New enclosure

[Luis Taveras0]

I built a new enclourse for my box turtle yesterday complete from scratch I

 

[cmacusa3]

Where will the food and water dish be and how will you keep the heat and humidity inside, How will you install the lights?

 

[Luis Taveras0]

Where will the food and water dish be and how will you keep the heat and humidity inside, How will you install the lights?

The food and water dish will be put on the top level and the light will be hung over the enclourse

 

[cmacusa3]

How are you going to hold in the heat and humidity. That's very important for baby box turtles.

 

[Alex Z]

Its nice..but always build bigger...you can build a cheap box out of plywood from Homedepot..or even find recycled wood...a rubbermaid tub from home depot is 23 after taxes...what substrate will you be using?

 

[Luis Taveras0]

Its nice..but always build bigger...you can build a cheap box out of plywood from Homedepot..or even find recycled wood...a rubbermaid tub from home depot is 23 after taxes...what substrate will you be using?

I will be using coconut fiber

 

[Yvonne G]

That's a pretty neat design. I would never have thought to use two smaller tubs for the hiding place then the second story on top. Good idea. The only thing I see wrong with it is it's not big enough overall. Also, I would rather see the smaller inside tubs fit all the way to the edge of the bigger outside tub. That way the turtle can't try to get in between the walls and get stuck.

I see you have a light pole set up at the back to hang your light from. It seems you've really given a lot of thought to this. I'd love to see it when it's all set up and populated.

But, overall, a very good, cheap and easy design. I like it.

 

[Luis Taveras0]

So I have a lot of work to do I need to get a background to cover the entire thing around because I've seen the tortuga scratching at it and I'm gonna need a smaller water dish on top cause the other one is too big

 

[PJay]

That is a very clever and unique design Luis. I never thought of the multi-level idea, it gives more square footage of floor space for the little guy to roam and explore. Cool ramp too! Because your design is so different from what is usually done with hatchlings you need to put on your scientist hat. As you know, reptiles need help to digest their food because they can’t self-control their body temperature like we mammals can. So a hatchling box turtle needs a warm area for when they feel cold, a cool area for when they feel too hot, and lots of humidity in both the warm and cool area. Instinct tells them what they need to do and they will roam back and forth across the temperature gradient, depending on what their body needs. So you will need to gather some data from your new enclosure, and make some observations based on that data, like a scientist would. You will need a thermometer to take temperature measurements and a hygrometer to take humidity measurements. Take measurements in all the different parts of your enclosure to see what temperatures and humidity levels you have. There will need to be a warm part of your enclosure that is about 84 F and a cool spot that is around 79 F. Proper humidity is usually accomplished by using coconut coir, sphagnum moss, and/or potting soil, and keeping it moist by pouring water along the sides of the enclosure, so it can spread across the bottom and soak into and up through the substrate. This water in the substrate is also supplemented by spraying water on the surface so it can evaporate and create humidity in the air around the hatchling. Try to keep the humidity around 80%. This can be tough to keep up with this time of year when its cold outside and the heaters are running in our houses. The heaters make the air in our houses dry and box turtle homes can dry out very quickly. Some people use closed systems to keep the enclosures moist and the air humid. Methods vary from using a shower curtain or the lid that comes with a Rubbermaid tub to permanent enclosure tops.

Here is a side picture of one of my open tubs. There is a mercury vapor bulb on one end that keeps a basking spot of 84F. I can raise and lower the light as needed to keep the temperature where I want it. The opposite end is around 79F when the light is on, and drops lower at night when the light is off. That works for my adult box turtle but your hatchling should probably be kept a little warmer at night. Maybe you could cover the whole enclosure at night when the light is off, or you could get a ceramic heat emitter. Please try to ignore the yellow sticky strips, I'm using them to put an end to a fungus gnat infestation.


This is an overhead picture showing sphagnum moss piled up on top of coconut coir on both the warm and cool side to keep up humidity. I spray the moss (and the turtles) with water several times a day. This gives me a warm humid side and a cool humid side.


When the house air gets really dry I will add something on top to help hold in the moisture. Here is a pic with an old shower curtain draped over the tub. This seems to work for adults but is not ideal for a hatchling, they need more humidity. It will still lose humidity because it’s not completely covered and sealed, but it helps a little bit. At night, I completely cover the top with the curtain. You can see a turtle enjoying the warmth of the mercury vapor bulb.


If you want to see a really excellent example of a closed system that was posted recently, check out: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/quick-and-easy-enclosure.149722/ I may have to build one of those for my box turtles, especially when I have hatchlings!

There are some other examples of closed systems in this thread: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/#post-304363

Whatever you choose to do, keep that hatchling warm and moist. They dry out very quickly and can die from dehydration, or at the very least get sick with a respiratory infection, and low humidity can also cause problems with shell growth.

I hope you are enjoying NJ and have a great holiday season!

