New Enclosure

[jharrris]

Okay so, I'm getting a 4x8 garden bed and turning it into an enclosure for my Russian. I have this plastic sheeting I plan on making a top with. If I use an incandescent flood bulb for basking and the Zoo med repti sun T-5 HO 10.0 uvb 30” for UVB, will that give her what she needs? And what distance should that UVB be? If the distance should be a lot, if I mount the tube on the wall above will UVB pass through the plastic?

Dumb question maybe but does it need airholes?

 

[jharrris]

Or, if I bought this and made a shaded area, put some substrate at the bottom, I could have her in there for a few hours a week to get UVB? It's a little small but will that make a difference if she's not going to be there most of the time?

 

[jharrris]

Or, if I bought this and made a shaded area, put some substrate at the bottom, I could have her in there for a few hours a week to get UVB? It's a little small but will that make a difference if she's not going to be there most of the time?

Or this? Thank you guys!!

 

[wellington]

No uvb won't go thru plastic, it should be hung inside.
You may need some night heat, a ceramic heat emitter for added day heat and night heat as it has not light, but only you will know that once it's set up and you temp it at night.
The uvb usually has a recommendation for height.

 

[wellington]

How old is your Russian?
A hatchling should be within the plastic covered enclosure for humidity.
An adult does not need an enclosed chamber enclosure.
Russians will dig so the pic with the chickens and ducks won't work as they could easily dig out. The other cage for short periods outside would be okay but would an enclosure that he can live in 24/7 during warm months would be better.

 

[Tom]

Okay so, I'm getting a 4x8 garden bed and turning it into an enclosure for my Russian. I have this plastic sheeting I plan on making a top with. If I use an incandescent flood bulb for basking and the Zoo med repti sun T-5 HO 10.0 uvb 30” for UVB, will that give her what she needs? And what distance should that UVB be? If the distance should be a lot, if I mount the tube on the wall above will UVB pass through the plastic?

Dumb question maybe but does it need airholes?

There will need to be some air holes, yes.

The UVB will not pass through the plastic, no.

Only a UV meter can tell you the correct mounting distance for your UV tube, but it should be around 18-20 inches.

Only your thermometer can tell you if the flood bulb is enough, or if you need additional heat sources.

 

[Tom]

Or this? Thank you guys!!

The cage idea is a good one, but you need a visual barrier around the bottom and you need to be extra sure that the tortoise has enough shade to prevent over heating on hot sunny days.

 

[jharrris]

The cage idea is a good one, but you need a visual barrier around the bottom and you need to be extra sure that the tortoise has enough shade to prevent over heating on hot sunny days.

Yeah I figured about the visual barrier. I think I've seen this before but I just want to make sure, if she gets a few hours of sun a week she won't need UVB? And if it's cold for an entire week, will skipping be bad for her? Last question, but would D3 supplements be a good idea just in case? I also give her the Fluker's liquid vitamin twice a week, gonna take it down to once a week once I buy her testudo munch and ZooMed Grassland pellets to add to her diet.

You are always so patient and helpful and I appreciate it a ton! 😁

 

[jharrris]

How old is your Russian?
A hatchling should be within the plastic covered enclosure for humidity.
An adult does not need an enclosed chamber enclosure.
Russians will dig so the pic with the chickens and ducks won't work as they could easily dig out. The other cage for short periods outside would be okay but would an enclosure that he can live in 24/7 during warm months would be better.

And yes, she is an adult. Thank you for your advice about her and the UVB!

 

[Tom]

Yeah I figured about the visual barrier. I think I've seen this before but I just want to make sure, if she gets a few hours of sun a week she won't need UVB? And if it's cold for an entire week, will skipping be bad for her? Last question, but would D3 supplements be a good idea just in case? I also give her the Fluker's liquid vitamin twice a week, gonna take it down to once a week once I buy her testudo munch and ZooMed Grassland pellets to add to her diet.

You are always so patient and helpful and I appreciate it a ton! 😁

With hours of access to sunshine per week, you do not "need" artificial indoor UV bulbs.

No problem to skip sunning time for several weeks in a row in and weather. Won't hurt anything.

D3 supplementation is a good idea in most cases.

