Help please still not sure about enclosure

hello all,
This will be a redundant question and I have read up on here and online but my head is dizzy from differing opinions. I have two desert tortoises who are 3 months old now.
Glass tanks- yes or no? Ive read arguments for both. They are in a glass tank now. I read somewhere that to keep them in a glass tank will kill them. I bought 2 zoomed wooden enclosures. Do I transfer there or keep inglass? And if in thezoomed box, heat where? Not over wood
od. Heating pad?
Substrate- coconut coir? Will babies this young eat it?i have them on paper towels over zoo med pads, the carpet like flooring.
Moisture- I was told to keep them dry because they are desert tortoises and moisture is for other species, I read here and see examples of tanks
kept very moist with lids and cloths ..
I have more questions but my typing is disappearing! Thank you!

Hi and welcome!
There is a ton of conflicting information out there and it's confusing. A lot of what people think about tortoise care is outdated and has been proven wrong. You can trust the information on this forum and I would check here when in doubt.
So pretty much all baby tortoises need high humidity regardless of being from the desert. There must be both humidity and heat.
A tank is fine if it the appropriate size with the right temperatures and uvb light. A ZooMed enclosure can be modified to hold humidity also.
Coconut coir is fine and they don't usually eat it. Keep it moist.

We can help you get it set up right. What are your temperatures? How do you measure temps? What lamps and lights do you use? What is the humidity?
If you post a photo of your setup we can quickly see if improvements are needed.
Here are some caresheets to read over. Note that desert tortoises have similar care to Russian tortoises but babies require more humidity than adults.
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Hope this is helpful

Thank you LaLa P. I feel like I’m constantly researching but gaining little knowledge. I have 4 tortoises from the same parents who live at my moms house. I grew up with tortoises but my moms way was simple and she’s says “just fine”- glass tanks lined with news paper. That’s it. No soaking in water or taking outside as babies. The parents and one adult offspring live in her back yard, hibernating now in a hallway closet in cardboard boxes. I attempted to do the same with my 2 four year olds but after reading online and advice here, I brought them back from the basement. It’s raining here in Los Angeles so 4 tortoises indoors have taken over my life it feels. I would like re home them and possibly keep one. It’s a lot of work, another thing my mom thinks I’m going overboard with.
Dribble, one of the 4 year olds, was taken to a vet by our house sitter while I was out of town, which is rare and all was fine before this. She panicked because she said it looked like dribble was “pooping her guts out”. I’m pretty sure what actually happened was Dribble is not a she but a he. At the vet Dribble was given an X-ray and showed a blockage in his instenstine. This is getting too long and way off my original post, sorry. This happened over the summer. I have an outdoor enclosure for the 2 four year olds. I noticed dribble seemed sluggish as time went on (the vet told house sitter he should pass what was probably pebbles and be fine),so I brought him to another vet. Since back he hasn’t eaten any solid food. Was on anitbiotics and a kind of laxative. He finally has gone to the bathroom though not much. I’m feeding him with a syringe thing, and I’m hoping he bounces back. Good lord this is king.
Each enclosure has a uvb light for the day time they are inside, a ceramic heat emitter I leave on 24/7, a basking light I alternate if it feels to cold, and at night this red night heat light for Dribble to keep the temps in the 80’s. I’ve heard the red and blue are no good. I should probably switch to another ceramic light. Yawn. During the day I separate the babies putting one in a wide box because the slightly bigger one was trampling over the smaller one who has a bent back leg but is looking better. I took her, Leggy, to the vet too and they said she has a cateract in one eye and put her on anti biotics too. All of a sudden i was giving shots and hand feeding tortoises and basically becoming a more neurotic version of my mom, who started this with one baby so my kids could experience the birth. Fast fwd to now and I don’t leave the house. Anyhow! Here are some photos. 2 big tortoises are in bookcases, coconuthusks, dirt..2 babies (3 months old) are in the glass tank which also has a heating pad stuck to the side where they sleep. Sorry this became a novel.! Tanya

Oh Tanya! That is a lot going on and I feel the overwhelm you are experiencing. We can help you get through this. Unfortunately I have to leave for work in 3 minutes but after work today I'll address some of the issues. But some of the medical issues like what Dribble is going through might require someone else's help. Hopefully a member with experience in that area will chime in. If not I'll message someone later today.
You've come to the right place. This is a very supportive community. I'll be back as soon as I can...