 

[Luis Taveras0]

That is a very clever and unique design Luis. I never thought of the multi-level idea, it gives more square footage of floor space for the little guy to roam and explore. Cool ramp too! Because your design is so different from what is usually done with hatchlings you need to put on your scientist hat. As you know, reptiles need help to digest their food because they can’t self-control their body temperature like we mammals can. So a hatchling box turtle needs a warm area for when they feel cold, a cool area for when they feel too hot, and lots of humidity in both the warm and cool area. Instinct tells them what they need to do and they will roam back and forth across the temperature gradient, depending on what their body needs. So you will need to gather some data from your new enclosure, and make some observations based on that data, like a scientist would. You will need a thermometer to take temperature measurements and a hygrometer to take humidity measurements. Take measurements in all the different parts of your enclosure to see what temperatures and humidity levels you have. There will need to be a warm part of your enclosure that is about 84 F and a cool spot that is around 79 F. Proper humidity is usually accomplished by using coconut coir, sphagnum moss, and/or potting soil, and keeping it moist by pouring water along the sides of the enclosure, so it can spread across the bottom and soak into and up through the substrate. This water in the substrate is also supplemented by spraying water on the surface so it can evaporate and create humidity in the air around the hatchling. Try to keep the humidity around 80%. This can be tough to keep up with this time of year when its cold outside and the heaters are running in our houses. The heaters make the air in our houses dry and box turtle homes can dry out very quickly. Some people use closed systems to keep the enclosures moist and the air humid. Methods vary from using a shower curtain or the lid that comes with a Rubbermaid tub to permanent enclosure tops.

Here is a side picture of one of my open tubs. There is a mercury vapor bulb on one end that keeps a basking spot of 84F. I can raise and lower the light as needed to keep the temperature where I want it. The opposite end is around 79F when the light is on, and drops lower at night when the light is off. That works for my adult box turtle but your hatchling should probably be kept a little warmer at night. Maybe you could cover the whole enclosure at night when the light is off, or you could get a ceramic heat emitter. Please try to ignore the yellow sticky strips, I'm using them to put an end to a fungus gnat infestation.
View attachment 195413

This is an overhead picture showing sphagnum moss piled up on top of coconut coir on both the warm and cool side to keep up humidity. I spray the moss (and the turtles) with water several times a day. This gives me a warm humid side and a cool humid side.
View attachment 195414

When the house air gets really dry I will add something on top to help hold in the moisture. Here is a pic with an old shower curtain draped over the tub. This seems to work for adults but is not ideal for a hatchling, they need more humidity. It will still lose humidity because it’s not completely covered and sealed, but it helps a little bit. At night, I completely cover the top with the curtain. You can see a turtle enjoying the warmth of the mercury vapor bulb.
View attachment 195415

If you want to see a really excellent example of a closed system that was posted recently, check out: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/quick-and-easy-enclosure.149722/ I may have to build one of those for my box turtles, especially when I have hatchlings!

There are some other examples of closed systems in this thread: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/#post-304363

Whatever you choose to do, keep that hatchling warm and moist. They dry out very quickly and can die from dehydration, or at the very least get sick with a respiratory infection, and low humidity can also cause problems with shell growth.

I hope you are enjoying NJ and have a great holiday season!

Thank you for the suggestion! My hatchling has a heat pad at one end and the room has a heater which heats up the entire room

 

[Eric Phillips]

Thank you for the suggestion! My hatchling has a heat pad at one end and the room has a heater which heats up the entire room

Please tell me the heating pad is underneath the bin and not on the inside under the substrate. Not a fan of heating pads either way but just want to make sure your not inadvertently putting your box turtle at serious risk when it burrows in the substrate.

 

[Luis Taveras0]

Please tell me the heating pad is underneath the bin and not on the inside under the substrate. Not a fan of heating pads either way but just want to make sure your not inadvertently putting your box turtle at serious risk when it burrows in the substrate.

No no its underneath the bin i never put it underneath the substrate

 

[Luis Taveras0]

This is the way my light is hooked up now

 

[Luis Taveras0]

I'm thinking of making the bottom area with only water how do you think I can accomplish this?

 

[cmacusa3]

I wouldn't recommend it for several reasons.
1. He needs that substrate to dig and bury himself
2. If he falls of that ladder or platform he could drown if he can't right him self.
3.It won't keep him warm enough and he will get sick.

 

[Luis Taveras0]

I wouldn't recommend it for several reasons.
1. He needs that substrate to dig and bury himself
2. If he falls of that ladder or platform he could drown if he can't right him self.
3.It won't keep him warm enough and he will get sick.

Hmm you are right I just want to get a water area for the tort

 

[Luis Taveras0]

I wouldn't recommend it for several reasons.
1. He needs that substrate to dig and bury himself
2. If he falls of that ladder or platform he could drown if he can't right him self.
3.It won't keep him warm enough and he will get sick.

In the picture that you sent me about the closed top what water dish are you using?

 

[Buddy_hermannstortoise]

If you made a little bit of a bigger enclosure(which you probably will when he's older) you could try and make a little pond in one of the ends of the bin. You first put down a small layer of the hydro balls, then the layer of mesh extending down into the pond and then some gravel. It's kind of hard to explain by the pictures might help explain

 

[Melanie S.]

The soaking dish that I use for my tortoise is one of those Terra Cotta planter bases that you can find at any garden center. Just be sure to change it daily, more so if it gets dirty.

 

[PJay]

Thank you for the suggestion! My hatchling has a heat pad at one end and the room has a heater which heats up the entire room

Hi Luis, just following up to see if you had a chance to check your temps and humidity on your baby turtles home?