enclosure advice for a new owner.

[nicolax]

Hey guys. I got my new tort Donny on Saturday and the home provided from the breeder (advertised as everything I would need..) is not up to scratch.

I'm heading out today to buy some things to build something like this: www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Tortoisetable.htm but I have some questions.

Firstly, what substrate is best for a horsefield? One source says sand, another soil, another bark.. any advice? I know they like to dig so I was gonna make sure there was at least 10cm for him.

Also, the breeder told me to leave the energy bulb on all day & night but the pet store told me not too. Will he get too cold overnight? I live in a poorly insulated house with draughty windows and it can get fairly cold at night!

Thanks in advance

 

[slowpoke]

i use coco coir and cypress mulch ... i dont care to much for sand , i hear to much bad things about it so i just stay away from it ... as for leaving a light on all day and night , just do summer hours time for your lights , about 13 hours on ... how cold does your house drop down to at night , they do like it cooler at night and can hang to about 60 degrees my night temps are 65 to 70 in my computer room , depends if i leave the door open ... what kind of lights and you going to be using , if you are worried about night time heat you could get a CHE (CERAMIC HEATING ELEMENT ) to run in the night time ...

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum...

 

[Irwin4530]

Those lights need to be pointed down.....also I am not a big fan of the coiled lights and stay away from them.
Not sure if this is the type that is bad for the torts eyes but I am sure others will chime in.

I agree with slowpoke on the temps and ceramic heat emitter if needed.
I also use coir and an earth mix (home depot natural dirt) My torts seem to like it. I keep it deep so they can burry themselves.

ALSo......WELCOME!!!

 

[slowpoke]

oh yea welcome ... i didnt see that there was a compact light in that pic , i wouldnt chance it can make the tort go blind and die and yes the lights do need to be facing down thanks for pointing that out irwin lol , (just kinda glanced at the picture and went on reading ) a nother thing is too i would go a bit bigger with the inclosure but thats just me ...

 

[Tom]

Here's a thread that might help:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...ive-or-Beginner-Tortoise-Owners#axzz1mw61WgTi

Its very well written and full of good info, plus a direct link to a russian site.

A few points for your set up that I see:
1. I too would ditch the CFL. They can cause eye problems for torts.
2. Tortoises need it dark at night to sleep. Leaving the light on 24/7 is not a good idea. I like to use a CHE on a thermostat for night heat.
3. You can get heat, light and UV all in one package with a mercury vapor bulb. You'll need a fixture with a dome and a ceramic base and you'll need to mount or hang it directly over head pointing straight down. I'm not sure your fixture will be adequate, but a new fixture is not all that expensive. Adjust the height of your bulb to get the basking temperature that you desire.

 

[nicolax]

Thanks for the welcomes & advice! I've sorted a bigger enclosure today, went to B&Q for topsoil but they had none.. that's next on my list along with the mercury vapor bulb & appropriate fixings.

I'm not very impressed that the breeder gave me such shoddy advice. Most people would take their word as gospel and the poor torts are the ones that suffer!

If I get the new enclosure set up tomorrow will he be ok without the lights for a day or two till I can find somewhere to get the MVB? I really don't want to cause any damage in the meantime!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi nicolax:


Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

What would you like for us to call you?

Also, when we know approximately where you are, it helps us design our answers to better fit your questions.


The only thing is he should be kept warm while you're getting everything set up. So you can just use a regular 100 watt incandescent bulb until you get the MVB. Night time temps can be pretty cool for Russian tortoises, and your guy isn't a baby, so he should be ok at night.

 

[lynnedit]

Good for you to figure out what your tort needs. That is odd about your breeder's info.

Topsoil may be hard to find this time of year, but they should be stocking it quite soon.

Here is a nice MVB (mercury vapor bulb) that Tom mentioned, available in the UK.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcadia-Rep...2A9S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1329889217&sr=8-4
Most of us use a timer and have lights on 12 to 14 hours.

What temp does your house typically get down to, in the area of the tort's enclosure? Horsfields can tolerate cool temps at night, down to 15c, if they can bask and warm up at 30-35c in the am. If your house does not get cooler than this, you won't need heat at night.

 

[Yvonne G]

I just noticed that others have told you to point the lights down. That's usually good advice, except in the instance of that CFL. If you point it down, it might be harmful to the tortoise's eyes. That particular type of CFL should always be mounted sideways like you have it. But that other bulb needs to be pointed straight down.

 

[nicolax]

Right, bigger enclosure, soil, lights sorted and weeds to eat. He seems much happier now!

Call me Nicola, I'm from Newcastle in the UK.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I had a yearling tortoise who was blinded by a coil light. I don't like them and ask that you get rid of that bulb for the sake of your tortoise. I use black light bulbs for nighttime heat. It sounds like you are going to need heat at night so you can either use the black light bulb or get a CHE. I got one and leave it on 24/7. But I only have one CHE, in the rest of my habitats I have black light bulbs. I like the black bulbs best.