First time tortoise mummy to be!

[Samnic123]

Hi all!

We are awaiting the arrival of our 1 years western Hermann, Tilly, who will be here in 2 weeks. My husband has been very busy building an enclosure but just wanted to check if we are doing things right. We’ve decided on repti bark for the substrate, anyone else use this and Like it? I’ve bought a slate for her food and a small repti rock water dish. I’ve stocked up on cuttle fish, vitamin and calcium supplements. We’ve decided to use W Mercury vapour bulb, 100w. Does anyone know what height we should put it and what temp the basking area should be. Any other suggestions or recommendations please let me know. Thanks in advance!

 

[zovick]

@Yossarian I think this query is right up your alley.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome yet another member for the Welsh contingent!
Here is a link to the most up to date care advice which will advise you about diet temps substrate and humidity etc.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

I'm glad you found the forum before your tort arrives so that you have time to make some adjustments.

The enclosure is rather on the small side - it could do with being at least twice as big. The general rule is the bigger the better. By the time you've put the water dish and food in there won't be much room for your tort to wander which they need to do because they are roaming creatures and it also aids digestion.

A plant (spider plant?) would also be good for the tort to feel secure. see www.thetortoisetable.co.uk for guidance on tort safe plants for food and enclosures. If shop bought you need to wash roots repot in chemical free soils and allow at least a year for absorbed fertilisers and pesticides to grow out so if you can, get cuttings from older safe plants.

I'm not sure what sort of water dish you mean but you could save yourself some money by returning it and just using a terracotta plant saucer . They tend to be safer and easier for torts to access than the steeper sided pet shop ones which they sell for profit not because they are suitable.

One last tip - when you buy your lamps don't get any coiled or cfl type as these can burn tort eyes.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Welcome, cant wait to see pics of Tilly!

 

[ArmadilloPup]

Welcome! That table is super cute!

@Lyn W gave some good advice.

I like Reptibark's quality. I haven't had issues with bug stowaways.

No one can really know the right height for your lamps since there are a lot of variables. Get the substrate in there and set up the lights ahead of time, putting your temp gauges in different areas around the enclosure, and adjust as needed. Digital temp/hygro gauges from the hardware store are better than the sticky reptile ones from the pet store. You'll also be able to see if your house is on the dry side and modify the enclosure as needed.

Some cheapo examples (around $10 in the US at least)


Mercury vapor bulbs are tricky since you're trying to balance the heat and UV with one lamp. The right height for UV may be too low and hot for the enclosure. Consider a second dome lamp and experiment with a day/night setup. A plug-in strip with a timer will also save you some stress.