Tom

Tom

10 Year Member! Platinum Tortoise Club
The Dog Trainer From Southern California
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Viewing thread Tom's response to "Garden State Tortoise" Video
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  • N
    Guyz please help me y my star tortoise pair don't like to bask in sun.. Wen I leav them in sun they move back to shade and sleeps..
    Tom
    Tom
    That is normal tortoise behavior. They often don't like sitting out in the open because it exposes them to predators. It could also men they are already feeling warm enough.
    N
    Nik
    but how can they will get d3
    Tom
    Tom
    They will get enough just being outside. In time they will get more comfortable in their enclosure and move around in the sun more.

    Start a thread and post some pics of the enclosure so we can offer better tips.
    waretrop
    Tom, Please have patients with people who have different opinions than you. They come here to learn about these animals. You put down the most useful people, that we all could benefit from here. Along with you and these others would make this place such a great place. Putting people down is very belittling to you....You are really much better than that....Please stop....Barb
    Tom
    Tom
    You will have to fill me in on what you are talking about. Feel free to message me about this as typing space is limited on our profiles. Happy to discuss it with you.
    K
    Thanks. I have a MVB, ceramic, and fluorescent (no UVB) in there. Temps are from 70-95 and he seems uninterested in coming out for the last few weeks. I guess I'll warm it up and see what happens.
    Tom
    Tom
    Try getting the basking area up to 100 and keep the cool side closer to 80 during the day and 75ish at night. It might take a few weeks for him to really be convinced that it is not time to hibernate.
    K
    Hey thanks for the info. Should the DT I'm keeping up come out everyday? I've been taking him out for soaks daily, but I feel bad about bugging him.
    Tom
    Tom
    If you don't want him to hibernate, then I would keep getting him up ad make sure your temps are up and the enclosure is nice and bright for 13-14 hours a day.
    K
    I have a 4 x 2 indoor enclosure for my little DT who is approximately 1 year old. I'm keeping him up for the winter on advice from the vet. I've been trying to get the temperatures just right and am having some trouble. Should I use a 100W or 160W MVB?
    Tom
    Tom
    Hi Kevin. Only your thermometer can answer that. There are many factors that determine how much wattage will be needed to achieve the temperatures we are after. Also, depending on how cold your house gets, you might need some night heat. This is best achieved with a ceramic heating element and a thermostat. Warmer nights often convince them that its not time to hibernate.
    bigbeaks
    Hi Tom, for the past year I've used an oil filled heater in my hide box (your design, 4' by 4' by 2' high) with a thermostat. I wanted to know if when you use the radiant heat panels, do you use the oil filled heater as well? And do you use the thermostat with the radiant heat panel? If so, how do you know what temp to set the thermostat at?
    View previous comments…
    Tom
    Tom
    I set my temps according to the species, the season, and the current weather. Usually 70-75 in summer with our hot days, and 85 ish in winter with our colder days for tropical species like sulcatas and leopards.
    bigbeaks
    bigbeaks
    But you aren't trying to create an ambient temp with RHP are you? Like you do with the oil filled heaters. Maybe I'm confused about what they are used for. I was thinking they were more of a basking type heater??
    Tom
    Tom
    I use the RHP and Kane mats to maintain ambient too, just in a different way than the oil heaters. I think the RHP/Kane mat combo also allows for a bit of a warmer area inside the warm box when they are on. So you are right in a way. Both ways work well for me.
    waretrop
    I am curious about one of your statements. It is at: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/feeding-an-11-lb-sulcata.74949/#post-700868
    "Also, your baby is past the stage where pyramiding is a concern. At his size, they will not start pyramiding. "So are you saying that if my Alice has some pyramiding at 5 years old and 25 pounds that most of the damage is already done and I don't have to worry about it getting worse?
    Tom
    Tom
    Generally yes, but they can pyramid anytime they are growing in conditions that are too dry. Most sulcatas start to smooth out at 25-30 pounds even if conditions are still very dry.
    waretrop
    waretrop
    Thank you Tom.

