Substrate and other Info

[thay]

Hi guys, I have been looking all over these forums for answers to a few questions and i still cant find them. What is the best substrate for a 4 month old sully. Also what temperature should i be keeping his enclosure at? There are care sheets all over the internet but they are all different, and as i read these forums it seems like you guys really know what your talking about. Right now he is on newspaper and i know thats terrible for him but he's only been on it for a day or so and I dont want to buy something that will harm him. Also as of right now I only have a ceramic heat bulb and no uvb, can someone point me in the right direction to cheap bulbs? And any other pointers would be awesome guys. Thanks

and heres a picture of Blazer, the highlighter is only there to show size. It was taken out asap.

 

[Kristina]

I want to point out that there is no such thing as "cheap" UV lighting. You get what you pay for, and going cheap can be very harmful to your tort in the long run.

I will let someone else hit the substrate and temp issues, my carpal tunnel is bad today...

Good care sheets -

www.africantortoise.com

www.sulcata-station.org

Kristina

 

[Yvonne G]

Personally, I like either the fine grade orchid bark or cypress mulch. However quite a few sulcata keepers like the playsand/coconut coir mix. Coconut coir (Bed-a-Beast) can be purchased at any pet store and Playsand is a sterile product found at a Lowe's or Home Depot-type store. Hydrate the coir in a 5 gallon bucket of hot water. When it falls apart, wring out the water and add that same amount of Playsand to it and stir it all together. This substrate quickly dries out on the surface because of the heaters and lights, but stays slightly moist underneath, contributing to the tortoise's health.

Yvonne

 

[thay]

Thank you very much, i think im going to go with bead a beast and playsand or top soil in a 50/50 mix. I'm still having problems finding a uvb light. I'm confused on the differences between a uva and uvb light. I already have a ceramic heating bulb. Can someone link me to a good light that i should pick up?

 

[dcoolguy68]

I have the reptisun 10.0(the long bulbs) the 18 inch bulbs are on sale for $20 at petco, as for the lighting fixture to put it in I think you can buy a cheap one at a hardware store that can fit the light bulb.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I use a Trex 150 watt UVB bulb for my smaller tortoises and a 250 watt bulb for my bigger Sulcata. They cost around $50. If you live in a place that has sun you can put your baby in the sun for 30 minutes or more a day and that can replace the UVB bulb until you can find one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Don't try to get one in a local pet store, do some on-line research, you will find better deals there...here's a couple of places I use

http://lllreptile.com/

http://www.marinedepot.com/

Marine Depot may not be much help...

 

[thay]

Ok, i just picked up the reptiglo 2.0 uvb 26 w bulb. The pet store made it sound like this would be fine since i already had a ceramic heating bulb too. I've attached a picture of his enclosure as of right now. Tomorrow i will be putting in the new substrate. The bulb on the left is the new uvb bulb and the one on the right is the ceramic heater. Do you guys think its going to get to hot underneath these bulbs? I dont have a thermometer yet, but plan on getting one soon. Is there a better way i should position the lights?

 

[nrfitchett4]

I would definitely get a thermometer. you can get one with a probe for about $12 at walmart. You'd be suprised how hot it can be.
There have been some concerns about the cfl uvb's causing eye damage. you might want to check into that or ask around on the forum.

one thing I have noticed is there is no simple answers for how to take care of torts. Many of the "experts" have been doing it for years and years and do what has worked for them. Do what you think is best after reading all the info.

 

[tortoisenerd]

A temperature gun is a good investment (about $25) because it takes the temperature immediately and accurately. It uses a laser and you can point it at any surface, even your tort's shell. The probes take up to 30-45 minutes to read it correctly. I started out with one of those and was quickly annoyed. It's a good idea to know the temperatures in all parts of the enclosure to ensure a healthy range. I'd personally recommend the PE1 model--I've only heard good things about it in the tort community, and it is even useful in other applications around the house.

 

[twtraudio]

Honestly i think the lighting is way off. A 2.0 uvb is hardly enough out put for a desert type tort. I would go with 5.0 or higher. And the ceramic heat emmiter is great at night but i dont think it will get the job done for a basking area. Or it will work and im just not used to this kind of lighting setup. I stil dont think the uvb out put is nearly enough and bulb has to be withing 12 inches of the tort to get the correct exposure and waves. Your serious best bet is a MVB bulb as it does everything for you and its the best quality (fake sun) there is. Just my opinion though. Oh and people at pet stores rarely know what they are talking about and this is probably the best place to get your info.

Ok, i just picked up the reptiglo 2.0 uvb 26 w bulb. The pet store made it sound like this would be fine since i already had a ceramic heating bulb too. I've attached a picture of his enclosure as of right now. Tomorrow i will be putting in the new substrate. The bulb on the left is the new uvb bulb and the one on the right is the ceramic heater. Do you guys think its going to get to hot underneath these bulbs? I dont have a thermometer yet, but plan on getting one soon. Is there a better way i should position the lights?

 

[thay]

Honestly i think the lighting is way off. A 2.0 uvb is hardly enough out put for a desert type tort. I would go with 5.0 or higher. And the ceramic heat emmiter is great at night but i dont think it will get the job done for a basking area. Or it will work and im just not used to this kind of lighting setup. I stil dont think the uvb out put is nearly enough and bulb has to be withing 12 inches of the tort to get the correct exposure and waves. Your serious best bet is a MVB bulb as it does everything for you and its the best quality (fake sun) there is. Just my opinion though. Oh and people at pet stores rarely know what they are talking about and this is probably the best place to get your info.

