My girlfriend and I built our new Marginated a Tort Fort!
- Thread starter ataturt
- Start date
It's very nice. I don't anything about narginated but most if not all little ones need a closed chamber enclosure with higher humidity and steady temps which can't really be maintained in an open top table.
Check out the caresheet and see how it compares
Check out the caresheet and see how it compares
Thank you! We are trying to keep humidity up with a portable humidifier as well as being sure to soak him often. Hoping the plants help keep some in too.
What do I think? I think your girlfriend really likes plants!! And I love her proud picture next to the finished product.
Now to a little helpful criticism - figure out a better way to mount that clamp light. We've seen many, many stories where the clamp failed and it almost caused a fire. Take either your palm or your fist and mash down the substrate to pack it down.
You two did a great job on the enclosure. You get two thumbs up from me!
(What's the little door on the front wall for?)
Now to a little helpful criticism - figure out a better way to mount that clamp light. We've seen many, many stories where the clamp failed and it almost caused a fire. Take either your palm or your fist and mash down the substrate to pack it down.
You two did a great job on the enclosure. You get two thumbs up from me!
(What's the little door on the front wall for?)
Thank you! Those are actually my plants.
Good to know about the clamp, that's interesting, it seems super sturdy. Thanks for the tip, we might also add topsoil to make it easier for him to walk.
The door is for if we ever make a yard extension for him and he can have a ramp to get out and play
Very nice!Thank you! Those are actually my plants.
Good to know about the clamp, that's interesting, it seems super sturdy. Thanks for the tip, we might also add topsoil to make it easier for him to walk.
The door is for if we ever make a yard extension for him and he can have a ramp to get out and play
Because it came up in this thread, I have decided to weigh in on the humidity discussion.
Over the years the general consensus has become that there is a strong correlation between lack of humidity and pyramiding in tortoises. This is the reason there are so many posts and opinions about the need for high humidity and the way to accomplish it in a tortoise environment. I have also noticed that there is a strong opinion from frequent posts in this forum that the only/best solution to providing the desired humidity condition is a completely closed chamber. I respectfully disagree with this and believe there are a range of approaches that can be used to achieve the goal. I will discuss one approach that has worked well for me.
Another common theme in forum posts that I strongly agree with is that captive tortoises do much better in a consistently warm environment, almost always warmer than a typical human indoor environment, and usually warmer than might be intuitive when compared to the tortoise's "natural" or native environment. In addition to an appropriate and consistently warm temperature that the tortoise can seek somewhere in the environment, a warm humidity hide (or closed chamber) in conjunction with a consistent diet and feeding schedule seems to produce smoother shell growth.
Even when the proper environment and humidity conditions are provided, some pyramiding may occur, especially in some species. I believe this is likely due to the high quality (in terms of calories and protein) and quantity of food captive tortoises get early in their lives compared to what they would get in the wild. As long as pyramiding is not extreme due to metabolic bone disease (MBD) I believe that a small to moderate amount of pyramiding does not affect the overall health or longevity of tortoises. I mention this because there is so much discussion about avoiding pyramiding that the tone has almost become a stigma that if there is any pyramiding in captive tortoises it is something the keeper should be ashamed of.
Humidity for tortoises must be the right kind of humidity. Cool damp humidity is not good. My tortoise hatchlings thrive in consistent warm humidity. In my opinion, spraying, misting, or using humidifiers from the top of the enclosure in a dry environment, that may already be too cool, can create additional evaporative cooling and therefore an unhealthy cool and damp condition for the tortoise. This is not the desired humidity condition and can do more harm than good potentially leading to respiratory problems. I believe an environment that is too cool with dramatic temperature and humidity swings is one of the main causes of health problems in tortoises. An example of this would be a tortoise table or aquarium in a generally dry air environment with only a basking light and/or other heat source from the top during the day, combined with sporadic high humidity (as described above) and then temperatures dropping significantly during the night when lights and heat sources are turned off.
It is possible to create and maintain an appropriate high-humidity hide in an open-top enclosure. I have been breeding and raising leopard tortoises indoors in an air conditioned environment (i.e. dry) for years with great success and smooth shell growth in my hatchlings.
The goal should be to provide a warm high-humidity micro-climate zone somewhere in the habitat (open or closed) that the tortoise can choose. In my opinion, it is easier and much more convenient to provide a range of conditions (high temp basking zone, separate moderate and cooler temp zones, places to hide, and a high humidity zone) in an open top enclosure like a turtle table/tub (or fort in your case), than in a fully closed chamber.
The method I use to accomplish this for smaller tortoises and hatchlings is to provide a hide on top of a fairly deep layer of good substrate that holds moisture well, in conjunction a heat source underneath the enclosure. I swear by coconut coir (finely shredded coconut shell and husk) as the substrate for hatchlings. Some people don't like the fine grains and complain that it is messy. A good layer of cypress mulch should also suffice. I'm sure there are many other posts on the subject of best substrate you could also search. There are many options for the heat source ranging from inexpensive heat pads, to heat tape and flexible thin film elements, that can be structurally attached or bonded to the bottom of the structure and insulated below to transfer the heat into upward into the substrate (search threads and reptile equipment sellers).
The key is to continuously add water to the substrate as necessary to keep the substrate moist underneath the top layer and especially under the humidity hide. This combination creates a warm humid environment, and my hatchlings love it and thrive. The mistake keepers often make is not using a good substrate and not adding enough water. I have seen environments start out with a nice moist substrate out of the bag or when originally soaked and after a few days it becomes dry and adequate moisture is never added from that point forward. I will concede that the drawback of this method is that the amount of water that needs to be added can be surprising in a completely open enclosure in a dry environment. Because hatchlings need a lot of attention anyway, I don't see it as much of an inconvenience, just part of the routine.
