas tree totes at Walmart. If they don't have them now they will within a few weeks. They work great with just a few modifications for your heat source and uvb light.

 

[tpence1991]

You should be able to find one of these Xmas tree totes at Walmart. If they don't have them now they will within a few weeks. They work great with just a few modifications for your heat source and uvb light. View attachment 282777

Thanks for the tip