Closed "Chambers"

Tom

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Can I ask how high the humidity is?
I like the idea of the cover!
I have my greek tortoise(which turns out to be an hermann's) for 2 weeks as a present he/she is about 10months.
I have a glass tank and use coco substrate, the overall humidity is 50-80% (read 50 during daytime and 80% at night.)

When it goes of to his humid sleepspot wich is a plastic container turned over with a hole in it. I put a piece of wood and a towel over it to keep it more humid.
Do you keep the "lit" on it at all times?
I'm also still figuring out how high.the humidity should be, I Don't want it to be sick ?

I just found out I bought a light with only uva. The last 2 days it doesn't really eat like it used to before. So I just ordered myself a raptor mercury uv bulb with both uva and uvb. The same Watt as I have now. Thing is I can't put the lamp inside cause it would burn my tortoise so during the day when the light is on I keep just a part closed of.
Sorry for the long message ??

Here are a few pictures ( and yes, I've been told the enclosure is too small)
, I hope to build a bigger something within the year ? when the weather is better we take walks in the parcs. But its rainy now so a bad idea. Belgium is a country of rain snow and sun in 1 day ?
Please give this a read:
 

Michaelangelosmom

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Oh, Tom...I'm crushed! You neglected to mention my very cheap and easy "closed chamber" idea. I've mentioned it many times here on the forum and it works quite well...but its not very pretty.

I take two long sheets of aluminum foil (the kind you cook with) and I lay them side-by-side. Then I fold together the long edge of both, making one big sheet. Then I make a cover over the whole habitat including the light fixtures, similar to, but not as pretty, as Tyler's.
Hi! I was searching through posts on enclosures and came across your idea about keeping the humidity and heat inside. I am making my sulcata a new place to live. He is about 20 months old, not sure, because my grandson said he was little when his mom got him. Anyway, the tubs are very deep (I am putting two together for a total of 5 foot length), so I am wondering if the foil method would help with the heat and humidty.He has a very small amount of pyramiding and I don't want it to get any worse. I have been soaking him and spraying his current home twice a day. Is there a picture you have of the foil top you can show ne? Also, at what age are they not considered a baby sulcata. Thank you for your help!
 

Tom

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Hi! I was searching through posts on enclosures and came across your idea about keeping the humidity and heat inside. I am making my sulcata a new place to live. He is about 20 months old, not sure, because my grandson said he was little when his mom got him. Anyway, the tubs are very deep (I am putting two together for a total of 5 foot length), so I am wondering if the foil method would help with the heat and humidty.He has a very small amount of pyramiding and I don't want it to get any worse. I have been soaking him and spraying his current home twice a day. Is there a picture you have of the foil top you can show ne? Also, at what age are they not considered a baby sulcata. Thank you for your help!
They all grow at different rates. Telling us his age doesn't tell us his size. So how big is he? I ask because 5 feet is pretty small for a 20 month old.

I prefer to use closed chambers rather than foil on top. It works better and it looks better too.

Babies are generally under one year. Yearlings after that, and then juveniles. Sulcatas grow so fast that I usually just start calling them juveniles once they reach 8-10 inches at about one year or a little more.
 

Michaelangelosmom

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They all grow at different rates. Telling us his age doesn't tell us his size. So how big is he? I ask because 5 feet is pretty small for a 20 month old.

I prefer to use closed chambers rather than foil on top. It works better and it looks better too.

Babies are generally under one year. Yearlings after that, and then juveniles. Sulcatas grow so fast that I usually just start calling them juveniles once they reach 8-10 inches at about one year or a little more.
I'm really new at all of this, so, to measure his length do I measure the length of his shell? My grandson had the tort bought for him a year ago this past July and he said he was very tiny. Due to his small habitat that was bought for him (a small aquarim) and he lived in that for almost a year before I started helping him to care for him correctly. His growth may have been stunted due to that. I just measured him from front shell to the back and he is 4 1/2 inches long. We are working on getting everything together as I have read on your posts including the lights and heat. He is very active, poops well and urinateswell. When I take him outside he really likes it and moves around quickly and eats. I have been spraying his habitat twice a day and soaking him daily. I have been doing this for the past four months, as I just found out through reading the forums here. He mostly eats weeds from our back yard which hasn't been treated. I get these daily for him.I am really crazy about him, even if I am an ole grandma and just want to take good care of him. I am sending a recent picture, so maybe that will help. Thank you for all your help.
 