    Barb
    luvsdaheat
    Hi, Tom! I was viewing a post about Leopard's swimming and caught your profile pic -- I'm not sure if that INCREDIBLE shell pattern is real, photoshop, decals stuck on or what, but those stars, and the 3D boxes -- mind blown! So who's burrow do I have to clean to get in on that? thanks, brad wolff
    View previous comments…
    luvsdaheat
    luvsdaheat
    Sorry about the poor phrasing, I'm seeking info about them, breeders etc.. That pic makes me smile every time I see it.
    I'll learn about them, and thanks for taking the time to contact me. (My ex was a dog trainer 30 years ago; we had a Bea Lydecker German Shepard)

    thanks again
    Tom
    Tom
    I hadn't even started my dog training career 30 years ago. I trained my own dogs for fun and entertainment as a kid, but I didn't start professionally until the early 90'.

    I got my stars from @KenS @skottip and @coastal and I highly recommend all three of them. All are great guys, easy to deal with and well, you can see the quality of what they are offering.
    luvsdaheat
    luvsdaheat
    I hesitated in asking about breeders until I'd digested more information...thank you for the referrals.
    I am VERY happy to see those scute lines with near symmetrical markings plus that great 3D 'box' and star look is not a super super rarity.
    Well, we have breeding Sulcata and Leopard pairs, what's another mouth(s) to feed at this point, right?
    awesomecs
    GUYS I need super major help and your a 5 year member we have cats and snakes and hawks in my area but we have garden snakes small snakes but I was thinking about closing a area of our backyard for her outdoor enclosure she looks like a juvenile is it safe will they bother her I don't want her at any risk oh and by the way we have groundhogs
    jaimi
    Help with night box
    jaimi
    jaimi
    Hi Tom. I'm new to the forum, but after reading, I'm surprised my tortoise has survived this long. We've had him for over 16 years. He seems healthy, social... We realized that his (pathetic) night box needed to be trashed, and we have built a new one.
    jaimi
    jaimi
    About 4x3x3. We are also in SoCal. I have a few questions. We insulated with r-tech, Is it necessary to add the extra wood on the inside? If we get a panel heater for the side of the box, what wattage? Where to purchase? Do we need a heat pad also? Lastly, what nesting/sleeping material do you use on the floor of the box?
    Corey S
    Hi Tom. I have a 18"ish sully and just finished building a 4x2 night box off of your design. I've read through all your heating post from the past few years and just needed a little more help picking a heat source for the box. Temps will drop in the 30s outside with him in the box will the mat/heat panel be enough to hold temps in the insulated box? Or should I try the mini oil first. Thanks for any help.
    Tom
    Tom
    I like to have the boxes large enough that the tortoise can get off the heat source if needed. An 18" tortoise is going to outgrow a 24" box within a couple of years, so start planning a 4x4'.

    If your box is sealed and insulated properly, it will hold 80-86 degrees with a Kane heat mat and a RHP with no problem on a night with temps in the mid 20s. I only use the mini oil heater on 4x8' boxes.
    Corey S
    Corey S
    Sorry for bad explanation it's a 4x4x2 tall. Love the design. Ill give the Kane and rbi rhp a try then. Do you see any reason why I shouldn't upgrade to the 32" panel other than electricity. Only $10 more?
    jaimi
    jaimi
    following. What's a good source to purchase an RHP? Does it need a thermostat?
    Dan
    Hello, at what temperature and humidity do you keep platynota?
    View previous comments…
    Tom
    Tom
    We are completely on the same page Dan. This species is still new to me so I like to keep in touch with any platynota people I find and learn as much as I can.

