I addressed this further back. It was my initial plan until I realised Id likely rot my walls skirting n stairs. i have a plan but need to know about height of bulbs
light/heat help
- Thread starter rafsmum
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You need to use a reliable thermometer and raise or lower the lamps/che to achieve the right temps as recommended in the caresheet.
I used a bowl the same height as my tort to test the temps under his basking lamps
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Hi
I've only just found your thread so haven't had chance to read all the posts yet.
Am I right in thinking you want to make an enclosure under the stairs for your tort?
If so the thing that bothers me about it is that it looks pretty small in the pictures, because 4 x 8 feet is about the recommended minimum for an adult tort of the smaller species, and I wonder if it will be too cold on the floor in our climate.
I'll read back and try to catch up to see if I have any ideas easily available in UK.
My leopard has a heated dog kennel in an adapted room but his care is different to a redfoot so that may not be suitable for you. [/QUOTE]
I am well aware that the rec size is 8 x 4. This was discussed further back. I can not make one any bigger. he has been in a home that is 3 foot x 1 and a half foot for 7 years so this will be 3 times bigger. We also get him out for exercise on our lounge floor( with a sheet down for poops) and in summer he will have a larger enclosure in the garden that he spend warm summer days in. Its just not possible for me to have one indoors that size. hes not particularly active atm anyway, seems to prefer snoozing most of the time! So I have done the best i can and a lot more than I originally planned. I have already built the enclosure, bought the che and holder i was advised to on this thread, bought the uvb i was advised to on this thread, changed his bedding from pellets to coco coir and topsoil, as advised on here, bought him a new round 22cm teracotta bowl for water, bought a thermostat to regulate the CHE with as advised on here and ordered 2 cloches to make a cover.
What i need to do now is somehow build something onto the sides of the enclosure to fix the uvb and CHE so need to know what the minimum height is that these 2 can hang. He's had no humidity forn 7 yrs and in fact when i spoke to his old owner last week she was amazed that i had got all these things and was sorting all this out. hes also never been fed egg or mushroom, and was bathed once a week. ive been doing it daily until he is in a humid home to keep him hydrated. I cannot change his enclosure now; I just need advice on the height of the lights. The sooner i get it sorted, the sooner he's out of his tiny home and in his new one. Cheers
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I think it will be OK with the CHE over the hide...try it, and put a thermometer in there and check it.
My only concern is whether that CHE will warm the rest of the enclosure. Generally, a CHE is mounted near the middle of the space, so the heat reaches all 4 corners of the enclosure. So try it over the hide, and if it deoes well, that's good. But check the temps at the other end as well. That far end has to be >80° as well. If it's not, you need to do a 2nd CHE at that end.
Have you read the post suggesting that you cover the entire opening of the front wall? Like with a sheet of plexiglass, or just a plastic sheet? That would eliminate the need for the cloches, and if you were willing, you could put a few cup hooks into the wood of the stairs to hang lights from. The only problem I see there is the high humidity maybe doing damage to the wallpaper.
The height of the CHE is determined by your thermometer. It has to be high enough that there is no way for the tort to reach it, by being on hind legs or climbing to it. You want it fairly low, to keep the warm air at the bottom of the enclosure.
The UVB strip needs to be hung/mounted near the center of the enclosure lengthwise, shining straight downward. There should be a height guide on the box the bulb came in. If there is not one, we'll ask Zoeclare about it. Let's just ask her.. @Zoeclare what's the height for the forest UVB to be above the substrate?
You can put stones/rocks around the food or water dish. Just be certain that each stone is too large for him to get into his mouth. I have flat mid-sized rocks around the water dish. They help keep substrate out of the water for a while, until they get covered up with more substrate. It's still a never-ending job, but they do help.
Hi Karen. I answered about the front cover in my last post. It could rot the stairs and cause more problems. That was my initial thought asd to what to do, until I thought of the consequences
I should be able to get the light almost in the middle and the che left middle, Ive had an idea. I'm goign to try and work on it later but am waiting until the cloches arrive before i fix it. As they have flexible wires, i am going to try and overlap them so that there are no gaps. i did read somewhere though that there has to be some ventilation (otherwise how do they breathe??? )
if Zoe could help with height thatd be great. i did read the sheet that came in the hope it would give the height but it doesn't. It just tells you how to affix the thing to a roof!! (And thats pretty vague lol)
I think the CHE will warm it ok. Ive been hanging it over a stepladder about 12" above the hide where he is in our bedroom in his open topped small pen just to increase temps as it has been minus here. It is keeping the hide at 80 so I'd be hopeful it will keep an enclosed area warm. hes not had temps like that in an enclosed chamber all these years!
