Britannica
New Member
I just got my first Russian tortoise today and I couldn't be more excited! I want the best for him so I'd love feedback on my habitat.
His space is two Zoo Med Tortoise Homes that I bracketed together to form a 2' x 6' enclosure. Substrate is a combo of coconut fiber and Cyprus mulch. (I haven't misted the enclosure yet as I just set it up so it appears dry. I will give him a soak tomorrow and make sure to mist the substrate and add a few more living plants.)
His heat lamp is a 65 watt halogen flood light (from hardware store) and his UVB is Reptisun 10.0 T5 22 inch fluorescent tube bulb.
My main concern is the lighting. The heat lamp has been on all day and the temperature on his basking stone has only reached a 87F high.
My other concern is the light height from the tank. I currently have them resting on the top of the enclosure so they are about 10 inches from the substrate.
My questions are:
1) What wattage halogen bulb do I need up the heat to a 95-100F temp
2) Are the lights too close to his shell/substrate to keep on the top of the enclosure?
Any other advice is welcome!
Also, his name is Donatello aka Donny.
His space is two Zoo Med Tortoise Homes that I bracketed together to form a 2' x 6' enclosure. Substrate is a combo of coconut fiber and Cyprus mulch. (I haven't misted the enclosure yet as I just set it up so it appears dry. I will give him a soak tomorrow and make sure to mist the substrate and add a few more living plants.)
His heat lamp is a 65 watt halogen flood light (from hardware store) and his UVB is Reptisun 10.0 T5 22 inch fluorescent tube bulb.
My main concern is the lighting. The heat lamp has been on all day and the temperature on his basking stone has only reached a 87F high.
My other concern is the light height from the tank. I currently have them resting on the top of the enclosure so they are about 10 inches from the substrate.
My questions are:
1) What wattage halogen bulb do I need up the heat to a 95-100F temp
2) Are the lights too close to his shell/substrate to keep on the top of the enclosure?
Any other advice is welcome!
Also, his name is Donatello aka Donny.