Any pre-made set ups worth it?

[Whateveryoucallme]

Hi (I’m from the UK)
I’m looking into owning a tortoise in a few months and I’m wondering if any UK pre made set ups are worth it.

I want to do my own lighting set up and add brackets for both a strip light and one for heating.

Any ideas?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello from a fellow uk member! May I ask what species and age you’re looking to get? It’ll help when pointing in the right direction for a set up

 

[Whateveryoucallme]

Hello from a fellow uk member! May I ask what species and age you’re looking to get? It’ll help when pointing in the right direction for a set up

Hi!

I’m going to own a Herman and ideally a baby (or hatchling if that’s the correct term!) I’m thinking anywhere from 3m-1year old.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi!

I’m going to own a Herman and ideally a baby (or hatchling if that’s the correct term!) I’m thinking anywhere from 3m-1year old.

Adorable! For a baby you’re going to want a closed chamber set up as they require higher humidity for around the first 3 years, this helps aid in smoother growth, there’s multiple ways to go about this, I’d personally suggest a closed vivarium as one of the most efficient options, you’d be surprised what you can find on Facebook marketplace for this ready made! But there’s also a company called Southdown aquatics that make vivs, they do come flat packed but are pretty simple to put together, there’s also a polish company called imcages, they ship here, their vivs are pvc so will last long term if you get an adult size(minimum of 8x4ft, you can go a bit smaller if you request multiple levels, or even an ‘L’ shape)

Hopefully this thread I made will be useful to look over! It covers equipment, levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But again I think a viv can do the job more efficiently sometimes

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes some more closed chamber options if you feel like getting creative

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, probably the most important, this one is also really good to familiarise yourself with, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope this all helps!!