I am a tad worried hes not had a poo for several days.
His old owner said he only pooped every few days but at first he was pooign every day ( i suspect because he felt anxious at a new home/people/regime.) hed generally poop in the towel I wrapped him in after his bath. he doesnt seem to have for days. If course his diet has been changed and hes being fed daily not every other day, so it worries me that could have caused problems with his digestive system. he has a warm bath each night which i have heard helps and i have read a small amount of iceberg/cucumber can help. he had some banana last night too which in humans helps with constipation.
If theres no joy by tomorrow can i put a little bit of pure olive oil on his greens?it wont harm him will it? its a good make
yes i will use large flat pebbles. I also have some slate chippings. provided theyre large enough would they be ok?
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You don't have to worry about ventilation. You will be tending to him probably twice a day at least, so plenty of time for air to exchange. Plus, it won't be airtight anyway.
Have you gone poop hunting? Sometimes it can be hard to see in the substrate. And try leaving him in the soak longer. Maybe he'll go in there, instead of your towel. I wouldn't give him oil yet, but if you do, just a small amount on a lettuce leaf. Roll the leaf up like a cigar and feed it slowly. They can't feel oil in their mouths and can aspirate it. Just be slow and careful.
I always think of slate as being quite sharp. If yours is not, pieces big enough to not fit in his mouth should be OK.
Have you gone poop hunting? Sometimes it can be hard to see in the substrate. And try leaving him in the soak longer. Maybe he'll go in there, instead of your towel. I wouldn't give him oil yet, but if you do, just a small amount on a lettuce leaf. Roll the leaf up like a cigar and feed it slowly. They can't feel oil in their mouths and can aspirate it. Just be slow and careful.
I always think of slate as being quite sharp. If yours is not, pieces big enough to not fit in his mouth should be OK.
Hi, sorry only just finished work lol! I've looked at mine and it says the minimum distance from reptile to bulb is 10 inches, mine is 12 inches from Nitros shell. To be honest, the only way to know for sure is to invest in a solar meter (which I haven't done yet ?) but I would probably err on the side of caution and mount it a bit higher.
yeah I have looked, but hooray, he has pooped today!!
I gave him a long warm bath and a small amount of cucumber and iceberg. (he left the iceberg lol) and some banana.
I set up the che and uvb over his walkaround table in the lounge so he could eat there and i could watch him, and lo and behold he pooped! Phew. This is why I've not had animals for yrs. I suffer acute anxiety anyway and worrying about pets doesn't help!!
re ventialtion, what if i go away and he isnt checked for a couple of days?
Thanks Zoe
So if I mount it 12 -14" from the top of his back, that will be ok?
I should think that would be ok, Nitro seems happy lol. I really need to get a solarmeter though, people say its well worth the initial expense!
thing is, the more things youre plugging in the higher risk of a fire!
Thanks for the help
I know, behind my enclosure is a nightmare ? A solarmeter is similar to a temp gun except it tells you the uv output of your tube so you can adjust the height, also, the manufacturers would have you replace your bulb every 6 months but with a solar meter you can check if the output is still good. Zeropilot has an interesting thread where he has tested different tubes.thing is, the more things youre plugging in the higher risk of a fire!
Thanks for the help
Also, the arcadia uv you have purchased is really good as you can link multiple units together, but still only use one plug, handy if you expand your enclosure or change the layout in the future!
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Yep, I have an electrician's nightmare hanging on my enclosure, too! I use a smart power strip that helps with the timing of the lights, but so many wires!
rafsmum, the ventilation should be fine while you're away. Some of us hibernate our torts in a refrigerator, and the door is not opened for days at a stretch.
