Tortoise heating

[Josie.123]

Hello everyone,
Im am new on this site as I am getting a tortoise very soon( I’m so exited I’ve wanted one for years) I think I have done all the needed research but I was wondering if under the heat lamp you have to put anything like rocks or slate for the tortoise to bask on?
Thanks Josie

 

[wellington]

If you have done your research outside this forum, then forget everything you have read and read the info on this forum. It's the only correct up to date info.
A piece of flat slate under the basking does help them warm up faster from top and bottom which means less time having to sit under high heat.

 

[Josie.123]

If you have done your research outside this forum, then forget everything you have read and read the info on this forum. It's the only correct up to date info.
A piece of flat slate under the basking does help them warm up faster from top and bottom which means less time having to sit under high heat.

Thank you will be spending a lot of time on this forum now!

 

[KarenSoCal]

Josie, what species of tortoise are you getting? And are you getting a baby or one that is older?

Have you made the enclosure yet, and put in the lights? You will want all of that done before you bring your tort home.

Send us some pictures of what you have, and we'll help you to be sure you get the right stuff. Pet stores usually don't know what they're talking about, and they'll sell you stuff you don't need or is dangerous.

Let us help you. We only want what's best for your new friend.

 

[Jan A]

Thank you will be spending a lot of time on this forum now!

Welcome to the forum. We love photos!!

 

[Josie.123]

Josie, what species of tortoise are you getting? And are you getting a baby or one that is older?

Have you made the enclosure yet, and put in the lights? You will want all of that done before you bring your tort home.

Send us some pictures of what you have, and we'll help you to be sure you get the right stuff. Pet stores usually don't know what they're talking about, and they'll sell you stuff you don't need or is dangerous.

Let us help you. We only want what's best for your new friend.

Thank you
This forum is so welcoming I am getting a Herman tortoise and one about a year old I think I have got most things for the enclosure but here is my set up (without the substrate)
I am going to add some stones around the water dish and have some slate under the heat lamp!
Thanks Josie

 

[Tom]

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. 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.
3. 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 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 the UK, 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%. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

Problems with MVBs:
1. They run too hot for a closed chamber, which is what you should be using.
2. They cause too much carapace desiccation which causes pyramiding.
3. They are fragile and break easily.
4. They are temperamental sometimes and shut themselves off for 20 minutes at a time.
5. They are expensive.
6. Their UV output runs from one extreme to the other. Some produce way too much UV, and other produce none at all after two or three months.

Here is the current and correct care info for hermanni:

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

 

[KarenSoCal]

Thank you
This forum is so welcoming I am getting a Herman tortoise and one about a year old I think I have got most things for the enclosure but here is my set up (without the substrate) View attachment 328531
I am going to add some stones around the water dish and have some slate under the heat lamp!
Thanks Josie

That looks nice! Let's go over a few of the things in Tom's post.

The bulb that's in the dome...is it a mercury vapor bulb? Does the package say it gives heat and UVB both? If so, read what Tom's post says about MVB's.

You need to replace that bulb. You might be able to take it back and get your money back.

What you should put in the dome is this bulb...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B018QYK0Y2/?tag=

As you can see it's an Arcadia Basking Solar Flood, 75watts. It also comes in 50watts or 150 watts. I would try the 75 watt, and raise or lower the bulb height to get the proper temp.

Does the dome have a clamp to hold it? Or is it hanging from a bracket or board? If it is only being held by a clamp, you need to find a way to make sure that if the clamp broke, the dome could not fall into the enclosure. The clamps break fairly often, and the hot bulb starts a fire. Sadly, entire houses have burned down, or the falling lamp lands on the tortoise, in one case killing the hatchling.

Something else I noticed in your enclosure...the water dish. See how the sides of it are straight up and down? That's dangerous for a tort. Torts don't bend in the middle, so going up and over an edge is difficult for them. They will stand on their back legs and try to climb. Often, they fall onto their backs, and if they're in the water when they fall they can easily drown. Some torts can turn themselves over to get up, but some can't.

Get a terra cotta flower pot saucer big enough for him to be able to get his whole body in it. Then push the saucer down into the substrate until the edge of the saucer is even with the substrate. Then put your stones around the saucer; you may need to sink them down a bit also so the edge is even. Now, with the sloping sides even with the substrate, it's much easier for him to get in and out to drink and soak himself.

We also need to discuss the UVB tube light, but I think we've done enough for one night.

Don't order anything yet. We'll try to make everything one order.