I may be stressing for no reason or I’m just slow at getting things right. Thanks for this message! It dawned on me that maybe the 4 year old that isn’t eating just wants to hibernate. I dunno. I need to get them out in the sun that just popped out⚡️

I’m replying to myself now- TOM.. I’m not sure if there’s a way to tag you in this or not but I’ve read the first link LaLaP replied to me with and you say even hatchlings would do better in a larger enclosure than a tank? For my two 3 month old desert tortoises I was finally about to separate into their own tanks. I’m not sure how many gallons my tanks are.They are about 1 ft wide and 2 ft 6 inches long. I’m not using the screen lids because I read that it blocks uv light. Should I put them in zoomed boxes that are larger? How do you keep the humidity? At the moment they are on the zoo med liners/mats. Should I use coco coir? I’ve also looked at plastic type standing sand/water tables for kids online which looked like a good option. I’d build something if I could. Also- I was going to line the inside of tank (or wood box) with a desert scene. I have vinyl peel and stick on ones and one that’s more of a paper but maybe photo paper. Will the heat cause bad fumes? I have the vinyl kind stuck on outside of the tank but the reflective glass is giving them a mirror of themselves and maybe stressing them out. I’ll probably be re homing these to the right people but it would be nice to be able to give them the habitat as well. THANK YOU!! And thank you LaLaP!

Welcome to the forum! Sadly, there is definitely some stuff that needs changing. To tag someone, just put “@“ before their name. @Tom

-those tanks are definitely much, much too small. They should both be in their own 2x4 foot (or bigger) enclosures. Tortoises, especially territorial species like deserts, should not be kept in pairs.

-you are right about the red light. Colored lights should not be used.

-these baby tortoises need high humidity and a substrate to burrow in. Switch to coco coir ASAP.

-heat mats should not be used for tortoises. Stick with heat lamps.

-coil or compact uvbs can cause eye problems, and are very inefficient at producing uvb. You should be using a tube fluorescent.

-zoo med tortoise houses are really a waste of money. They’re hard to hold humidity in, and mold when wet. You should probably just build your own enclosure, or turn an appropriately sized tub into one. Christmas tree storage tubs work well.

-deserts have similar care to Russians. Please give these a read-
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

TOMMMMM! WHYYY, whyyyyyy... has this been so hard for me to figure out?? So what you’re saying is that the one and half zoomed houses I have, I haven’t finished putting together one of them, and the tanks, one of which I just dragged up from the basement..are useless. And I’m not a novice, my mom raised tortoises for years. Ok, deep breathes. I do have a Xmas tree container, but it has a fake tree in it. That big really? They are sooo tiny! My big ones are miserable in their upturned bookshelves because of the weather and the fact I couldn’t figure out how to hibernate them. For now though, right now I’m this moment, can I keep them in two tanks? Or 2 Zoomed things(which I hate and have had before and it fell apart). Tell me what to doooo!
Tanya

Can I get tube fluorescent lights on amazon?

Tanyabobanya said:

TOMMMMM! WHYYY, whyyyyyy... has this been so hard for me to figure out?? So what you’re saying is that the one and half zoomed houses I have, I haven’t finished putting together one of them, and the tanks, one of which I just dragged up from the basement..are useless. And I’m not a novice, my mom raised tortoises for years. Ok, deep breathes. I do have a Xmas tree container, but it has a fake tree in it. That big really? They are sooo tiny! My big ones are miserable in their upturned bookshelves because of the weather and the fact I couldn’t figure out how to hibernate them. For now though, right now I’m this moment, can I keep them in two tanks? Or 2 Zoomed things(which I hate and have had before and it fell apart). Tell me what to doooo!
Tanya

Can I get tube fluorescent lights on amazon?

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-tortoises roam miles in days, and need a large area for an adequate heat gradient. Yes, they do need that much space.

-if you already have the zoo med houses and you really don’t want to buy anything else, I suppose they’ll do for now. You’ll just have to cover the top with tin foil and/or plastic wrap to contain humidity.

-yes, you can get the lights on amazon.

Tin foil or plastic wrap.. and ceramic heat lamps? Won’t it get too hot? I’ve been trying to figure out a perfect enclosure forever. I do want to buy something. I tried to imitate the only ones for sale I’ve found that are oddly in London. But if a tank is too small then these were too. My 2 older ones are normally outdoors all day. With the rain and cold I’ve kept them inside. The outside has heating mats in an area on each side but I even take them in in the summer. Anyhow. Maybe the tanks will be better until I figure something else out. I’d be afraid they would cook if I covered the top with plastic wrap which would burn. But you probably mean the lights would go under the foil and seran wrap? Ugh. I don’t know what to do now. I have tube looking uvb lights but they are “compact”. I got them at the vet and they were the only ones they carried. ‍♀️. I do soak them a few times a day so hopefully that will help. The vet is the one who suggested repot mats with paper towels over them instead of coconut four because they could eat that .i have a heat gunX yay the only thing I got right, I have an temp/humidity thermamtor type thing from when the bigger ones were babies, but again reading online got confusing with all the species of tortoises. I need a Tortoise mentor in Los Angeles. I must say I’m doing a lot more than my mom ever did for here. So to make sure , it’s a long tube light? Thank you Tom you’re the best. And please if u have annny advice or anyone else feel free to chip in. The older one is still not eating solid food and it’s worrying me. Tanya

Have you been soaking Dribble? That'll help him pass the blockage.

