basking spot

[sheilaamistone1974]

just some heating questions. i keep the bedroom tempatures in the low 60's. i changed my snake to a bigger cage so i can get the 20 gal tank ready for Pokey, (sulcata tortoise hatchling). i dont have my UVB light yet, (getting it friday). my heat bulb is a 150 watt ceramic bulb. at night it is reading 78 degrees in the basking spot. during the day it gets to be 85-90 degrees. for bedding, wednsday i will be going to home depot to pick up some soil (with no bad stuff in it). i know that when i spray it down for humidity, that the temp will go down. do things sound right so far? would it be a good idea to make a ramp out of the soil so pokey can be closer to the heat? would he/she end up digging through the soil? would there be a better way to make a ramp than the soil? thank you ahead of time for your help.

 

[ascott]

I would be concerned that once you begin to moisten the enclosure those temps will go even lower...at what height do you currently have the ceramic heat emitter? The uvb you are going to get...is it strictly a uvb bulb or is it the mercury vapor bulb?

If a straight tube uvb bulb you may want to get a secondary heating element to make sure you can keep the min temp at 80° since you will doing the humid enclosure method....

If you are going to use a MVB then you will of course gain additional heat during the day but will still need to address night temps falling...you can get a night black or red heat bulb to offset the night temp drop....

You have a variety of options you can utilize....what you end up using to achieve your torts uvb and heat requirements will be up to you...and remember as your hatchling grows the light and heat intensity needs will also increase/change.

My post will give your thread a bump so the others can share with you as well...the more the merrier...

 

[sheilaamistone1974]

not sure what uvb im getting until friday (pay day). my heat lamp is about 1/4 inch above the 20 Long gal tank screen lid. i have to have a lid to keep the cats and ferrets out of the tank.

 

[ascott]

Hmmm....what are you using to get the temps you shared? I would think that in a 20 gallon tank and that heat emitter you should have higher temps.....?

You may also end up using a larger grate for the top than a standard black screen (you will want the uvb to be effective and if it has to shine through the standard black tank screen you will not get the full benefit...you can use like a piece of chicken wire that has the squares a bit bigger, you know?

 

[pryncesssc]

not sure what uvb im getting until friday (pay day). my heat lamp is about 1/4 inch above the 20 Long gal tank screen lid. i have to have a lid to keep the cats and ferrets out of the tank.

Check prices on amazon for bulbs. They are brand new and a good deal !

 

[Tom]

Something is off. 150 watts in a 20 gallon tank should be an oven. Read the first three threads in this thread:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Helpful-Threads#axzz1pfXjOYtm

Those temps are too cool for a baby in a 60 degree room. The only way I would even attempt to keep a tropical baby in a room that cool is to build a closed, insulated chamber and put some heat on a thermostat. This is what I have done with my leopards in my cold garage. I'm only using 120 watts of CHE to keep the entire 4x8' enclosure at 80. You are going to need light too, and be aware that the pet store will probably try to sell you a coil type UV bulb. Those are not safe and can damage their eyes. I recommend that you not ever use them.

 

[Zamric]

I agree with Tom, with a 20 gal tank and 150w bulb it should be an oven in there!

I use soil in my tank but my leopards dont dig....yet. You can build a ramp for a high spot with the soil or you can put in rocks and let him climb. A 20 gal tank isn't very big, so you may not be able to put to many things in there with him.

 

[sheilaamistone1974]

well, after 2 stores telling me that my soon to be tortoise can easly live in a 20 long tank and after trying to get a water bowl, food dish, and a house in the tank, i decided that wasnt going to work. soooo once again i switched my snakes around. now my soon to be sulcata which will be named pokey, is now going to be homed in the 40 gal. size wise, everything will fit much better. i pick pokey (hatchling about 3 inches long), up on friday. is pokey to young to try some plants/flowers? if not, what are some favorites? would like to put a couple of small plants in their with it. that is only if it is a good idea. well, off to visit pokey. cant waite until friday when i can bring him/her home