Ok, i just picked up the reptiglo 2.0 uvb 26 w bulb. The pet store made it sound like this would be fine since i already had a ceramic heating bulb too. I've attached a picture of his enclosure as of right now. Tomorrow i will be putting in the new substrate. The bulb on the left is the new uvb bulb and the one on the right is the ceramic heater. Do you guys think its going to get to hot underneath these bulbs? I dont have a thermometer yet, but plan on getting one soon. Is there a better way i should position the lights?

Thank you, yea after reading these forums i agree. I returned that bulb and purchased a trex 160w bulb offline. Untill then i have the heat lamp and just a regular bulb in there to simulate the days and night

 

[dcoolguy68]

Hi guys, I have been looking all over these forums for answers to a few questions and i still cant find them. What is the best substrate for a 4 month old sully. Also what temperature should i be keeping his enclosure at? There are care sheets all over the internet but they are all different, and as i read these forums it seems like you guys really know what your talking about. Right now he is on newspaper and i know thats terrible for him but he's only been on it for a day or so and I dont want to buy something that will harm him. Also as of right now I only have a ceramic heat bulb and no uvb, can someone point me in the right direction to cheap bulbs? And any other pointers would be awesome guys. Thanks

and heres a picture of Blazer, the highlighter is only there to show size. It was taken out asap.

 

[K9KidsLove]

Hi...the 2.0 needs to be returned. It isn't helping your tort. You need to go to www.petmountain.com (for about $20) and get the ReptiSun 10 long fluorescent tube. Do not use any compacts or coils or the ReptiGlo 10 as they have a history of causing eye injuries.
The fluorescent bulb needs to be 6"-8" from your baby. Put the heat light right beside the UVB bulb on one end of the enclosure. I bought some $5 timers from Walmart so the lights come on every am at 8 and off at 8 pm.

The ceramic heat emitter is good to use at night if your house is below 65.
You definitely need to get a temp gun or a digital thermometer with the probe. If the heat is wrong, they don't eat or grow right. For heat you dont have to use the specialty bulbs, just use regular household bulbs.
Don't forget to put in a damp hide for him. My computer didn't show your picture, but it has been misbehaving lately!!
Hope this helps
Good luck
Patsy

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't use the UVB bulbs, but one thing I remember reading on the forum is that you need to position your light fixture so that the bulb is shining straight down, not at an angle. The rays diminish on an angle.

Yvonne

 

[mtdavis817254]

Hi guys, I have been looking all over these forums for answers to a few questions and i still cant find them. What is the best substrate for a 4 month old sully. Also what temperature should i be keeping his enclosure at? There are care sheets all over the internet but they are all different, and as i read these forums it seems like you guys really know what your talking about. Right now he is on newspaper and i know thats terrible for him but he's only been on it for a day or so and I dont want to buy something that will harm him. Also as of right now I only have a ceramic heat bulb and no uvb, can someone point me in the right direction to cheap bulbs? And any other pointers would be awesome guys. Thanks

and heres a picture of Blazer, the highlighter is only there to show size. It was taken out asap.

i use timothy hay that i have ran through a veggie chopper a couple of times(takes alot of time to get a good amount chopped up in lil pieces) then i mix it with bed-a-beast to hold the moisture in. it is harmless if eaten and my lil guys are so used to it that they wouldnt nibble on it even if they went a month without food( not saying that they have ever been without food for a month. i dont even think they have been without food for more than 2 days), and for my bigger guys when they are inside for the winter i use 1 bag of play sand mixed with 4 bricks of bed-a-beast in their tortoise table..

 

[Millerlite]

For mine i use bed a beast and sand mix. Its a easy substrate to maintain and mine seem to love it. THere basking area is tile, but the rest of the enclosure is the sand beast mix. The temperature of my enclosure is 75 on the cooler end, then it warms up the closer you get to the basking bulb, which is about 100 degrees at the dead center of the bulb. I also made my substrate kind of deep, that way if they want to dig they can *they never do :/ but they still have the option, lol. For UVB bulb, i would go with a MVB bulb, i have the T-rex one, and it works great, I like it a lot better then the florescent bulbs which i use to always use. IT cost me about $50 but it will last longer and gives off heat, so its the only bulb i use. I also have a ceramic heater which i never use unless needed (cold nights). Most our nights arnt bad, but every now and then i do have to use it and it comes in handy. I also have an outdoor enclosure, they go outside when ever the weather is good enough. Today they been out all day, and liked it a lot. Last thing i would recommend is soaking your tortoise every other day or every 3 days, this just keeps them hydrated and ensures they arnt getting dehydrated. Best of luck.

 

[K9KidsLove]

[/quote]

i use timothy hay that i have ran through a veggie chopper a couple of times(takes alot of time to get a good amount chopped up in lil pieces) then i mix it with bed-a-beast to hold the moisture in.
[/quote]

Hi...It is not a good idea to use hay mixed with damp bed-a -beast as the hay will probably mold with the moisture and could cause respiratory infections.
Good luck
Patsy