Russian tortoise closed chamber ideas?

[LeChef]

I'm going to be getting a tortoise soon and have already built an outdoor enclosure for one but came to realize I'd love to raise a baby tortoise up to an adult and avoid any field collection.

I've been seeing many things on good and bad ways to raise up a baby tortoise on this forum and was just hoping a few more questions could get answered.

Researching it seems the best way to give them the best growth is in a closed chamber, this had me wondering if my idea for a closed chamber would be okay. I have a leftover 40 gallon I was going to get rid of since it cracked but I was thinking if I put it inside of a mini greenhouse cover that would work.

This specifically: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FC7DKG9/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
OR
Could I cover half of the tank with this sheet: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Coroplast-24-in-x-36-in-Twin-wall-Plastic-Sheet-COR-2436/202090128
And the other side of the tank with aluminum foil surrounding the heat bulb and I'll have a humidity fogger go off for a few minutes at the beginning and end of the day. Or would misting the tank directly be better you think?

I'll be using these lights as one of the members suggested: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Coroplast-24-in-x-36-in-Twin-wall-Plastic-Sheet-COR-2436/202090128
or should I use a dedicated reptile heat bulb?
Also will the russians need a humid box? I read that sulcatas and leopards need them to prevent pyramiding but unsure about the russians.

And substrate, I have leftover bioactive substrate with some coco coir, leaf litter, and play sand (can add orchid bark as well). No clean up crew but just left over substrate and since Russians are burrowers would this be an alright substrate for babies? I know people suggest organic topsoil but I can never find a perfect topsoil without anything in it unfortunately.

Also a few other questions. I live in San Diego California so it's usually sunny year round, now I read the member Toms post that you could just bring babies outside 3 days a week for an hour and they would have enough UV rays. I have a uv reptile light leftover so should I not leave that on and the outdoor time would be enough?

 

[Tom]

A few things from your post:
-No soil or sand. Neither is safe.
-Yes a Russian baby will benefit from a humid hide. Don't use moss.
-Your light link was the coroplast link a second time.

Here is the correct care info and a lighting breakdown too. Questions are welcome:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? 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. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

 

[LeChef]

A few things from your post:
-No soil or sand. Neither is safe.
-Yes a Russian baby will benefit from a humid hide. Don't use moss.
-Your light link was the coroplast link a second time.

Here is the correct care info and a lighting breakdown too. Questions are welcome:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? 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. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

Whoops sorry about the light here's the bulbs I thought might work : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Q82JT2X/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Reading your post I was just wondering if repti bark could be a substitute for orchid bark? It seems easier to get though a bit more pricey, or I could stick with coco coir personally I don't mind the mess.
And thank you for all the time you put into your posts they are very helpful!