If you look in the enclosure section for "closed chamber" you can see how people use tin foil to put a top on an enclosure.

I have been. At least twice a day. Hell perk up and walk around .. but no food except what I feed him with a syringe thing. Ok I’ll look there thank you! I get lost on here. Glass Tanks or Zoo Med boxes until I can find a better and bigger situation? I keep just staring at all of it and can’t make a move. Thanks again for your help!

Tanya, Tom has not been on this thread at all. LaLaP and TechnoCheese have been doing a great job of advising you. These 2 ladies are very knowledgeable.

If you want to tag someone, please see post number 8 re' how to do it.

I just thought you'd like to know, so there's no confusion as to who is advising you.

Oh my. I am so embarrassed now. I swore I saw the name Tom at the end of the last one. When l look for answers on the forum “Tom” is the person who seems to give solid advice (and belittle ) people.
Tom. Well.. I’m grateful for you all and the help. I still haven’t decided where to put these sleeping babies. The tank for now. Please excuse my crazy posts, I’m in over my head over here!

Tanyabobanya said:

Tin foil or plastic wrap.. and ceramic heat lamps? Won’t it get too hot? I’ve been trying to figure out a perfect enclosure forever. I do want to buy something. I tried to imitate the only ones for sale I’ve found that are oddly in London. But if a tank is too small then these were too. My 2 older ones are normally outdoors all day. With the rain and cold I’ve kept them inside. The outside has heating mats in an area on each side but I even take them in in the summer. Anyhow. Maybe the tanks will be better until I figure something else out. I’d be afraid they would cook if I covered the top with plastic wrap which would burn. But you probably mean the lights would go under the foil and seran wrap? Ugh. I don’t know what to do now. I have tube looking uvb lights but they are “compact”. I got them at the vet and they were the only ones they carried. ‍♀️. I do soak them a few times a day so hopefully that will help. The vet is the one who suggested repot mats with paper towels over them instead of coconut four because they could eat that .i have a heat gunX yay the only thing I got right, I have an temp/humidity thermamtor type thing from when the bigger ones were babies, but again reading online got confusing with all the species of tortoises. I need a Tortoise mentor in Los Angeles. I must say I’m doing a lot more than my mom ever did for here. So to make sure , it’s a long tube light? Thank you Tom you’re the best. And please if u have annny advice or anyone else feel free to chip in. The older one is still not eating solid food and it’s worrying me. Tanya

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You just leave holes where the lights go and line the holes with foil, or mount the lights inside.

I definitely wouldn’t listen to the vet for care advice. Most of them have no idea how to treat or care for tortoises, seeing as they don’t exactly have a semester of a tortoise class. Coco coir is just coconut, so it’s fully digestible.

Yes, it’s a long tube light.

Please be sure you read the links above, if you haven’t already

Thank you! I haven’t read the link about foil but I will. Can I ask which for right now would be better? Glass tanks or Zoo med Tortoise houses? I want to separate these 2 24/7. I’ve putting one in a cardboard open box in the day and swapping them out until night when I put them both in the tank. I have another tank and 2 zoo med houses I can set up... but not sure which would be better for right now. Thank you!

I use an Inkbird heat temperature controller. You set the max and the min and it does the work.

For what kind of habitat ? That sounds good thank you. I have a heat gun I’ve using, I’ll look this one up.
Tanya

Tanyabobanya said:

Oh my. I am so embarrassed now. I swore I saw the name Tom at the end of the last one. When l look for answers on the forum “Tom” is the person who seems to give solid advice (and belittle ) people.
Tom. Well.. I’m grateful for you all and the help. I still haven’t decided where to put these sleeping babies. The tank for now. Please excuse my crazy posts, I’m in over my head over here!

Click to expand...

Tanya, I'm so sorry...the last thing I wanted was to embarrass you!

It takes a while to learn the in's and out's of a forum like this, plus you have your torts on your mind. I had hoped to make the forum a bit clearer to you, but it seems I messed up. I am sorry...please forgive me.

Please take a few calming breaths...you are going to get this all straightened out! The folks who are helping you are knowledgeable. Relax and make changes a little at a time. If you postpone a detail til tomorrow, your tortoises will still be fine.

Tanyabobanya said:

Thank you! I haven’t read the link about foil but I will. Can I ask which for right now would be better? Glass tanks or Zoo med Tortoise houses? I want to separate these 2 24/7. I’ve putting one in a cardboard open box in the day and swapping them out until night when I put them both in the tank. I have another tank and 2 zoo med houses I can set up... but not sure which would be better for right now. Thank you!

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I would use whichever one is bigger.