Anything wrong 2: Questions

[Ryan L.]

Hello everyone i am back with my leopard tortoise Mui after managing some mistakes i had in Anything wrong?. i put a shower curtain to keep the temperature and humidity in. i switch the basking spot light to a infrared heat bulb, and the UV bulb to a Reptiglow bulb. i did not change the enclosure size, because it is spring here in Toronto now, so i am going to let him outside soon.
i have a few questions:
1. i have a 65 watt incandescent flood light bulb that tom was talking about, but i did not use it because the bulb does not give away much heat, only mildly warm.should i use it?
2. it is spring here in Toronto now, so i am going to let her outside soon. below is my garden. i already built an area out of wood planks, or should i use the dog cage i brought? i know that tortoises need as much space as they can have, but there are raccoons, rats, and birds of prey here.
3. i still cannot keep the humidity up, even when i spray once a day. Are there any effective ways to do it?

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetingd,

Have you shared photos of your tort in another thread? Is it a hatchling, if so i don’t believe either of your options that you present are going to work. Your tort is much too young & small to be out in Toronto in those enclosures. It’s just not large enough. Those areas could work as crawl space on sunny warm summer days, but not out there 24/7.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Those red bulbs should not be used. Your tortoise can see both the color and the light, no matter what to pet store says. It needs to be switched to a ceramic heat emitter or radiant heat panel on a thermostat.

those bulbs are much too close to the tortoise, and will severely dry out it’s shell.The lamps need to be at least about a foot above the tortoise.
1- whether or not you should use it depends entirely on what temperatures it gives you. Do you have a digital thermometer or temperature Gun to measure it? That’s the ideal bulb to use, and you need a 95-100 degree basking spot.

2- The dog cage is much too small, and since it’s see through, your tortoise will try to escape. Use the pen, and keep in mind that, unless it’s at least 8 inches long, this tortoise is too small to go outside full time.

3- spraying won’t keep humidity up. You need to pour a pitcher of water into the substrate and mix it around.
Can you buy a large tub for temporary housing? That enclosure is much too small, even short term. It doesn’t allow for thermoregulation or walking for digestion, and frankly, it’s immoral. It doesn’t look like it can even turn around, and the fact that it’s been in this enclosure for at least a month (since your last thread), someone could even say it’s neglect. The entire enclosure needed to be revamped before it was even created.

 

[Ryan L.]

my tort is 9 inches long, and its a juvenile.

 

[Ryan L.]

can i use the kind of thermometer that is used for sticking in ears?

 

[TechnoCheese]

my tort is 9 inches long, and its a juvenile.

Alright, then definitely big enough to be outside. Keep in mind that you need to have an insulated, heated night box available for night and heat.

 

[TechnoCheese]

can i use the kind of thermometer that is used for sticking in ears?

No. You need a digital thermometer with a probe, or a temperature gun. You can get a temp gun for 15$ on Amazon.

 

[Ryan L.]

Can you show me your heated nightbox? and for the indoor enclosure, there are raccoons and birds of prey in my neighborhood. is a open topped pen enough?

 

[Ryan L.]

No. You need a digital thermometer with a probe, or a temperature gun. You can get a temp gun for 15$ on Amazon.

really? cause i looked it up in amazon, and the cheapest costs $60.

 

[TechnoCheese]

really? cause i looked it up in amazon, and the cheapest costs $60.

Weirdly enough, the cheap ones aren’t being stocked right now. Here’s one that’s a little more expensive from Walmart-

Robot or human?

this one works too-
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MD3MFA/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[TechnoCheese]

Can you show me your heated nightbox? and for the indoor enclosure, there are raccoons and birds of prey in my neighborhood. is a open topped pen enough?

A bird of prey would not be able to pick up your tortoise, and since raccoons are nocturnal there won’t be a problem as long as you’re locking your tortoise in its night box at night.
This is an older picture, and my tortoise now has the whole yard.

here’s a thread that goes into making one-

My Best Night Box Design Yet

After much thought about what worked and what I wanted to improve over previous attempts, here is the latest version with a step by step pictorial on how I did it. It is time for my 2010 South African herd to move outside. They are moving into a 16x20' completely closed in enclosure. The...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Ryan L.]

my vet had told me that a raccoon stole her turtle right in front of her eyes in daylight

 

[TechnoCheese]

my vet had told me that a raccoon stole her turtle right in front of her eyes in daylight

How would a raccoon steal a 9 inch long, probably 7-8 pound tortoise? This is a concern with small tortoises, but yours is way too big for this to be a problem.

 

[Ryan L.]

ok. are rats a problem? will they bite?

 

[TechnoCheese]

ok. are rats a problem? will they bite?

They will, but again, that’s why they need to be locked in a secure night box at night. During the day, there’s virtually no chance of that happening, and if it did, no covering would stop that.

 

[Tom]

Hello everyone i am back with my leopard tortoise Mui after managing some mistakes i had in Anything wrong?. i put a shower curtain to keep the temperature and humidity in. i switch the basking spot light to a infrared heat bulb, and the UV bulb to a Reptiglow bulb. i did not change the enclosure size, because it is spring here in Toronto now, so i am going to let him outside soon.
i have a few questions:
1. i have a 65 watt incandescent flood light bulb that tom was talking about, but i did not use it because the bulb does not give away much heat, only mildly warm.should i use it?
2. it is spring here in Toronto now, so i am going to let her outside soon. below is my garden. i already built an area out of wood planks, or should i use the dog cage i brought? i know that tortoises need as much space as they can have, but there are raccoons, rats, and birds of prey here.
3. i still cannot keep the humidity up, even when i spray once a day. Are there any effective ways to do it?

Hi Ryan.

1. You don't have a 65 watt flood bulb. They are phasing out incandescent bulbs all over the world and the packaging is confusing. What you have there is a LED 65 watt "replacement" bulb. LEDs make almost no heat. I don't know if you can still get a real flood bulb in Canada or not. I can't get them in California anymore and had to have them sent to a friend out of state who is going to have to send them in to CA for me.
2. Everyone in all of North America has raccoons, birds of prey and rats. This shouldn't be a problem in your back yard during the day. The dog crate is much too small for a 9 inch tortoise. Make a heated, insulated night box with a latching door and your tortoise can run around the enclosure in the warm sunshine during the day, and safely stay outside at night during warmer weather in its heated box. Like this:
3. You can't keep humidity up because there is too much ventilation in the enclosure. When the warm weather ends and your tortoise has to come back in for winter, you will need a large closed chamber. At least 4x8'. Start working on it soon.

 

[Ryan L.]

ok.

 

[Ryan L.]

thanks everyone!