# Do You think my tortoise is unhappy



## scottforensic (May 6, 2009)

Hi there

I've recently moved my Herman from a 3ft x 1ft vivarium (which i left the glass doors open on for ventilation) to a 4ft x 2ft table.
because of this ive had to upgrade my lights and heaters as its obviously harder to heat (im in northern england so is pretty cool)
i now have a 160watt power sun uv in a deep dome reflector bulb for the hot spot which is hitting 90 - 95 degrees. its on for 12 hours. (thinking of changing that to less)
i have kept the old 100watt ceramic heater i used in the vivarium and ive positioned this half way down the table and its connected to a thermostat so it keeps the cooler end of the table at 70degrees. this heater stays on at night as the temp really drops at night without it.

i also have a repti sun 5:0 uv tube which is positioned over the cooler / middle of the table.

the reason i ask if you think hes ok is this.
i have 2 hides for him 1 in the cool end and the other in the hot end (not directly under the power sun bulb)
he seems to spend all of the time hiding under the hide in the hotter end of the table and he hardly ever seems to be in the cool end at all.
he never really seems to bask under the power sun either.

he really isnt as mobile as he was when i had him in the vivarium

im new to all this so im a little worried, i hope its just because hes not used to his new surroundings.

i will take a picture tonight to show the set up incase any of you think i need to make a change


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## Stazz (May 6, 2009)

Torts do definitely take a while to get used to their surroundings...give him some time to get used to it, and I'm sure he'll do just fine 
Some torts get used to it pretty quickly, and some take some more time, but don't worry - I'm sure your little Hermanns is all good 
We all love pics here, so look forward to seeing the pics. And pics are also great to give you advice!


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## Crazy1 (May 6, 2009)

Scott, I do think it will take your shelled one a while to settle in. Mine are usually about a week and then things get back to normal. But if it continues to hide you may want to check a couple of things. If you just put up the 160 watt MVB and it was getting only the repti-sun 5.o tube before it may be getting too much uvb. Mercury vapor bulbs are much stronger than the florescent tubes and they take a day or two to burn in. Your little one may feel that out in the light it is getting too much ultra violet rays. I would not shorten the time your MVB is on. Most during the summers have it on longer, 12-14 hours a day. However I might try turning off the repti sun 5.0 tube. What is your humidity readings on the cold side, in the hide and on the warm end. What is the distance your power sun bulb is from your substrate? What is the distance your 5.o uvb is from the substrate?
You might want to check out this site http://www.uvguide.co.uk/uvinviv.htm


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## Millerlite (May 6, 2009)

Mine does the same thing, he hides in the warm end all day, the mornings he comes out to eat and bask though, give him time and keep us updated


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## desertsss (May 6, 2009)

I feel this is normal. My torts just moved to a table this weekend, and they are still not as mobile as they were. As long as they are still eating and getting hydrated I wouldn't be concerned.


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## scottforensic (May 7, 2009)

Heres Alfies new home. i actually had to entice him into the hide in the cool end of the table, he didnt stay out long


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## Yvonne G (May 7, 2009)

I LIKE the frame work for your lights, etc. But I DON'T like the hiding place. You either need to cut it in half lengthwise or bury more of it into the substrate. I LIKE the aesthetics of the habitat. It looks natural and eye-pleasing. But I DON'T like the bark!

Oh, well...you can please some of the people...etc.

Yvonne


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## Millerlite (May 7, 2009)

yeah the clay pot is to open he probably doesn like it, try making another one of the brick caves, or you can always build something out of wood.


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## scottforensic (May 8, 2009)

ive just bought this substrate to try out pro rep tortoise substrate
http://www.reptile-food-direct.co.uk/acatalog/Tortoise_Substrates.html


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## Yvonne G (May 8, 2009)

Its too bad it doesn't list the ingredients for us to know what it is. Does it say on the bag what kind of substrate it is? To me, it looks better than the bark, however I'll have to withold my opinion until I know what it is.

Yvonne


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## Crazy1 (May 8, 2009)

I too am not a fan of bark, but that bark actually looks big and may be hard to walk on for your little Hermanni. JMHO


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## tortoisenerd (May 8, 2009)

"Tortoise life substrate is a natural blend of Soil and Sand" (and limestone I read on the other site)
http://www.livefoodsbypost.co.uk/pro-rep-tortoise-life-substrate-10-litre-2038-p.asp

Sounds like a rip off to me, lol. Probably safe though, and better than bark. One of the websites said to replace completely every 2-3 weeks. Interesting as that sounds like way overkill.


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