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Tom

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I'm really new at all of this, so, to measure his length do I measure the length of his shell? My grandson had the tort bought for him a year ago this past July and he said he was very tiny. Due to his small habitat that was bought for him (a small aquarim) and he lived in that for almost a year before I started helping him to care for him correctly. His growth may have been stunted due to that. I just measured him from front shell to the back and he is 4 1/2 inches long. We are working on getting everything together as I have read on your posts including the lights and heat. He is very active, poops well and urinateswell. When I take him outside he really likes it and moves around quickly and eats. I have been spraying his habitat twice a day and soaking him daily. I have been doing this for the past four months, as I just found out through reading the forums here. He mostly eats weeds from our back yard which hasn't been treated. I get these daily for him.I am really crazy about him, even if I am an ole grandma and just want to take good care of him. I am sending a recent picture, so maybe that will help. Thank you for all your help.
All that sounds pretty good.

The measurement most of us use is called SCL, straight carapace length. Easiest way to do this is to put a ruler or tape measure end up against a wall and put the tortoise on top of the tape measure with its face and shell right up against the wall too. Then look down over the back end of the tortoise at your tape measure to see how long it is.

Just a note to inform you: The size of the enclosure did not stunt him. This is an old myth and its not true of any animal. I used to hear it with fish too. The size of the enclosure has nothing to do with how large an animal is genetically programmed to get. Incorrect care in some way or other is what is responsible for the low growth rate, but you've got those problems solved now and this little guy will be on his way to giant-hood soon.
 

a.tortuga

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@Tom I’ve been learning a lot reading thIs thread. Here is my first attempt at a closed chamber enclosure. I got a 50 gallon storage tub from Target that cost $25. It is cheaper than those tortoise tables sold online (which I have bought previously). I hope for some encouraging words. I’m sure I will make more modifications and it’s been fun to make!
 

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Tom

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@Tom I’ve been learning a lot reading thIs thread. Here is my first attempt at a closed chamber enclosure. I got a 50 gallon storage tub from Target that cost $25. It is cheaper than those tortoise tables sold online (which I have bought previously). I hope for some encouraging words. I’m sure I will make more modifications and it’s been fun to make!
Encouraging words... That is not my forté. I'm more of a bluntly point out all the problems to try and help avoid disaster, kind of guy. I'm just kidding around, but your post did give me a chuckle. :)

Great find on the tub, and I see you've got at least one heat source hanging inside which is good!

Now back to my usual M.O.:
1. The moss is no good. All torts will eat it and its an impaction hazard. I'd remove that right away.
2. Are you sure that sedum is one of the non-toxic varieties?
3. Red bulbs should never be used over tortoises. Use a CHE instead for ambient heat. If that is your basking bulb, use a white frosted type regular incandescent flood bulb.

I also enjoy making enclosures and watching the animals enjoy the work I've done. Its clear you spent a lot of time on this one.
 

a.tortuga

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I took your advice and have been working on the setup for at least a week before I got the tortoise (which just arrived). I've seen conflicting info on whether to use the moss but I agree it's too much. I had a CHE but it ran way too hot so I will get a different one. I knew there would be editing that needs to be done once the tortoise arrived. I checked the tortoise trust and the tortoise table online on the plants so they should be ok and I have them growing in water not soil.

Thank you! Yes it's like a little diorama to make a nice home for these animals. I'm already thinking of ways I can make it bigger for the future.
 

Tom

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I took your advice and have been working on the setup for at least a week before I got the tortoise (which just arrived). I've seen conflicting info on whether to use the moss but I agree it's too much. I had a CHE but it ran way too hot so I will get a different one. I knew there would be editing that needs to be done once the tortoise arrived. I checked the tortoise trust and the tortoise table online on the plants so they should be ok and I have them growing in water not soil.

Thank you! Yes it's like a little diorama to make a nice home for these animals. I'm already thinking of ways I can make it bigger for the future.
Here is the care sheet for them. It will have more and better info than this old thread about closed chambers.

CHEs must be run on a thermostat. I'd get a thermostat and go back to that for ambient temperature maintenance. Or get a radiant heat panel, which is even better.

That is a gorgeous little star. Congratulations!
 

a.tortuga

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Here is the care sheet for them. It will have more and better info than this old thread about closed chambers.

CHEs must be run on a thermostat. I'd get a thermostat and go back to that for ambient temperature maintenance. Or get a radiant heat panel, which is even better.

