New Tortoise Owner =)

BenDoc

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Great to hear.
At this forum you have all of the latest, greatest and up to date information you're ever going to need.


I can see that there is an endless flow of information on this forum and i intend to use every bit of it! i really appreciate all the help from everyone! Until i figure out a much better enclosure for her im going to just add water to her substrate to keep humidity up and soak her daily!
 

Tom

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Thank you Tom for your response! Since i only have one baby tortoise i wont be needing the enclosure that you have provided. If you know of any links that would basically list all of the needed items to make the perfect baby sulcata enclosure, that would so appreciated. We have already lost one baby sulcata due to it being ill from where we had purchased it. I really would like to get this one right! Thank you so much for all the help it is much appreciated!
Those enclosures are perfect for a single tortoise. They make them in many sizes, but if you buy a smaller one, you'll just have to buy a big one a few months later. Your baby will need something big until its large enough to live outside full time. The 8x3' AP cage will work perfectly.
 

turtles11756

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careful with the lights . they get way hot. notice how quick the inside of tank dries up after being sprayed down with a spray bottle .the same will happen to a baby tortoise. i soak my babies two to three times a day and give them a way to get away from the heat from lights at all times especially here in winter when the relative humidity is so dry. i have a twenty year old Sulcata i have to bring inside for colder months he will not stay too long under a hot light when all others do
 

jsheffield

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Hi Bendoc,

I'm relatively new to the world of tortoise-ing, and the single most useful piece of advice I've gotten here has been to close my system ... it made keeping the humidity and temperature higher and more stable.

I'm positive that it has made life better for my redfoot, Darwin.

IMG_7120.jpg

Daily soaking in warm water while I feed him gives us time to bond.

A thermostatic switch helps to keep his enclosure's temp stable, and timers in the lights keep his day lengths appropriate.

I have an Amazon echo dot speaker aimed into his enclosure that loops a Spotify playlist of rainforest noises ... I don't think it's necessary, but doesn't hurt him, and may drown out the alien sounds of my household a bit.

This is a great source for info.

Jamie
 

Tim Carlisle

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Hi Bendoc,

I'm relatively new to the world of tortoise-ing, and the single most useful piece of advice I've gotten here has been to close my system ... it made keeping the humidity and temperature higher and more stable.

I'm positive that it has made life better for my redfoot, Darwin.

View attachment 257818

Daily soaking in warm water while I feed him gives us time to bond.

A thermostatic switch helps to keep his enclosure's temp stable, and timers in the lights keep his day lengths appropriate.

I have an Amazon echo dot speaker aimed into his enclosure that loops a Spotify playlist of rainforest noises ... I don't think it's necessary, but doesn't hurt him, and may drown out the alien sounds of my household a bit.

This is a great source for info.

Jamie
I do something similar with mine...only with classical music. I pipe through very bass-heavy classical string quartets. He seems to respond well to it since the tones are low and the sounds from the bass can really be felt thru the vibrations.
 

BenDoc

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Hi Bendoc,

I'm relatively new to the world of tortoise-ing, and the single most useful piece of advice I've gotten here has been to close my system ... it made keeping the humidity and temperature higher and more stable.

I'm positive that it has made life better for my redfoot, Darwin.

View attachment 257818

Daily soaking in warm water while I feed him gives us time to bond.

A thermostatic switch helps to keep his enclosure's temp stable, and timers in the lights keep his day lengths appropriate.

I have an Amazon echo dot speaker aimed into his enclosure that loops a Spotify playlist of rainforest noises ... I don't think it's necessary, but doesn't hurt him, and may drown out the alien sounds of my household a bit.

This is a great source for info.

Jamie


Thank you for the tips! is it possible to post a couple pics of your enclosure? maybe a nice little list of the items you used to make the enclosure?
 

BenDoc

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Those enclosures are perfect for a single tortoise. They make them in many sizes, but if you buy a smaller one, you'll just have to buy a big one a few months later. Your baby will need something big until its large enough to live outside full time. The 8x3' AP cage will work perfectly.


I checked into those cages and they are a bit pricey for me. i have made a couple upgrades for the time being for my tank to keep humidity up. Someone earlier in the post posted a link to a short and long Christmas tree container, what would your thoughts be on that? if i were to use something like that, how would i set up my lamps? the temp is getting colder up here so she will have to be inside almost all day so thats why i have the long UV lamp. Im assuming i can set up my heat lamps however i need to just to keep the temp around 90? Also what should i keep the humidity at? Thanks for all the help!
 

