I bought a 2 year old female redfoot tortoise, I'm picking her up tomorrow. Her shell length is approximately 6 inches.
For the enclosure I plan to use a big two foot by four foot tub for now. I am planning to use the lid of the tub to keep the humidity in, with the CHE's and light underneath. Substrate will be moist coir under a layer of bark chips. Heat will be from a 50 watt CHE on each end. I have a thermostat and timer as well as 2 digital thermometer/hygrometers from the hardware store and a temperature gun.
Unfortunately when I was putting everything together I dropped my UVB fluorescent light fixture, now it and the bulb are kaput. It will take me a couple of days to replace them. I do have an extra powersun type bulb but I know the redfoots don't like too much light. For light alone, I have an extra fixture and a household LED bulb which doesn't give off heat. Can she do without the UVB for a couple of days?
For natural sunlight I have a balcony that's sunny in the morning and early afternoon, however I live right beside a major freeway and there's a lot of pollution from cars. I'm guessing not much UVB can penetrate window glass. Are tortoises very sensitive to air pollution?
I'm open to any suggestions about my enclosure, as I've found a lot of conflicting information online about redfoot tortoise husbandry. I'm mainly trying to follow the advice here first. My plan is based on the "Easy red foot enclosure" thread.
For the enclosure I plan to use a big two foot by four foot tub for now. I am planning to use the lid of the tub to keep the humidity in, with the CHE's and light underneath. Substrate will be moist coir under a layer of bark chips. Heat will be from a 50 watt CHE on each end. I have a thermostat and timer as well as 2 digital thermometer/hygrometers from the hardware store and a temperature gun.
Unfortunately when I was putting everything together I dropped my UVB fluorescent light fixture, now it and the bulb are kaput. It will take me a couple of days to replace them. I do have an extra powersun type bulb but I know the redfoots don't like too much light. For light alone, I have an extra fixture and a household LED bulb which doesn't give off heat. Can she do without the UVB for a couple of days?
For natural sunlight I have a balcony that's sunny in the morning and early afternoon, however I live right beside a major freeway and there's a lot of pollution from cars. I'm guessing not much UVB can penetrate window glass. Are tortoises very sensitive to air pollution?
I'm open to any suggestions about my enclosure, as I've found a lot of conflicting information online about redfoot tortoise husbandry. I'm mainly trying to follow the advice here first. My plan is based on the "Easy red foot enclosure" thread.