Newbie

[Hbomb]

I'd go a little higher with the humidity and dampness for a baby. I don't know how you are measuring the humidity, but I don't think that is accurate, unless that entire room is 60-80% humidity all the time. Low sided tubs and sweater boxes are the worst for holding in heat and humidity. They are bad because they do the opposite of what those people say the glass tanks do. You WANT to reduce ventilation and hold in the heat and humidity you are going to all this trouble and expense to generate. Increased ventilation is only good if the incoming air is the correct humidity and temperature. Room air usually isn't.

Its totally normal for the humidity percentage to increase when the temperature drops. Its just physics. Happens in the wild too. Dew point. You can/should leave the lights off at night.

I'm in the process of re-writing the care sheet for Testudo and DTs, but give this one a read through in the meantime. Its going to be different than what you've seen on YT. Keep in mind this was written for tropical species that need higher humidity, warm nights, and eat grass. Other than those three points, most of the info applies to your tortoise too.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

So then should i get her a heat mat or lamp??

 

[Kim's petunia]

So i did research and made it myself. I am new to this so i want to make sure i do it right. I bought a greek tortoise (reptile store did not know the subspecies...so maybe you can help me there?). They wanted me to put her in a tank but from all i read thats not healthy for them. The tub she is in is 32 x 20 inches. I am using an 80 watt mvb and an arcadia 12% t5 and they are exactly 12 inches from substrate. Basking temp is at 100 F and humidity ranges from 40-60%.

Does this all sound right? I am really in love and would be crushed if i did this wrong and hurt her.

View attachment 292927View attachment 292928View attachment 292929View attachment 292930

I am new I can't help you, what a cutie

 

[KronksMom]

So then should i get her a heat mat or lamp??

Definitely not a mat. Tortoises absorb all of their heat from the top, unlike snakes and some other reptiles that absorb heat from their bellies as well. Because of that, units that provide heat from the bottom, like those heated mats or rocks, can burn them and should always be avoided. The best options for a tortoise are Radiant Heat panels (RHPs), Ceramic Heat Emitters (CHEs) or standard heat lamps. A thermostat is also very helpful because it turns your heat source on when you need it, then off when it's getting above your target temperature range.

 

[Tom]

What should the level be at? I will order it now

There are two strategies, and both work fine;
1. Have the UV come on in the morning on the same timer as the basking bulb and stay on all day. For this you want a UVI reading of around 3-4.
2. Have the UV on its own timer to come on for about 3-4 hours mid day. For this you want a UVI reading of 5-7. I prefer this method because it simulates the mid day UV spike that happens outside in the real world. You'll have fun looking at UV levels from morning until night once you get your meter. If you first use it early in the morning or late afternoon, you might think its broken because you'll have directly in a warm ray of sunshine and it will read 0.0. I was astounded how low the levels are morning and evening, and how quickly they ramp up mid day. I got my meter at around 4;15 on a winter day. I went outside, pointed it right at the sun, and got a reading of 0.0. I though I might have to calibrate it or something. Next morning around 8:30, I got the same thing. I thought it was broken or malfunctioning. 9:30 showed 0.8. 10:30 was 1.1. 11:30 was 3.4. 12:30 got it all the way up to 4.8. By 3:30-4:00pm it was almost back to zero again. The other good thing about this method is that since the tube is only on for three or four hours a day, it will last for three or more years and still make better UV than other types of bulbs that are brand new.

 

[Tom]

So then should i get her a heat mat or lamp??

Great advice from Kronk's Mom. I totally agree. My first choice would be an RHP on a thermostat in a closed chamber. Second choice would be a CHE set on a thermostat over an open enclosure.

 

[Hbomb]

Okay i went and got her a tank today. 36 x 18 x 18. She is way happier and the humidity is way better. I also took out the MVB basking light and replaced it with a regular 100 watt basking bulb. Could I put reptibark in there along with her topsoil/play sand substrate? Or is it not needed? (I was thinking to help more with humidity.) She basked and ate most of the day and got a good soak. ❤

 

[Hbomb]

This is informative, can you help me with temps? For my baby Greek, what would be the perfect ambient temps? I made another thread but found this one again (still learning this site lol). Right now its 97F basking, and 78F on the cool side. Is that correct? Or should ambient temps be no lower than 80F per this caresheet?

I'd go a little higher with the humidity and dampness for a baby. I don't know how you are measuring the humidity, but I don't think that is accurate, unless that entire room is 60-80% humidity all the time. Low sided tubs and sweater boxes are the worst for holding in heat and humidity. They are bad because they do the opposite of what those people say the glass tanks do. You WANT to reduce ventilation and hold in the heat and humidity you are going to all this trouble and expense to generate. Increased ventilation is only good if the incoming air is the correct humidity and temperature. Room air usually isn't.

Its totally normal for the humidity percentage to increase when the temperature drops. Its just physics. Happens in the wild too. Dew point. You can/should leave the lights off at night.

I'm in the process of re-writing the care sheet for Testudo and DTs, but give this one a read through in the meantime. Its going to be different than what you've seen on YT. Keep in mind this was written for tropical species that need higher humidity, warm nights, and eat grass. Other than those three points, most of the info applies to your tortoise too.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[iAmCentrochelys sulcata]

Okay i went and got her a tank today. 36 x 18 x 18. She is way happier and the humidity is way better. I also took out the MVB basking light and replaced it with a regular 100 watt basking bulb. Could I put reptibark in there along with her topsoil/play sand substrate? Or is it not needed? (I was thinking to help more with humidity.) She basked and ate most of the day and got a good soak. ❤

Get rid of the topsoil And sand ASAP, yes you can change it to Reptibark, or cypress mulch. But it’s better if you use fine grade Orchid bark.

