Breakfast, among a few other questions

[bradtato]

I work 7-5:30 Monday through Friday, so I'm trying to get my tortoise onto a 6:00 feeding schedule, but I feel kind of guilty feeding him only once a day. Would it hurt to give a small snack some days, like maybe on the weekends?

Also, my lighting setup currently consists of a day blue bulb, a black night bulb, and a UVB bulb. I have the day bulb and UVB bulb on a timer to come on at 8a and go off at 9p. Is the night bulb necessary? If so, can I leave it on full time, rather than buying a second timer to oppose the other two bulbs?

Lastly, what do you folks suggest for substrate? I've read an even mix of play sand and top soil, play sand and coconut coir, and top soil and coconut coir. I have all 3 on hand, but I've recently read that any type of sand can be irritating. How deep is your substrate? I'm sure my tortoise isn't the only one, but he loves to dig. I feel like the suggested 2-3 inches isn't really sufficient.

 

[Yvonne G]

I used to get up at zero dark thirty to get ready for work. I have many, many turtles and tortoises. Because I would be gone all day, I had to get up about an hour earlier than normal every day so I could tend to the animals before I left for work. I had all the food prepared the night before, so all I had to do in the morning was turn on lights, open doors, pick up poop and put down the food. (Babies had to be soaked) I wouldn't think of making my tortoises go all day without food. Put the food out and leave the tortoise alone. When he gets up, the food will be there waiting for him. I put down enough food so it lasts all day long. The tortoises eat a bit then go wander. They keep coming back to the food throughout the day.

If your house gets colder than, say, 70F degrees at night, then I would think you need to use the black light for warmth at night. If we're talking about a baby tortoise, yes for sure on the black bulb at night.

My substrate of choice is the fine or small grade of orchid bark (fir bark). I buy "orchid" bark because it is pretty clean. Orchids won't grow if you put them in a dirty (pesticides, herbicides, etc) medium. I use enough to cover the bottom of the habit in about 4 or 5 inches of substrate...more if I'm planting in it too.

 

[WillTort2]

I like the coco coir top surface with top soil below. As you rake to clean it all gets mixed.

For depth, have an area where he likes to dig at least 6 inches; provided your enclosure is deep enough.

Weigh your tortoise to see if he's growing and base your total food offering on a steady weight gain until he's mature.

For night temperatures, it depends on the age of your tortoise. For Russians, once they're past the about 4" stage their night temperature can drop into the 60's; I find the drop in temperature seems to stimulate them into being more active once they warm up during the day.

Remember most all Russians have a little Houdini in them they will climb sheer walls or dig under outdoor wall in order to escape. They love to explore, so a large varied enclosure is best. I like to put a 2nd story with a ramp to give them exercise and additional space.

 

[bradtato]

More lighting-specific questions: at the time I made this thread, my enclosure was a 30x12x12 glass reptile tank with alfalfa pellets for substrate. I recently built a 2'x5'x8" table with 2 inches of a 50/50 coconut fiber/topsoil (Scott's premium) mix as substrate. For a temporary lighting setup, I placed the screen lid from the glass tank across some 2x4's in the center of the table with the same 3 bulbs. Obviously, they don't light the entire table properly, so my question is this: do I need to have even UVB lighting throughout the entire table? I'm planning to go buy some tube-style bulbs and fixtures today or tomorrow, but I'm not sure if one will be suitable our if I need enough to fully illuminate the table, in addition to a hot spot for basking.

 

[Yvonne G]

Screen filters out most of the UV rays, so don't use the screen. Also, the UV rays float around. They're not contained in the beam of light. So having the UV source at one end is quite ok, but with a big tort table you can mount it in the middle and mount the heat source at one end.

 

[bradtato]

Re: RE: Breakfast, among a few other questions

Screen filters out most of the UV rays, so don't use the screen. Also, the UV rays float around. They're not contained in the beam of light. So having the UV source at one end is quite ok, but with a big tort table you can mount it in the middle and mount the heat source at one end.

This brings me to my next question: for a table with 57" of usable space, would an 18 inch fixture suffice, or would I be better off with a longer one? Or even better, could I put my heat lamp at one end facing straight down, and the UVB bulb I currently have at the opposite end, facing diagonal towards the center?

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't think you need a bigger light. I have a couple of the T5's in my baby habitats and with the reflector behind them, they are VERY bright.

Don't mount the MVB at an angle. It shortens their life. The UVB light you have IS a Mercury Vapor Bulb, right?

 

[bradtato]

Re: RE: Breakfast, among a few other questions

I don't think you need a bigger light. I have a couple of the T5's in my baby habitats and with the reflector behind them, they are VERY bright.

Don't mount the MVB at an angle. It shortens their life. The UVB light you have IS a Mercury Vapor Bulb, right?

To be quite honest, I'm not sure, but I do know it will be by this time tomorrow regardless.

You've been a tremendous help, and I greatly appreciate it! I'll post photos of my tortoise table tomorrow, once I get my lighting set up more appropriately.