That is a gorgeous little star. Congratulations!
My thermostat is arriving tomorrow! I even have a camera set up just to check on things when I'm not home. Tortoise nerd alert! Thanks!
 

MarnieB

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Been meaning to do this one for a while now...

Over the years I have kept a lot of reptiles in a lot of different ways. I've learned a lot of stuff about a lot of species. Since finding and joining this forum almost two years ago, I've learned a TON more. Now I'm not just stumbling around alone in the dark. Now, with the help of all the fantastic TFO members, I can see and experience everyone else's enclosures and styles too.

There are a lot of good ways to house a tortoise indoors. Tank, tub, trough, table, and... closed chamber. Different methods work best for the various species and ages. Through all of my "experiments" and sharing the vast experience of others here on the forum, I have reached my current conclusion that "closed chambers", with a basking lamp inside, are the best means of housing the babies of most species. Everyone's situation is different, and we all live in different climates... heck our torts are all from different climates too. Still, overall, I have personally experienced the best results and seen the best results from others, in this style of enclosure. Several people come to mind, but Tyler, Neal, Kristina and KBaker, have especially shown their enclosures and the results. There are lots of others too, but these members have had the biggest influence on me recently.

Only in a closed chamber can I control the humidity properly. Its very dry where I live, and its a constant battle to maintain any humidity at all in most enclosures. In a closed chamber, its a piece of cake. I've used glass tanks and various styles of tortoise tables for years to house my chelonians, but the open tops let out all that beneficial humidity and heat. By putting my heat lamps and CHEs INSIDE the closed enclosure, they do NOT dry things out AND they use a lot less power to give me the same amount of heat. Plus, once they heat everything up and the thermostat kicks them off, the heat just stays in there. I'm using less electricity on my 4x8' closed chamber than I am on my 40 gallon open topped glass tank! (I have little electric meters called "Kill-A-Watt EZ"). The humidity is lower directly under the heat lamp, but its as high as I want to keep it all around that area and the rest of the enclosure.
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In theory this all sounds reasonable, but what happens in the real world? I've gotten the best results I've ever gotten in this type of enclosure. On a lot of my glass tanks I end up covering as much of the top as I can. It seems like the more and better I cover them, the better the results I get. But I still lose all my heat and humidity out of the hole that has to be there for my light fixtures. Like this one:
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This leads me to a big problem that has come up recently with several potential new tortoise keepers. Where does one go buy a "closed tortoise chamber" for their new pet? Most conventional enclosures are too shallow to have a closed top and still allow enough room for a hanging fixture with a hot bulb in it. I like the Vision tubs, but they are too short for this purpose. My leopard enclosure is 24" tall and that just barely accommodates things safely. When I build the next one it will be around 30" tall. I have not seen a pre-made enclosure with the right dimensions. Tyler showed me this one that he is using. I can't remember which species he is housing in this.
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Remember we are talking about housing babies. Not adults or even juveniles. Discussion is welcome here. I'm always wanting to learn more.
 

MarnieB

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Thank you for this valuable information. I would love to see any images of closed container examples, but the original thread shows that the images are no longer available and directs me to tinypics.com for more information.1678635587794.png
 

Tom

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Thank you for this valuable information. I would love to see any images of closed container examples, but the original thread shows that the images are no longer available and directs me to tinypics.com for more information.View attachment 355000
 

kimncline15

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Hi @Tom! It appears from my end that your photos have disappeared on your post. Can you link them again by chance? @Maggie's show as missing too.. is it just me? I'd love to see them!
 

Yvonne G

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Hi @Tom! It appears from my end that your photos have disappeared on your post. Can you link them again by chance? @Maggie's show as missing too.. is it just me? I'd love to see them!
That's the problem with having used an outside photo program like Photobucket. There's no way to get them back.
 

Tom

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Hi @Tom! It appears from my end that your photos have disappeared on your post. Can you link them again by chance? @Maggie's show as missing too.. is it just me? I'd love to see them!
This thread is 12 years old. Those pics are gone. If you look at the post above yours in this thread, I've left a link for the most current version.
 

Tim Carlisle

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This thread is 12 years old. Those pics are gone. If you look at the post above yours in this thread, I've left a link for the most current version.
Would be really cool if Josh had a dedicated file/media server just for TFO. I know they're expensive and need to be maintained though.
 

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