Advices for my lil wstern herman

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

awesome guide i like especially the pics.
anyway i mean in the top i should cut holes for the uv right?
and how high should i put the arcadia 12% t5

Thanks! Glad you like it!

Is it a greenhouse style topper you have? Or a lid type topper? Either way I’d try to work out a way to mount all the lighting a heat inside the cover itself, making sure of course the cover isn’t touching any of the fixtures because they can get hot! Cutting holes can cause the humidity to escape, the more closed your chamber, the better

The Arcadia should be mounted roughly 18-20 inches from the top of the tortoise’s shell

 

[Cicciof]

Thanks! Glad you like it!

Is it a greenhouse style topper you have? Or a lid type topper? Either way I’d try to work out a way to mount all the lighting a heat inside the cover itself, making sure of course the cover isn’t touching any of the fixtures because they can get hot! Cutting holes can cause the humidity to escape, the more closed your chamber, the better

The Arcadia should be mounted roughly 18-20 inches from the top of the tortoise’s shell

it is like a lid... i lay it on top and thats it. so cutting holes wont work.. i need to figure out someting else.
because the walls of the enclosure are like 20 cm

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

it is like a lid... i lay it on top and thats it. so cutting holes wont work.. i need to figure out someting else.
because the walls of the enclosure are like 20 cm

I’d have a look into some sort of greenhouse topper, or you could make your own frame out of some timber that you hang the lights from, then secure some pvc covering to the frame

 

[Cicciof]

I’d have a look into some sort of greenhouse topper, or you could make your own frame out of some timber that you hang the lights from, then secure some pvc covering to the frame

till when should i keep her with a closed top?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

till when should i keep her with a closed top?

Usually it’s till around the age of 3, but it’ll depend on their growth rate

 

[Cicciof]

Usually it’s till around the age of 3, but it’ll depend on their growth rate

so i bought a sensor that mesure humidity and rn is 83% inside.
i thought what if i keep 1/4 of the enclosure open while i keep the basking lamp active and spray down every now and then to keep the humidity 80+?
and then when i dont use the laps keep it fully closed?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

so i bought a sensor that mesure humidity and rn is 83% inside.
i thought what if i keep 1/4 of the enclosure open while i keep the basking lamp active and spray down every now and then to keep the humidity 80+?
and then when i dont use the laps keep it fully closed?

When keep enclosure open - humidity is lost very quickly. Especially with a heat lamp - hot air goes up with all water vapour in it. When you spray the substrate you get a humidity boost which lasts 30-40 minutes, then substrate dries out and humidity is low again.

Actually, one of the reasons to keep humidity high is to mitigate drying effect of heat lamps on tortoise shell. So you need high humidity more when lamp is on than when the lamp is off.

 

[Cicciof]

one of the reasons to keep humidity high is to mitigate drying effect of heat lamps on tortoise shell. So you need high humidity more when lamp is on than when the lamp is off.

that make sense thanks

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Sorry for the delay! Glad Alex’s response helped

 

[Cicciof]

so guys everything fine.
but i have a question, in the morning she wakes up, go to eat stays like 10 minutes under the basking light and then come back to sleep.
after lunch i wake her up (sometimes she is already awake but still hiding) i soak her, i put her under the lamp, she stays in there like 3 minutes and then eat again and sleep.

idk is it normal? just a couple of days she's been a bit more active but sometimes she spend the day hiding if dont just go and take her out.

but if i take her and put in anpthe place like on the floor in a closed enviroment while i clean the enclosure, she is super active, she explores and go around.

am i doing something wrong? im managing to keep the enclosure between 78/92% humid.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hi!
Can you post a recent photo of the enclosure (with UVB light and so)? And what are ambient and basking area temperatures?

While staying out of sight is normal for hatchlings it could be also an issue with temperatures and lack of other hiding spots. And humidity is a bit higher than needed, especially if ambient temperatures are low.