Squirt’s upgrade

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hiya folks! I went through all the accessories with Squirt’s owner that she’s going to need, barring the viv itself, the beautiful vinyl wall decor @BB123 recommended(thanks for the suggestion! I’ve absolutely fell in love with them and decided when the time comes, as he’s spending on everything else, I’m going to treat him to it myself!😊)and the orchid bark, everything’s pretty much accounted for! We’ll hopefully invest in a Solarmeter down the line too, just don’t want to overwhelm him with that for now with everything else we’re needing, at the end of the day I know she’ll have the right uv, it’ll just be good for him to have in the future when it comes to checking if the uv needs replacing. I’m getting him to invest in at least one smart meter for the upgrade though😊heck I’ll show you all my list😂I’ve ticked a few things off already and he’s said he’ll get ordering this weekend so pretty much everything will be ticked off soon😁
Size wise it’s looking like it’s going to be an 8 by 4, it’s weighing heavy on my mind that her species in all actuality need even bigger than that, so I’m considering, down the line, even if it’s a few years, setting up a ‘grow tent’ style extension she’ll be able to access from the viv, sort of acting like an outdoor area lol, giving her the much needed surface space. For now the logistics of the bedroom she’s going in won’t allow for that, so all in good time. Plus I definitely need to get to grips with the viv set up before even considering taking on that task haha, I’m sure you lovely lot will advise when the time comes😁
In the meantime it’ll be daily walks round with lots of attention and love, I know it’s not 100% ideal, but considering she’s been in a 4 by 2 her whole 16 year life, I think she’s going to be a very happy tort in her upgrade❤️
We’ve got her current enclosure stable environmental wise now, which is a huge relief, least I know she’s more comfortable whilst we get her sorted😊
Thanks to each and every one of you who has followed my journey on here so far, I’m glad things are moving in a positive direction now, I know we’re incredibly nervous about getting it set but I’ll be doing my upmost to assist them every step of the way. I’ll use this thread to keep everyone updated with the upgrade now❤️
Hope everyone’s having a nice weekend so far, all the best😊and sorry if I missed tagging anyone! I’m struggling to keep up with the different user names haha😂
@wellington @ZEROPILOT @mojo_1 @Alex and the Redfoot @Tom

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I was just skimming through some reviews on the thermostat we were originally going for(exo terra night&day thermostat 600w) but they don’t look too great😕does anyone happen to have any recommendations for a good quality night&day one?

 

[BB123]

I'm really glad you like them. I'm looking forward to seeing it when it's all set up.
I bet it'll turn out great by the time it's all done and you all can sit back and watch while Squirt enjoys having a good explore in her new space.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I'm really glad you like them. I'm looking forward to seeing it when it's all set up.
I bet it'll turn out great by the time it's all done and you all can sit back and watch while Squirt enjoys having a good explore in her new space.

They’re so cool! Yes I can’t wait to be able to relax once we’ve got all the levels right and move onto the fun decor part haha, it’ll be wonderful watching her explore😊❤️

 

[mojo_1]

I was just skimming through some reviews on the thermostat we were originally going for(exo terra night&day thermostat 600w) but they don’t look too great😕does anyone happen to have any recommendations for a good quality night&day one?

I use these, if you can get them with a UK plug.
Limited-time deal: BN-LINK Digital Heat Mat Thermostat Controller for Seed Germination, Reptiles and Brewing Breeding Incubation Greenhouse, 40-108°F, 8.3A 1000W ETL Listed https://a.co/d/gcgESnN

 

[Sarah2020]

I was just skimming through some reviews on the thermostat we were originally going for(exo terra night&day thermostat 600w) but they don’t look too great😕does anyone happen to have any recommendations for a good quality night&day one?

Hi I have taken pics of what I use with great results. Thermostats available in reptile shop or Amazon online and the matching light fitting and ceramic bulb they are all required to work.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I use these, if you can get them with a UK plug.
Limited-time deal: BN-LINK Digital Heat Mat Thermostat Controller for Seed Germination, Reptiles and Brewing Breeding Incubation Greenhouse, 40-108°F, 8.3A 1000W ETL Listed https://a.co/d/gcgESnN

Brilliant thank you! I’ll have a look into whether there’s any suitable for the uk, if not I’m tempted to go with the habistat or microclimate brand, all the night and day ones I’m looking at have very mixed reviews so I’m a bit reluctant to suggest that style now

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi I have taken pics of what I use with great results. Thermostats available in reptile shop or Amazon online and the matching light fitting and ceramic bulb they are all required to work.