    One thing I did that may have been a mistake was start them in too large of an enclosure. I had 27-32 gram babies in a 4x4' enclosure. How big is your baby enclosure?
    Dan
    Dan
    I use a 110 gallon oval poly stock tank. It's about 4'x3'. I check on them regularly (2x day soaks, fed before and after work, weighed several times/week) so I think I'm addressing most pitfalls of a larger baby enclosure. They are growing pretty fast and currently 70-80g. Did you see problems when they were smaller?
    Tom
    Tom
    Mine hardly grew at all for the first few months. I was quite worried about it, especially since I am used to growing sulcatas which practically grow while you watch them. After a few months, growth rate really picked up and all is great now. I don't weight as often now, but some of them have gotten pretty big. A few are around 1000 grams now.
    monsteraldabra
    Hello Tom, i watched your video on youtube 'The end of tortoise pyramiding'
    base on your experience, sulcata never had a shell rot in high humidity inside the close chambered, how about aldabra? any experience with aldabra?
    i can't find orchid bark here, so i use cocopeat instead, spray them regularly just to make them moist.
    Tom
    Tom
    I have almost no Aldabra experience. They don't do well in my climate, so I don't keep them. I have never heard of a case of shell rot in an Aldabra.
    M
    Hey Tom. Do all tortoises need high humidity? Are there any that will do okay in dry climate like Colorado? I live in the midwest now but that's where I am moving to in a few years.

    I ask because I have seem some indoor enclosures that don't have tops or the walls are too low to sustain humidity.
    Tom
    Tom
    This is a tricky question. I do think ALL hatchling tortoises do benefit from at least some moderate humidity. None of them need the low humidity that is common in most indoor open topped enclosures. I have no experience with Egyptian tortoises, so I can't say what they need, for example.
    M
    Melissa.
    Tom
    Tom
    The only way I would use an enclosure like that is inside a reptile room that was temperature controlled all the time and had the ambient humidity that I needed in the enclosure. In a normal house with the typical dry air, I would not recommend that enclosure for any species. Its also too small for anything other than hatchlings. I do like the tray concept.
    THEELEG
    What are those soil types you get from Walmart again??
    Tom
    Tom
    I don't use soil. I use orchid bark. I get mine from either Lowes where they call it "Pathway Bark", or from local gardening centers. Make sure its the fine grade, not the big honkin' chunks.
    Faerieblue
    1g19cp.jpg


    25eupte.jpg


    15q86xh.jpg


    dom2c6.jpg


    Heres a few more photos of my leopard. Let me know what you think. If she's a hybrid, or PB, PP
    Faerieblue
    Faerieblue
    Oh here's a picture of her end side. :)

    mw2zpy.jpg
    Tom
    Tom
    Its very unusual looking. It does not show the characteristics of the SA leopards that I've seen, but the colors and patterning are not typical of the regular leopards either. I don't know what you've got there, but its a pretty tortoise.
    Faerieblue
    Faerieblue
    Lol dang it. I was hoping you could ID her for me. :)
    I was stumped too. Maybe when she will get a little more marbling.
    She is quite dark skinned, unlike the photos online of most of the leopards.
    Thank you for looking over the
    alex_ornelas
    hey tom, i was wondering if you know of any other calcium supplement besides the powder and cuttlebone. My sulcata Oliver goes through cuttlebones like crazy and wont touch any of the powders. is there any large calcium block you know of or one i can make?
    Tom
    Tom
    I just use the powders or cuttlebone. None of my tortoises will touch the blocks.
    Faerieblue
    Just have to say what an amazing person you are, truely. To take your free time out of your day, practically everyday, and help us all with our issues, concerns, and questions.
    Thank you Tom. :)
    • Like
    Reactions: Razan
    Tom
    Tom
    Well thank you, but I can't take such credit. I'm just some guy who really likes tortoises a lot. That's all. Anybody else who has done what I've done knows the same stuff. I suppose I could take credit for liking to talk about tortoises and awful lot...
    lc044
    Hi Tom
    I want your opinion for calcium. It's for a 3-8 months sulcata babies.
    What's your recommends?
    Tom
    Tom
    I like to supplement a little pinch of calcium twice a week for babies. If you are feeding mostly grocery store foods, then I'd bump it up to 3 times a week.
    lc044
    lc044
    I start to follow your suggestion to diet with Orchard Grass Hay (mix with mazuri)


    which brand of the calcium you recommends?
    Tom
    Tom
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