I don't know about testudo munch. The ZooMed pellets are excellent, but expect a long introduction period before your tortoise will eat them.

You are welcome. I am glad to be able to help.

 

[jharrris]

With hours of access to sunshine per week, you do not "need" artificial indoor UV bulbs.

No problem to skip sunning time for several weeks in a row in and weather. Won't hurt anything.

D3 supplementation is a good idea in most cases.

I don't know about testudo munch. The ZooMed pellets are excellent, but expect a long introduction period before your tortoise will eat them.

You are welcome. I am glad to be able to help.

Sorry, the I meant the Kapidolo farms testudo munch, I forgot the name lol. Thanks again, have a nice night!

 

[jharrris]

Sorry, the I meant the Kapidolo farms testudo munch, I forgot the name lol. Thanks again, have a nice night!

And I didn't realize calcium powder I give her already has d3, I was assuming I should get a separate supplement so that's good

 

[Tom]

Sorry, the I meant the Kapidolo farms testudo munch, I forgot the name lol. Thanks again, have a nice night!

The stuff sold by KapidoloFarms is fantastic. I use one or another of Will's products almost every day. All those dried leaf options make it so simple ad easy to feed a tortoise a good varied diet. I don't know how I got by without them, and I am very grateful that Will decided to sell all that stuff for all of us tortoise keepers.

 

[jharrris]

The stuff sold by KapidoloFarms is fantastic. I use one or another of Will's products almost every day. All those dried leaf options make it so simple ad easy to feed a tortoise a good varied diet. I don't know how I got by without them, and I am very grateful that Will decided to sell all that stuff for all of us tortoise keepers.

Yeah I discovered it from your thread, it's really awesome!

 

[jharrris]

How old is your Russian?
A hatchling should be within the plastic covered enclosure for humidity.
An adult does not need an enclosed chamber enclosure.
Russians will dig so the pic with the chickens and ducks won't work as they could easily dig out. The other cage for short periods outside would be okay but would an enclosure that he can live in 24/7 during warm months would be better.

Wait, so it can be an open top? I've been reading on this forum about how to keep the humidity up and I'm a little confused on how to achieve it.

I've read about how the lower layers of substrate being wet can create a microclimate for them. So would I just spray it with water and it would keep the humidity up? Am I misunderstanding?

Also, any advice on making a humid hide?

If I have both of those things will her humidity be good? (I'm going to buy a temp/humidity measurer too)

 

[wellington]

Wait, so it can be an open top? I've been reading on this forum about how to keep the humidity up and I'm a little confused on how to achieve it.

I've read about how the lower layers of substrate being wet can create a microclimate for them. So would I just spray it with water and it would keep the humidity up? Am I misunderstanding?

Also, any advice on making a humid hide?

If I have both of those things will her humidity be good? (I'm going to buy a temp/humidity measurer too)

Can be an open top if it's an adult. A hatchling should not be in an open top.

 

[jharrris]

Can be an open top if it's an adult. A hatchling should not be in an open top.

Yes, she's an adult. I'll try different things to keep the humidity up. Thank you!

 

[wellington]

Yes, she's an adult. I'll try different things to keep the humidity up. Thank you!

Usually pouring water in the corner to wet the bottom layers works and keeps the top dry. You can also do a humid hide. Spritzing the tip should work too as you don't need as high a humidity for an adult as you do a hatchling.

 

[jharrris]

Usually pouring water in the corner to wet the bottom layers works and keeps the top dry. You can also do a humid hide. Spritzing the tip should work too as you don't need as high a humidity for an adult as you do a hatchling.

Sounds good! So just pouring water in the corner will allow it to sink down?

 

[jharrris]

With hours of access to sunshine per week, you do not "need" artificial indoor UV bulbs.

No problem to skip sunning time for several weeks in a row in and weather. Won't hurt anything.

D3 supplementation is a good idea in most cases.

I don't know about testudo munch. The ZooMed pellets are excellent, but expect a long introduction period before your tortoise will eat them.

You are welcome. I am glad to be able to help.

I know the temps the indoor enclosure should be, but what is.considered too cold for her to be outside in? The plan is to let her sun in an outdoor cage maybe 30 minutes a day when it's sunny