Aw bless you thank you! We’ll definitely be using the pro rep brand for the brackets and CHE’s! Never had issues with them😊and I’ll have a good look into the thermostat you’ve suggested! It’s a pity I’m not finding a good night&day one, he wants night temps to drop a few degrees and would be handy to not have to adjust the thermostats every night😣I’m going to see if I can convince him, with the perfect gradient, she’s not going to need ‘night&day’ temps being a red foot, we shall see haha

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

That's what my idea was - give her some hides in different temperature ranges and let her choose "the sweet spot". They are surprisingly good at it.
Just in case - it should not be a cave or a real hide. Just a secret place under the fern or spider plant works great.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

That's what my idea was - give her some hides in different temperature ranges and let her choose "the sweet spot". They are surprisingly good at it.
Just in case - it should not be a cave or a real hide. Just a secret place under the fern or spider plant works great.

Yeah I’d personally prefer to go that route but I’ll have to go with what her owner feels most comfortable with, it’s only just dawned on me, if we’ll be wiring a potential 3 CHE’s to one thermo, I need to be choosing one that has 3 plug outlets, is that a silly question or am I not understanding?😂 Cause I’m only really seeing ones with 2, the technical stuff still confuses me sometimes😂
Also can I ask why you wouldn’t recommend real caves/hides? Because her current cave is too low for her, we’ve been looking at this one! Plus will be providing lots of ground plants for shade

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Yeah I’d personally prefer to go that route but I’ll have to go with what her owner feels most comfortable with, it’s only just dawned on me, if we’ll be wiring a potential 3 CHE’s to one thermo, I need to be choosing one that has 3 plug outlets, is that a silly question or am I not understanding?😂 Cause I’m only really seeing ones with 2, the technical stuff still confuses me sometimes😂
Also can I ask why you wouldn’t recommend real caves/hides? Because her current cave is too low for her, we’ve been looking at this one! Plus will be providing lots of ground plants for shade

I’m wondering whether it’ll be alright to just wire two of the CHE’s(the 150w&100w) to whichever new thermostat we go with, and link the potential 3rd(only using if we struggle maintaining one end)to the current 600w one we have? Have the two thermostats running?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

You can just use a power strip and a single thermostat. However, you will need to tweak the probe location a bit (to ensure even temperatures). Two thermostats is too complicated for me (I can't predict how will they work altogether)

Oh, this slate cave costs a fortune! And maybe it's heavy... I'm not at all against caves and hides, my point is that any dense shade is actually a hide. Anything you place in the enclosure takes away the precious walking space and you need some forethought to avoid cluttering.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

You can just use a power strip and a single thermostat. However, you will need to tweak the probe location a bit (to ensure even temperatures). Two thermostats is too complicated for me (I can't predict how will they work altogether)

Oh, this slate cave costs a fortune! And maybe it's heavy... I'm not at all against caves and hides, my point is that any dense shade is actually a hide. Anything you place in the enclosure takes away the precious walking space and you need some forethought to avoid cluttering.

Ah thank you! Yeah I’m just curious how the logistics will work with one thermostat probe in an 8 foot, so thought maybe it’d actually be easier having another one running at the end for that potential 3rd bulb? but I guess we’ll see what works best in that regard, if we use a power strip and he’s comfortable not having to adjust for nighttime temps and providing ‘cool’ areas instead, I’m wondering whether the current 600w one we already have might be enough, it’s doing the trick in her current one so would be handy!
Lol yes I agree it’s a bit expensive😂it’s literally the only cave on the market that she’d fit in comfortably and allows a little bit of growing room, she really loves and makes use of her current cave hide so figured it’d be a nice life investment for her❤️I hear what you’re saying about the floor space though, she’d only have this cave, her water bowls and some floor plants, I don’t think it’ll be too cluttered but will still give her some things to interact with, I’m trying to make it so she’s not seeing every bit of the viv from one point, encouraging her to explore😊it probably is in the heavy side, but will absolutely make sure to place in the viv before the substrate, not allowing for any potential gap underneath she could catch her foot!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

That's how my Besha's enclosure looks now. I didn't want to post it, until everything's polished out but I feel it can be useful just now as it is.

It's a 3x6 foot with a 1.5ft gallery along the the wall. There is only one flower pot (a pothos in the middle), but I will hang/place it on a stand to free up space, all other plants are in the plant wall pockets (that saves them from being stomped to death, as well).

In the middle below there is a hide made of an opaque plastic container. On the gallery temps reach 83-84F, under the gallery - 77F, in front, where the pothos is - the same 83-84F. There are ramps to the gallery on both sides. Humidity stays in range of 85-100%.

So far, Besha has a choice of hides - under the ramps, under the gallery, under the plants on the gallery.

