Water dish

[YellowSully]

Get rid of it and turn it off. It is known for hurting and making a tortoise blind. You really need a bigger enclosure for your tortoise for sure. Build him one that's your best bet.

Does anyone have blueprints for one?

 

[teresaf]

a dresser on its side with all the guts removed makes a good frame. Line with shower curtain or pond liner and fill with substrate. cover with plexiglass. that's one way to raise humidity for babies. Keep temps up above 80 around the clock using high humidity.

 

[Killerrookie]

Well @Killerrookie fixed one issue. get rid of that bulb. Bad Bad Bad

Trying my best to help him out. I hate it when those pesky pet store employees tell them the wrong info just to make a buck!

 

[YellowSully]

a dresser on its side with all the guts removed makes a good frame. Line with shower curtain or pond liner and fill with substrate. cover with plexiglass. that's one way to raise humidity for babies. Keep temps up above 80 around the clock using high humidity.

That wouldn't be to short? You know the lights to close

 

[Killerrookie]

That wouldn't be to short? You know the lights to close

Use one of these if it's to close.

I use these and it's called a Zoo med reptile light stand.

 

[YellowSully]

Thank you all now to get on this lol. I spent the money to get what the pet store told me I needed it obviously was completely wrong and I'm tapped out. Is what he in now ok till I can change it?

 

[Jodie]

The "water bowl" right now is a lid to a Chinese food container it takes up the width of the cage he is in a 10gal glass aquarium (pet sore told me would be best for his size)the substrate is paper towels and the temp is 80f he has a 65w red heat bulb.

Start with the threads Tom posted for you. It sounds like you are going to need to start from scratch. Pet stores are awful. Not sure how much of it is ignorance or just trying to sell crap. Please feel free to ask any questions you have. As you can see you will get a lot of help here.

 

[Gillian M]

Trying my best to help him out. I hate it when those pesky pet store employees tell them the wrong info just to make a buck!

Sorry to say this is part of business and this is how they make money: by CHEATING.

 

[Tom]

Thank you all now to get on this lol. I spent the money to get what the pet store told me I needed it obviously was completely wrong and I'm tapped out. Is what he in now ok till I can change it?

I would return the useless items to the pet store and go get what you need at the hardware store. Its all in the threads I linked for you.

You can get a 50 gallon tub for about $20. Two light fixtures $12 each. A 65 watt flood bulb for basking for about $6. A digital remote probed thermometer for $20. Giant bag of orchid bark substrate for $5. Two terra cotta saucers for food and water for $2 each. A plastic dish washing tub at Walmart for $2 for a humid hide.

At the pet store you need a 100 watt CHE and a thermostat. This will maintain your night temp and ambient temps during the day.

All of this stuff will last you a few months until you can build something bigger and more suitable.

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum.

Please post pics so as to enable the experts to help you.

Ask ANY question, and read the care sheets.

Good luck.

 

[YellowSully]

I would return the useless items to the pet store and go get what you need at the hardware store. Its all in the threads I linked for you.

You can get a 50 gallon tub for about $20. Two light fixtures $12 each. A 65 watt flood bulb for basking for about $6. A digital remote probed thermometer for $20. Giant bag of orchid bark substrate for $5. Two terra cotta saucers for food and water for $2 each. A plastic dish washing tub at Walmart for $2 for a humid hide.

At the pet store you need a 100 watt CHE and a thermostat. This will maintain your night temp and ambient temps during the day.

All of this stuff will last you a few months until you can build something bigger and more suitable.

So the flood light acts as a heat bulb? And the CHE bulb? What about uvb?

 

[YellowSully]

I would return the useless items to the pet store and go get what you need at the hardware store. Its all in the threads I linked for you.

You can get a 50 gallon tub for about $20. Two light fixtures $12 each. A 65 watt flood bulb for basking for about $6. A digital remote probed thermometer for $20. Giant bag of orchid bark substrate for $5. Two terra cotta saucers for food and water for $2 each. A plastic dish washing tub at Walmart for $2 for a humid hide.

At the pet store you need a 100 watt CHE and a thermostat. This will maintain your night temp and ambient temps during the day.

All of this stuff will last you a few months until you can build something bigger and more suitable.

Also, will the light fixtures I have now work ok? I got them from the pet store

 

[YellowSully]

A very warm welcome to the forum.

Please post pics so as to enable the experts to help you.

Ask ANY question, and read the care sheets.

Good luck.

 

[YellowSully]

Here is a pic

 

[Gillian M]

That's a.... GORGEOUS little tort! GOD bless and take good care of it.

 

[YellowSully]

That's a.... GORGEOUS little tort! GOD bless and take good care of it.

Thank you

 

[Tom]

So the flood light acts as a heat bulb? And the CHE bulb? What about uvb?

This is all explained in detail in the care sheet I linked for you. Please read them. There is a lot of info that you need in them.

The flood bulb should be on a 12 hour timer for basking and heat during the day. The CHE bulb maintains the ambient temp day and at night when the light is off. The sun is the best UV source. Can you get him out for an hour two or three times a week in a safe outdoor enclosure? If not then you can use a mercury vapor bulb, but they get hot and won't work well in a small enclosure, or you can use the tube type long florescent bulbs. But be aware of how the one you get works. Most of the regualr types need to be 10-12" away from the tortoise to offer any UV benefit.

Here are some outdoor enclosure ideas:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/cheap-easy-simple-sunning-enclosure.14680/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/simple-sunning-enclosure.104351/

You can make the second one with cinder or slumpstone blocks too.

 

[Tom]

Also, will the light fixtures I have now work ok? I got them from the pet store

Maybe. Are they rated for high enough wattage? Ceramic bases? If yes to both questions, then they can work.

But why? The hardware store ones are cheaper and better.

 

[YellowSully]

This is all explained in detail in the care sheet I linked for you. Please read them. There is a lot of info that you need in them.

The flood bulb should be on a 12 hour timer for basking and heat during the day. The CHE bulb maintains the ambient temp day and at night when the light is off. The sun is the best UV source. Can you get him out for an hour two or three times a week in a safe outdoor enclosure? If not then you can use a mercury vapor bulb, but they get hot and won't work well in a small enclosure, or you can use the tube type long florescent bulbs. But be aware of how the one you get works. Most of the regualr types need to be 10-12" away from the tortoise to offer any UV benefit.

Here are some outdoor enclosure ideas:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/cheap-easy-simple-sunning-enclosure.14680/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/simple-sunning-enclosure.104351/

You can make the second one with cinder or slumpstone blocks too.

Thank you

 

[YellowSully]

I would return the useless items to the pet store and go get what you need at the hardware store. Its all in the threads I linked for you.

You can get a 50 gallon tub for about $20. Two light fixtures $12 each. A 65 watt flood bulb for basking for about $6. A digital remote probed thermometer for $20. Giant bag of orchid bark substrate for $5. Two terra cotta saucers for food and water for $2 each. A plastic dish washing tub at Walmart for $2 for a humid hide.

At the pet store you need a 100 watt CHE and a thermostat. This will maintain your night temp and ambient temps during the day.

All of this stuff will last you a few months until you can build something bigger and more suitable.

I have been told to use paper towels or news paper as a substrate for the first couple of weeks or should I go ahead and get the orchard