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drew54

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I checked into those cages and they are a bit pricey for me. i have made a couple upgrades for the time being for my tank to keep humidity up. Someone earlier in the post posted a link to a short and long Christmas tree container, what would your thoughts be on that? if i were to use something like that, how would i set up my lamps? the temp is getting colder up here so she will have to be inside almost all day so thats why i have the long UV lamp. Im assuming i can set up my heat lamps however i need to just to keep the temp around 90? Thanks for all the help!

That tub will work fine or any Rubbermaid and sterilite 50 gal + tubs. Also, stock tanks work well.

I would use a humid hide.

Mix water in with the substrate orchid bark and coco coir hold humidity well. Cypress bark is good just mix water in with it until it's all damp

Ambient temp should not drop below 80f. basking should be 95-100f and cool side should be 80-85.

Use a ceramic heater on a thermostat to keep ambient temps at no lower than 80.

Humidity should be 80+ all times to promote good shell health.

You could do something similar to my enclosure with your lights if you get a tub.

IMG_0685.jpgIMG_0686.jpgIMG_0700.jpgIMG_0985.jpgIMG_0987.jpg

Hope everything works out.
 

Tom

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I checked into those cages and they are a bit pricey for me. i have made a couple upgrades for the time being for my tank to keep humidity up. Someone earlier in the post posted a link to a short and long Christmas tree container, what would your thoughts be on that? if i were to use something like that, how would i set up my lamps? the temp is getting colder up here so she will have to be inside almost all day so thats why i have the long UV lamp. Im assuming i can set up my heat lamps however i need to just to keep the temp around 90? Also what should i keep the humidity at? Thanks for all the help!
I've tried all sorts of methods with tubs and tanks. Nothing has ever worked well for me. Having the lights outside the enclosure creates a chimney effect that draws the warm humid air up and out, replacing it with cooler, drier air from the room. Not having a closed chamber also requires much more heat and electricity and makes it more difficult to maintain stable, warm, humid conditions. Higher wattage bulbs also dry out the carapace more, contributing to more pyramiding.

The cost of materials to build your own closed chamber is roughly the same cost as buying a perfect, precision made AP cage.

It has taken decades of trial and error to reach these conclusions. I've been experimenting heavily on this topic for the last 10 years or so. If you go back and search up my early posts on the forum, you'll see a bunch of these experiments.
 

jsheffield

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Thank you for the tips! is it possible to post a couple pics of your enclosure? maybe a nice little list of the items you used to make the enclosure?

I'm visiting family right now, but will pay post pics when I get home.

Jamie
 

BenDoc

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@BenDoc
How far from Sunrise 33322 are you?
I have some extra lighting, etc I'm not going to need anymore if it'll help you out.


I live up in Palm Bay now so im a little over 2 hours north of you. lol So far ive been able to maintain the humidity in her cage. since I have changed her bedding and maintained her humidity, she has gained like 14 grams! =) I am now running into a little mold problem in her tank...im going to be cleaning her cage and everything today and I was just wondering if you know of any type of animal friendly chemical that I can spray on her substrate and tank walls every few days to kill the mold off so I don't have to replace her bedding every 2 or 3 weeks?
 

jsheffield

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I live up in Palm Bay now so im a little over 2 hours north of you. lol So far ive been able to maintain the humidity in her cage. since I have changed her bedding and maintained her humidity, she has gained like 14 grams! =) I am now running into a little mold problem in her tank...im going to be cleaning her cage and everything today and I was just wondering if you know of any type of animal friendly chemical that I can spray on her substrate and tank walls every few days to kill the mold off so I don't have to replace her bedding every 2 or 3 weeks?

White vinegar.

Jamie
 

jsheffield

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I'm not sure it's ok on the substrate ... I meant more for cleaning the walls and fixtures.

J
 

BenDoc

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I'm not sure it's ok on the substrate ... I meant more for cleaning the walls and fixtures.

J


hmmm, well that would be much better then using bleach lol I woke up today and went to changer her food and found spots of like snow mold on the top of her substrate and the walls of her tank. Its only been humid in her tank for about 2 weeks so I was hoping for a simple solution to keep mold out without having to change substrate out every couple weeks. Would the white vinegar cause health problems for the tortoise?
 

ZEROPILOT

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I live up in Palm Bay now so im a little over 2 hours north of you. lol So far ive been able to maintain the humidity in her cage. since I have changed her bedding and maintained her humidity, she has gained like 14 grams! =) I am now running into a little mold problem in her tank...im going to be cleaning her cage and everything today and I was just wondering if you know of any type of animal friendly chemical that I can spray on her substrate and tank walls every few days to kill the mold off so I don't have to replace her bedding every 2 or 3 weeks?
Bleach.
Then rinse it and let it dry before replacing the substrate
 
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