Disclaimer: It's not a long-term indoors enclosure, climate here permits to let her outdoors almost everyday for a couple of hours. And the enclosure is a work in progress - some issues, like ramps are to be improved.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

That's how my Besha's enclosure looks now. I didn't want to post it, until everything's polished out but I feel it can be useful just now as it is.

It's a 3x6 foot with a 1.5ft gallery along the the wall. There is only one flower pot (a pothos in the middle), but I will hang/place it on a stand to free up space, all other plants are in the plant wall pockets (that saves them from being stomped to death, as well).

In the middle below there is a hide made of an opaque plastic container. On the gallery temps reach 83-84F, under the gallery - 77F, in front, where the pothos is - the same 83-84F. There are ramps to the gallery on both sides. Humidity stays in range of 85-100%.

So far, Besha has a choice of hides - under the ramps, under the gallery, under the plants on the gallery.

Disclaimer: It's not a long-term indoors enclosure, climate here permits to let her outdoors almost everyday for a couple of hours. And the enclosure is a work in progress - some issues, like ramps are to be improved.

Wow you have a beautiful set up! The issue we would have relying solely on dense plants as shade, is our squirt would absolutely demolish them all!😂there’s zero chance she wouldn’t eat them🤣for her size in the set up we’d struggle to place them at both a height she cannot reach and one in which the plants would have room to grow and thrive, whilst faux plants wouldn’t be my personal favourite decor(not against them, I just definitely prefer real ones) Squirt has been raised with them as her decor her entire life, she’s never once eaten a faux leaf, though is sometimes a madam for pulling them off😂I think we can make use of some good sized faux floor plants(reptile safe ones always!)to simulate some nice shade areas in her enclosure😊but definitely think she’ll benefit from a proper hide as the faux plants will never be quite as luscious as the real thing lol!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

With one thermostat probe and equal wattage CHEs you can expect that enclosure is evenly heated up. With 60/100/150 watts setup tweaking will be tricky, but doable. Anyway you will need to spend some days with a thermometer and a temp gun to make the adjustments, no matter how many CHEs/thermostats you have.

Just in case, halves of terracotta plant pots (or "wall-mount plant pots") or plastic tubs work fine as hides.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

That's why plants are hanging from the wall - to avoid being stomped and chomped. To my surprise, they were mostly ignored.

Only the pothos gets some tough love - she grazes the sprouts, drags the vines around and climbs in the pot from time to time. I think, it's not a coincidence it's called "Devil's vines" - it's withstanding all that violence easily.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

With one thermostat probe and equal wattage CHEs you can expect that enclosure is evenly heated up. With 60/100/150 watts setup tweaking will be tricky, but doable. Anyway you will need to spend some days with a thermometer and a temp gun to make the adjustments, no matter how many CHEs/thermostats you have.

Just in case, halves of terracotta plant pots (or "wall-mount plant pots") or plastic tubs work fine as hides.

Yeah it’ll definitely be some trial and error on the technical side for sure, she won’t be moved till the temperatures are correct and stable, we may play around with the bulb wattages, we’re currently thinking the 150 one end, 100 near the middle then that potential 60 right at the other end, we’re trying to create a nice gradient, as much as I’d prefer an ambient, but maybe we’ll be better with two 150’s or two 100’s to create that? Time shall tell.
Funny you should say, I did look into wall mount plant pots as a potential alternative! But for the size she needs they weren’t that cheap either😣I’d be paranoid going down the plastic hide route cause I’ve read about some plastics releasing chemicals over time due to the high heat requirements😕

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

That's why plants are hanging from the wall - to avoid being stomped and chomped. To my surprise, they were mostly ignored.

Only the pothos gets some tough love - she grazes the sprouts, drags the vines around and climbs in the pot from time to time. I think, it's not a coincidence it's called "Devil's vines" - it's withstanding all that violence easily.

Haha bless them!😂I might see if I can make it my own little project in the future to potentially have a cute little plant shelf in the enclosure, or even the odd wall platform for a real plant or two! I think it’d look really cool adding depth to the vinyl jungle wall background I’m treating them to! It would make it look like the plants are growing through the picture! And I bet they help loads with the humidity🙌🏻

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Haha bless them!😂I might see if I can make it my own little project in the future to potentially have a cute little plant shelf in the enclosure, or even the odd wall platform for a real plant or two! I think it’d look really cool adding depth to the vinyl jungle wall background I’m treating them to! It would make it look like the plants are growing through the picture! And I bet they help loads with the humidity🙌🏻

Here’s some examples of those backgrounds by the way! They’re specially made reptile safe! Non toxic etc, can you just imagine how they’d look with a plant shelf similar to yours❤You’ve inspired me haha! They’ll also be SO handy because they’ll seal the vents the vivs come ready made with, happy accidental perk😁