My First Radiated

Sterant

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Congrats on your first radiated tortoise, Emily. Its head being dry isn't an issue at all. You want to keep the humidity up for its shell. Keep the humidity in the enclosure above 85%, soak daily and mist once in a while and you will be good. Also make sure you have a good UVB source that is providing the correct amount of UVB.
 

coastal

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Sterant

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Welcome to the club. This looks like one from Bill Z I'm sure you're in good hands! Has grown in nice there, enjoy watching the little one grow up.

Dan - What UVB light source you using? Been using this now in the AP enclosed cages : https://www.mad4rads.com/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-terrarium-fluorescent-hood-high-output.html seem to last the longest and best bang for your buck.
Hey John,
I also use Reptisun 10.0 T5 HO bulbs, but I use the 48" version inside the following fixture:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005H1C7NA/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

I also use AP style enclosed cages. One is a modified Vision cage, 2 I built and one smaller one I bought from AP. I, like you, get fantastic results with the enclosed chambers.

I put up a post last week mentioning that my last batch of the Reptisun bulbs produced good UVB for 3 years before the output dropped. so Yes, great bang for the buck.
 
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zovick

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Her head seems to always be dry even with 20 minute daily soaks and misting. Any suggestions?

View attachment 227867 View attachment 227868 View attachment 227869

Hi Emily,

Your tortoise looks great. The dry appearance on the head could be from mineral deposits which collect there when the water evaporates after the tortoise has soaked. These deposits also form on the sides of the shell making it look whitish. They can be be removed periodically from the head by using a cotton swab dipped in lukewarm white vinegar, being careful not to get the vinegar into the eyes. The deposits on the shell can be removed using a soft toothbrush also dipped in lukewarm white vinegar.

You can apply a tiny amount of mineral oil to the top of the head with a cotton swab which will keep the skin from appearing so dry and also help keep the deposits from forming as readily on the head. The downside of the mineral oil is that if there is any dusty or powdery substrate in your enclosure, it will stick to the mineral oil. You can experiment a bit and see what amount works best in your situation.
 

coastal

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4- HO bulbs 4' long you must be a reefer. Those fixtures are allot more bulky, Zoomed ones are really slim even with the reflector, which seems to work better with a misting system hidden away in the top of the AP cage. I think Evan is using something like yours for plant growth too, but you don't get to much heat from 4 bulbs inside the closed AP cage? Very nice, you must have seen Tony's setups and got the itch for super smooth growth too. The AP cage and misting really makes a huge difference. I don't get hard water deposits with RO water in the misting system, on the shells. But also have water softener and house filter which I am sure helps too. Three years is crazy, the T5 bulbs are really good so not to shocking such better tech to the T8. Anyhow keep warm!
 

Sterant

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4- HO bulbs 4' long you must be a reefer. Those fixtures are allot more bulky, Zoomed ones are really slim even with the reflector, which seems to work better with a misting system hidden away in the top of the AP cage. I think Evan is using something like yours for plant growth too, but you don't get to much heat from 4 bulbs inside the closed AP cage? Very nice, you must have seen Tony's setups and got the itch for super smooth growth too. The AP cage and misting really makes a huge difference. I don't get hard water deposits with RO water in the misting system, on the shells. But also have water softener and house filter which I am sure helps too. Three years is crazy, the T5 bulbs are really good so not to shocking such better tech to the T8. Anyhow keep warm!
The quality of the AgroBrite fixture is unmatched - in my experience. I also like to run other bulbs to give the broadest spectrum of light I can. I only run 1 UVB bulb in them, then I run 2 or 3 grow bulbs between 5500K and 6500K. I am also doing some experiments now with LED tubes. They have a great spectrum, use half the power and are very bright - but I am just starting to play with them. In my smaller enclosed chambers, I run 2 bulb AgroBrite fixtures as the 4 bulb can generate too much heat.

I don't like misters - so I don't use them. I do run humidifiers with RO water, which also avoids the hard water deposits.

In addition to Zoo Med Reptisun bulbs, a lot of people on the forum use Arcadia bulbs with great results. They seem to put out a bit more UVB. I have been very happy with Reptisun so will stick with that for now.
 

Emily Oliveira

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Emily Oliveira

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Hey John,
I also use Reptisun 10.0 T5 HO bulbs, but I use the 48" version inside the following fixture:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005H1C7NA/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

I also use AP style enclosed cages. One is a modified Vision cage, 2 I built and one smaller one I bought from AP. I, like you, get fantastic results with the enclosed chambers.

I put up a post last week mentioning that my last batch of the Reptisun bulbs produced good UVB for 3 years before the output dropped. so Yes, great bang for the buck.

Awesome where can I find the AP cage?
 

Sterant

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Awesome where can I find the AP cage?
Emily - The company is called Animal Plastics - www.apcages.com.

They have quite a wait right now - something like 13 or 14 weeks to produce something, but occasionally they have enclosures around from cancellations or overstocks, etc... Give them a call - nice people.
 

Emily Oliveira

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Emily - The company is called Animal Plastics - www.apcages.com.

They have quite a wait right now - something like 13 or 14 weeks to produce something, but occasionally they have enclosures around from cancellations or overstocks, etc... Give them a call - nice people.
Sounds great thanks
. Do you put the circular cut outs in for lights or do the hanging hood vent tube light fixture
 

Sterant

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I hang dual-bulb fluorescent fixtures in mine. In one of my bigger enclosures I have a 4 bulb fixture. All 48" bulbs.
 

coastal

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Dan, yes I am aware of the other UVB brands but being a Zoomed dealer I get a good deal and far to many used to see any difference in brand. Are you using whole room humidifier or piped into each cage? 4 bulbs in a cage, bet you can see that from space!
The AP cages are worth the wait, no one produces a better cage of that type fit and finish is on point. More then one way to skin a cat, but I would for sure use a closed system for indoors. Awesome, they can be addicting maybe you will get lucky and end up with a pair.
 

Sterant

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Dan, yes I am aware of the other UVB brands but being a Zoomed dealer I get a good deal and far to many used to see any difference in brand. Are you using whole room humidifier or piped into each cage? 4 bulbs in a cage, bet you can see that from space!
The AP cages are worth the wait, no one produces a better cage of that type fit and finish is on point. More then one way to skin a cat, but I would for sure use a closed system for indoors. Awesome, they can be addicting maybe you will get lucky and end up with a pair.
I run a room humidifier which keeps the room at 70%, but I keep the closed systems up over 85%.
 

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