My Current Enclosure

[Travis]

Here are some pictures of my current enclosure that my red footed hatchling will be going in. It is a 40 gallon tank. Once the tortoise gets bigger, I will end up probably building a bigger one.

The silver dish is what I will be putting the water in. It is a very shallow dish and i believe should be enough for him to drink out of/ soak in. I will still be giving him daily soaks as well besides what he spends in his dish.

The tanner bowl is what I will be putting his food in. It's big enough to fit all his food, for his current size, and also small enough so he can get to it without flipping.

Any comments or any ideas of what i could improve on and/or change? I only want the best for my little guy!

Thanks!

 

[MichaelNguyen7396]

Hmm I would say get rid of the metallic food plate because as it will get really hot during the day and could burn your tortoise or could burn the plants. I'm no tortoise expert but personally I wouldn't use that

 

[Yvonne G]

Yeah, I don't use metal either. Your enclosure is ok for a hatchling, but it is very small, so be thinking of upgrading in the near future. You've got a good, basic habitat. Now you need to add to it. Your baby is going to feel very exposed in that tank. He would be more comfortable if you were to plant several plants around the tank. Here's what I'm talking about:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-24736.html

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-24768.html

 

[CharlieD]

I think you mentioned in another thread you are getting a redfoot? An open enclosure like that tends to be very difficult to maintain the proper humidity that redfoots require. You may want to look into adding a cover of some sort and monitor your humidity.

Also, it looks like the bulb in your central fixture is one of the coil types. These can be very hard on a young torts eyes. Please consider getting the other kind of UVB bulbs, like a power sun type.

 

[Teacherstortoise]

Maybe some plants, additional interest like hides. Moss seems to help humidity.

Here are some pictures of my current enclosure that my red footed hatchling will be going in. It is a 40 gallon tank. Once the tortoise gets bigger, I will end up probably building a bigger one.

The silver dish is what I will be putting the water in. It is a very shallow dish and i believe should be enough for him to drink out of/ soak in. I will still be giving him daily soaks as well besides what he spends in his dish.

The tanner bowl is what I will be putting his food in. It's big enough to fit all his food, for his current size, and also small enough so he can get to it without flipping.

Any comments or any ideas of what i could improve on and/or change? I only want the best for my little guy!

Thanks!

 

[Levi the Leopard]

You could convert that tank into a closed type chamber. Then add plants and moss

---

For the record, I did have 2 "official hides" in this tank but they never used it. The babies always completely bury themselves in the moss or at the base of the plants...so I removed the pots which just took up floor space.

 

[tortnmutt]

You could convert that tank into a closed type chamber. Then add plants and moss

---

For the record, I did have 2 "official hides" in this tank but they never used it. The babies always completely bury themselves in the moss or at the base of the plants...so I removed the pots which just took up floor space.

---

Are your plants real or fake?

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Real.
I've used fake in the past but I prefer the real ones. The trick is finding some they don't eat or are safe if they do eat.

 

[tortnmutt]

Real.
I've used fake in the past but I prefer the real ones. The trick is finding some they don't eat or are safe if they do eat.

I'm having a hard time getting my substrate right for plants. What is yours? And what plants?

 

[Tom]

Travis,
You need:
1. Different food and water bowls. Terra cotta plant saucers from the hard ware store are cheap and work the best. Also if you leave them in the front like that, your tortoise will likely march right through them all day long.
2. Colored bulbs are not great for daytime use. Better to use a ceramic heating element set on a thermostat to maintain your ambient temps in that hood.
3. Don't know what is in the other hood, but if its a coil type bulb, those can burn their eyes. A regular incandescent bulb set on a digital timer will give you some warmth and light in the day time.
4. I'd suggest a humid hide.
5. RFs can be tricky. They need high humidity, but they still need it dry so they don't get shell rot. THis will be very difficult with an open topped enclosure.
6. Those stick on thermometers are not reliable or accurate. I suggest a digital one with a remote probe from the hardware store for about $10-20. An infrared temp gun is a good idea too.

Where are you getting this tortoise? The breeder should be telling you all about this stuff.

 

[Travis]

Travis,
You need:
1. Different food and water bowls. Terra cotta plant saucers from the hard ware store are cheap and work the best. Also if you leave them in the front like that, your tortoise will likely march right through them all day long.
2. Colored bulbs are not great for daytime use. Better to use a ceramic heating element set on a thermostat to maintain your ambient temps in that hood.
3. Don't know what is in the other hood, but if its a coil type bulb, those can burn their eyes. A regular incandescent bulb set on a digital timer will give you some warmth and light in the day time.
4. I'd suggest a humid hide.
5. RFs can be tricky. They need high humidity, but they still need it dry so they don't get shell rot. THis will be very difficult with an open topped enclosure.
6. Those stick on thermometers are not reliable or accurate. I suggest a digital one with a remote probe from the hardware store for about $10-20. An infrared temp gun is a good idea too.

Where are you getting this tortoise? The breeder should be telling you all about this stuff.

The bulb in there is a coil bulb. It is the only UVB bulb available in my area that i could find. I wasn't aware it was coil until I got home and opened it.

Also, for humidity, it is typically quite humid in my house. We have a 180 gallon salt water fish tank that keeps the humidity up there quite a bit. It is typically 50-80% Depending on the time of year.