 

[Hbomb]

Get rid of the topsoil And sand ASAP, yes you can change it to Reptibark, or cypress mulch. But it’s better if you use fine grade Orchid bark.

May i ask what is wrong with the current substrate i am using? I am new so i would like specifics please.
Also, what should be the exact numbers of my ambient temps and humidity?

 

[iAmCentrochelys sulcata]

May i ask what is wrong with the current substrate i am using? I am new so i would like specifics please

Yes I’ll tell you.
There’s been a lot of cases of tortoises getting impacted with Sand,


We don’t need use topsoil because it is made of composted plants and we can't know whichplants. There could be large amounts of oleander or azalea in there. This might not be a problem if the soil is used for planting out in a garden as intended, but it very well could be a problem for someone using it in a closed enclosure for a tortoise”.
-Tom

 

[Tom]

Okay i went and got her a tank today. 36 x 18 x 18. She is way happier and the humidity is way better. I also took out the MVB basking light and replaced it with a regular 100 watt basking bulb. Could I put reptibark in there along with her topsoil/play sand substrate? Or is it not needed? (I was thinking to help more with humidity.) She basked and ate most of the day and got a good soak. ❤

I would not use any sand or soil at all. Both are very risky. You can use plain orchid bark, but my substrate of choice for baby Testudo is coco coir. Put in a thick layer and hand pack it down. Its a little messy at first, but it settles in nicely after about two weeks. They can easily dig into this and make their own little microclimates. Orchid bark would be my second choice, and orchid bark is what I keep adults on.

 

[Tom]

This is informative, can you help me with temps? For my baby Greek, what would be the perfect ambient temps? I made another thread but found this one again (still learning this site lol). Right now its 97F basking, and 78F on the cool side. Is that correct? Or should ambient temps be no lower than 80F per this caresheet?

As long as they have the warm area for basking, ambient temperature is not critical. Anything from 65-85 is fine. 78 for a daytime ambient is ideal. I shoot for 75-80, but. little cooler on a clod day, or a little hotter on a summer day is fine too. At night, I like babies to cool into the low 70s or high 60s for temperate species.

 

[KronksMom]

@Hbomb Is Elk Grove the one in IL? If so, Hello neighbor!

 

[Hbomb]

@Hbomb Is Elk Grove the one in IL? If so, Hello neighbor!

No, California! I did not know there was another Elk Grove!

 

[Hbomb]

As long as they have the warm area for basking, ambient temperature is not critical. Anything from 65-85 is fine. 78 for a daytime ambient is ideal. I shoot for 75-80, but. little cooler on a clod day, or a little hotter on a summer day is fine too. At night, I like babies to cool into the low 70s or high 60s for temperate species.

Okay so my temps see, good then. My issue is that my baby just basks all day and even sleeps under there. She does not seem to wander nor does she ever go in her hide.

 

[Tom]

Okay so my temps see, good then. My issue is that my baby just basks all day and even sleeps under there. She does not seem to wander nor does she ever go in her hide.

In that case I would try bumping up the ambient temp during the day using a CHE or a RHP. A warmer ambient will encourage less basking since they are already warm enough. Its great that your tortoise feels comfortable enough to be out in the open though. Many babies hide all day.

 

[Markw84]

May i ask what is wrong with the current substrate i am using? I am new so i would like specifics please.
Also, what should be the exact numbers of my ambient temps and humidity?

You can get Orchid bark at Green Acres Nursery. In fact I just bought 4 bags of it from their Elk Grove store today.

Inside they have the "orchid bark". Get the fine grade which will be checked on the bottom front of the bag. That is the nicest substrate as it is very evenly graded and sorted and makes are very nice substrate. Outside, with all the soil, they have GreenAll Micro Bark. that is the same stuff as the orchid bark but not as pure a grading - so a wider variety of chuncks, but still works well. That is what I get because I need so much and it is 1/2 the price. If I were doing a single, smaller enclosure like yours, I'd get the orchid bark inside - fine grade.

Here's the really nice stuff inside. About $11 for a cu ft. Note bottom right it has fine checked. On the bottom left there is a place for medium to be checked. SO be sure to watch for that :



Here's the stuff I use that's $10 for 2 cu ft. Still works great, unless you're as OCD as me and like to see stuff look really uniform and neat!




For those who like to fact check - the bag top - above is incorrect in it's labeling that 1 cu ft (which is what the bag really is) is 42 liters. A cu ft is 28.3 liters. The Micro Bark is indeed 2x the volume.

 

[Hbomb]

So i made the changes and her temps are now 100+ in basking and 80 on cool side. Humidity 55% - 65%....and she is STILL staying under the basking side..she even burrows there to sleep. Its like she found her spot and won't leave. She has been eating, drinking, and pooping daily. So what am i doing wrong? I don't want to make her temps too high.

 

[Hbomb]

In that case I would try bumping up the ambient temp during the day using a CHE or a RHP. A warmer ambient will encourage less basking since they are already warm enough. Its great that your tortoise feels comfortable enough to be out in the open though. Many babies hide all day.

So i made the changes and her temps are now 100+ in basking and 80 on cool side. Humidity 55% - 65%....and she is STILL staying under the basking side..she even burrows there to sleep. Its like she found her spot and won't leave. She has been eating, drinking, and pooping daily. So what am i doing wrong? I don't want to make her temps too high.

 

[MichaelL]

That shouldn't be possible for her to stay there all day if it's warm enough.. at some point she has to get too hot and leave.. is it low enough?