If you want to set your mind at ease, stop at a petshop and get an air pump for an aquarium and an air line tubing. You want the smallest pump you can get. Run the pump outside the enclosure and put the air tubing into the enclosure out of reach of the tort. You can just use a clothes pin to hook it anywhere. That will keep a small continuous fresh air supply in the enclosure.
rafsmum, the ventilation should be fine while you're away. Some of us hibernate our torts in a refrigerator, and the door is not opened for days at a stretch.
If you want to set your mind at ease, stop at a petshop and get an air pump for an aquarium and an air line tubing. You want the smallest pump you can get. Run the pump outside the enclosure and put the air tubing into the enclosure out of reach of the tort. You can just use a clothes pin to hook it anywhere. That will keep a small continuous fresh air supply in the enclosure.
yes i noticed that when reading the leaflet. They gve me a lead which fits into the top then into another unit
you hibernate redfoot in a fridge??? :O
ive seen in a few redfoot caresheets tht there should be ventiltion, and partly enclosed area. It is ll so confusing
By the way i am using one of those power surge extension leads. it relly worries me that overload cna make it go bang = no house and no raf!
Hi karen
Been busy makking a thing in the middle of the enclosure to hang lights
My cloche came today but the plastic is really thin
Do you think if i got this sheet and tried to make a frame, would this be the right sort of plastic?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00C7QCUYO/?tag=
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First, no, I did not hibernate redfoot in a fridge. I hibernated a desert tortoise (gopherus agassizii) in a fridge. I saw I didn't answer that for you.
I think this plastic might be so thick that it's a pain to work with. I don't know if it's big enough, but some people use a shower curtain liner. Or a clear shower curtain.
The other portable greenhouses we've seen on Amazon...is their size what is wrong with them?
I think to build something PVC pipe would be great. Do you have an electric drill to put some holes in it? It would work great.
hi yes the shape would be no good. If you remember the enclosur e is sloped i can get a thinner piece. I just assumed id need thick. i dont think drilling holes would work as thatd mean allowing moisture into the brickwork, I was going to make a frame using wood. My friend gave me some great pieces.
this is half the thickness. (bigger too) would it be ok?
it says it is UV treated. that won't harm him will it?
Thanks so much
(And i get it about the tort now lol, I thought putting a redfoot in a fridge would be the wrong thing from what I have read!! )
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CBUEHBU/?tag=
The cloche polythene is wafer thin
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No, no, no...when I said drilling holes I meant into the PVC pipe! Not into your bricks!
The plastic thickness is not crucial. You want it to not puncture easily, but not so thick you can't work with it. Like a shower curtain thickness. I suppose what you linked would be OK. Hard to know for sure. UV treatment doesn't matter.
If you put a vertical piece of wood on each end of the enclosure, then put a piece connecting them as high as you can, that's all you need. Hang everything from the cross piece and drape your plastic. Done!
The plastic thickness is not crucial. You want it to not puncture easily, but not so thick you can't work with it. Like a shower curtain thickness. I suppose what you linked would be OK. Hard to know for sure. UV treatment doesn't matter.
If you put a vertical piece of wood on each end of the enclosure, then put a piece connecting them as high as you can, that's all you need. Hang everything from the cross piece and drape your plastic. Done!
Hi i have everything sorted now frame wise and light/heat wise. All the wood is cut to size, just need to attach the last few bits.No, no, no...when I said drilling holes I meant into the PVC pipe! Not into your bricks!
The plastic thickness is not crucial. You want it to not puncture easily, but not so thick you can't work with it. Like a shower curtain thickness. I suppose what you linked would be OK. Hard to know for sure. UV treatment doesn't matter.
If you put a vertical piece of wood on each end of the enclosure, then put a piece connecting them as high as you can, that's all you need. Hang everything from the cross piece and drape your plastic. Done!
also sorted a large sheet of plexiglass. just got to figure out how to cut it ( for the bottom)
have cut wood to enlarge his hide too
Now just need at attach thr last few bits of wood and sort the cover! ive found some plastic half as thick again which i think may do
if its slightly opaque if we set up a camera to see him when away would t see through the opaque bit?
5M x 2M Clear Plastic Sheeting,30Mu Thickness, Many Uses | eBay
30Mu Thickness, Many Uses. Clear Plastic Sheeting. Sheeting is quite clear as seen in the picture. Many other uses.
www.ebay.co.uk
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