In your case, I believe some relatively easy modifications to your fort would provide the desired humidity hide. A nice layer of substrate that will hold humidity, a waterproof lining to protect the structure around the moist substrate, a humidity hide, and a heat source mounted below the humidity hide should do the trick.
I love to see creative turtle habitats that add to the enjoyment of having a tortoise and that easily allows interaction while simultaneously providing the required environment. Enjoy your tortoise buddy!
Over the years the general consensus has become that there is a strong correlation between lack of humidity and pyramiding in tortoises. This is the reason there are so many posts and opinions about the need for high humidity and the way to accomplish it in a tortoise environment. I have also noticed that there is a strong opinion from frequent posts in this forum that the only/best solution to providing the desired humidity condition is a completely closed chamber. I respectfully disagree with this and believe there are a range of approaches that can be used to achieve the goal. I will discuss one approach that has worked well for me.
Another common theme in forum posts that I strongly agree with is that captive tortoises do much better in a consistently warm environment, almost always warmer than a typical human indoor environment, and usually warmer than might be intuitive when compared to the tortoise's "natural" or native environment. In addition to an appropriate and consistently warm temperature that the tortoise can seek somewhere in the environment, a warm humidity hide (or closed chamber) in conjunction with a consistent diet and feeding schedule seems to produce smoother shell growth.
Even when the proper environment and humidity conditions are provided, some pyramiding may occur, especially in some species. I believe this is likely due to the high quality (in terms of calories and protein) and quantity of food captive tortoises get early in their lives compared to what they would get in the wild. As long as pyramiding is not extreme due to metabolic bone disease (MBD) I believe that a small to moderate amount of pyramiding does not affect the overall health or longevity of tortoises. I mention this because there is so much discussion about avoiding pyramiding that the tone has almost become a stigma that if there is any pyramiding in captive tortoises it is something the keeper should be ashamed of.
Humidity for tortoises must be the right kind of humidity. Cool damp humidity is not good. My tortoise hatchlings thrive in consistent warm humidity. In my opinion, spraying, misting, or using humidifiers from the top of the enclosure in a dry environment, that may already be too cool, can create additional evaporative cooling and therefore an unhealthy cool and damp condition for the tortoise. This is not the desired humidity condition and can do more harm than good potentially leading to respiratory problems. I believe an environment that is too cool with dramatic temperature and humidity swings is one of the main causes of health problems in tortoises. An example of this would be a tortoise table or aquarium in a generally dry air environment with only a basking light and/or other heat source from the top during the day, combined with sporadic high humidity (as described above) and then temperatures dropping significantly during the night when lights and heat sources are turned off.
It is possible to create and maintain an appropriate high-humidity hide in an open-top enclosure. I have been breeding and raising leopard tortoises indoors in an air conditioned environment (i.e. dry) for years with great success and smooth shell growth in my hatchlings.
The goal should be to provide a warm high-humidity micro-climate zone somewhere in the habitat (open or closed) that the tortoise can choose. In my opinion, it is easier and much more convenient to provide a range of conditions (high temp basking zone, separate moderate and cooler temp zones, places to hide, and a high humidity zone) in an open top enclosure like a turtle table/tub (or fort in your case
), than in a fully closed chamber.The method I use to accomplish this for smaller tortoises and hatchlings is to provide a hide on top of a fairly deep layer of good substrate that holds moisture well, in conjunction a heat source underneath the enclosure. I swear by coconut coir (finely shredded coconut shell and husk) as the substrate for hatchlings. Some people don't like the fine grains and complain that it is messy. A good layer of cypress mulch should also suffice. I'm sure there are many other posts on the subject of best substrate you could also search. There are many options for the heat source ranging from inexpensive heat pads, to heat tape and flexible thin film elements, that can be structurally attached or bonded to the bottom of the structure and insulated below to transfer the heat into upward into the substrate (search threads and reptile equipment sellers).
The key is to continuously add water to the substrate as necessary to keep the substrate moist underneath the top layer and especially under the humidity hide. This combination creates a warm humid environment, and my hatchlings love it and thrive. The mistake keepers often make is not using a good substrate and not adding enough water. I have seen environments start out with a nice moist substrate out of the bag or when originally soaked and after a few days it becomes dry and adequate moisture is never added from that point forward. I will concede that the drawback of this method is that the amount of water that needs to be added can be surprising in a completely open enclosure in a dry environment. Because hatchlings need a lot of attention anyway, I don't see it as much of an inconvenience, just part of the routine.
In your case, I believe some relatively easy modifications to your fort would provide the desired humidity hide. A nice layer of substrate that will hold humidity, a waterproof lining to protect the structure around the moist substrate, a humidity hide, and a heat source mounted below the humidity hide should do the trick.
I love to see creative turtle habitats that add to the enjoyment of having a tortoise and that easily allows interaction while simultaneously providing the required environment. Enjoy your tortoise buddy!
I think it's fantastic, love it!
Lulabee247
Member
Awww so cute look at them long skinny legs, I wish I had mine from a baby, I still love her like she my baby tho. She was 3 when I got her and a big girl. Unfortunately I never got to build such a small enclosure ? but I must say after everything iv read over the past year I don’t think many have thumbs up for open enclosures, I’m struggling with humidity in a closed one so I do wish you luck but you may want to take some advice on closing it in maybe with a cover or something. There’s lots of threads with different ideas on here. ?
How fantastic! ❤️
One thing I have heard over and over on this form is NO topsoil. Topsoil is an impact ion risk and can contain unsafe ingredients (for lack of a better word.)
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