 

[Krista S]

Thank you
This forum is so welcoming I am getting a Herman tortoise and one about a year old I think I have got most things for the enclosure but here is my set up (without the substrate) View attachment 328531
I am going to add some stones around the water dish and have some slate under the heat lamp!
Thanks Josie

Welcome to the forum, Josie! That’s so exciting that you’re getting a Hermann’s tortoise. That’s the species I have. My little guy is 2 years old and has brought so much joy to my life. You’re getting some great advice here already, but I just wanted to add one observation. I am concerned that your enclosure walls aren’t tall enough. Even without substrate I can see a few places where 1 year old would be able to crawl right out. Hermann’s love to burrow, so the substrate should be 4 to 5 inches deep. I fear that once you get substrate in there, your tortoise will easily be able to escape. I suppose it could just be the angle of the picture fooling my eyes and maybe it is taller than it looks? What are the dimensions of the enclosure? The shortest I would go for the walls is 14” tall, assuming that up to 5” of that would be substrate. Also, the taller the walls with an open topped table, the easier it is to contain the heat.

Good luck with your journey. I know this can feel overwhelming right now (trust me, we have all been there), but just work on one thing at a time. You’re doing things the right way by getting this straightened out before bringing your tortoise home. You’re in good hands here with the advice you’ve been given.

 

[Josie.123]

That looks nice! Let's go over a few of the things in Tom's post.

The bulb that's in the dome...is it a mercury vapor bulb? Does the package say it gives heat and UVB both? If so, read what Tom's post says about MVB's.

You need to replace that bulb. You might be able to take it back and get your money back.

What you should put in the dome is this bulb...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B018QYK0Y2/?tag=

As you can see it's an Arcadia Basking Solar Flood, 75watts. It also comes in 50watts or 150 watts. I would try the 75 watt, and raise or lower the bulb height to get the proper temp.

Does the dome have a clamp to hold it? Or is it hanging from a bracket or board? If it is only being held by a clamp, you need to find a way to make sure that if the clamp broke, the dome could not fall into the enclosure. The clamps break fairly often, and the hot bulb starts a fire. Sadly, entire houses have burned down, or the falling lamp lands on the tortoise, in one case killing the hatchling.

Something else I noticed in your enclosure...the water dish. See how the sides of it are straight up and down? That's dangerous for a tort. Torts don't bend in the middle, so going up and over an edge is difficult for them. They will stand on their back legs and try to climb. Often, they fall onto their backs, and if they're in the water when they fall they can easily drown. Some torts can turn themselves over to get up, but some can't.

Get a terra cotta flower pot saucer big enough for him to be able to get his whole body in it. Then push the saucer down into the substrate until the edge of the saucer is even with the substrate. Then put your stones around the saucer; you may need to sink them down a bit also so the edge is even. Now, with the sloping sides even with the substrate, it's much easier for him to get in and out to drink and soak himself.

We also need to discuss the UVB tube light, but I think we've done enough for one night.

Don't order anything yet. We'll try to make everything one order.

Thank you so much for all your help,
I will have a look into things you have said.
Josie

 

[Josie.123]

Welcome to the forum, Josie! That’s so exciting that you’re getting a Hermann’s tortoise. That’s the species I have. My little guy is 2 years old and has brought so much joy to my life. You’re getting some great advice here already, but I just wanted to add one observation. I am concerned that your enclosure walls aren’t tall enough. Even without substrate I can see a few places where 1 year old would be able to crawl right out. Hermann’s love to burrow, so the substrate should be 4 to 5 inches deep. I fear that once you get substrate in there, your tortoise will easily be able to escape. I suppose it could just be the angle of the picture fooling my eyes and maybe it is taller than it looks? What are the dimensions of the enclosure? The shortest I would go for the walls is 14” tall, assuming that up to 5” of that would be substrate. Also, the taller the walls with an open topped table, the easier it is to contain the heat.

Good luck with your journey. I know this can feel overwhelming right now (trust me, we have all been there), but just work on one thing at a time. You’re doing things the right way by getting this straightened out before bringing your tortoise home. You’re in good hands here with the advice you’ve been given.

Thank you for all the advice,
This whole getting a tortoise things does seem very overwhelming but I’m sure it will all be worth it.
Having a second look at the picture it does look a lot smaller them it actually is. It also is going to have a lid on for the most part so I don’t think the tortoise would be able to escape but I will keep an eye out!
Thanks again Josie