Franky's New Home

[RuthieHurry]

When I purchased Franky, he lived in a 10 gallon aquarium on pellet substrate. My husband built him a tortoise table, keeping in mind that Sulcata's seem to grow at different rates, and we might need to have him inside for a while. His second floor basking area is unfinished. It will have rails on the side and ramps, to keep my baby from falling off. The long end is 7 feet. Short end is 5 feet. Both are 2 feet wide. The hide in the corner has a box imbedded into the floor. Approximately 9 inches deep. Tortoises seem to like to dig in corners, so all of them have slate tile. He has two water dishes and two digging dishes, which will be replaced with vegetation once it grows. All are surrounded with pebbles. Substrate has been changed to 1/3 each of sphagnum moss, plain soil and play sand (vet recommended). The entire thing is raised 3 feet from the floor. Basking is 98F, long end is 87F, short end is 84F and hide is 78F. Night temp is 75F across the entire enclosure. Any suggestions for improvements? Besides web cams, which we, as concerned parents, are looking into right now, lol.

 

[wrmitchell22]

Very Nice, looks like he has some space to explore

 

[RuthieHurry]

Very Nice, looks like he has some space to explore

He spent the first two days wearing "game trails" around the corners. Now he likes to wander around and climb over the little pebble covered hills.

 

[dmarcus]

Very nice enclosure...

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Ruthie:

Your husband did a nice job on the tort table. What kind of light do you have for him? Does he get out into the sun at all?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Nice.

 

[hoopalou]

Really nice table... you've made good use of the space!

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Very nice ... However, I think that curtain's being so close to the heat lamp is a fire hazard.

 

[coreyc]

Looking good I like it

 

[Tom]

I love it! Great enclosure. Temps sound perfect too.

I would do three things differently, since you asked.
1. Hang that light fixture directly over head so that it points straight down. Those clamps always fail eventually and can lead to disaster. Is that a mercury vapor bulb? If yes, great choice! They work best when pointing straight down.
2. Omit the sand whenever you swap out your substrate. It can irritate their eyes and skin and it poses an impaction threat. Some times they don't "accidentally ingest a little" bit, sometimes they eat it by the mouthful on purpose. Your other two substrate components are great and don't have as much risk associated with them.
3. I would cover most of the top to try to keep in some humidity. 60-80% is ideal, in my opinion.

Now I can't wait for pics of your outdoor enclosure...

 

[tyler0912]

Beuatiful i agree with the fire hazard thing..be careful....
I love the texture and design of the outside wood ads to your arty table your hubby did a great job!

 

[RuthieHurry]

Hi Ruthie:

Your husband did a nice job on the tort table. What kind of light do you have for him? Does he get out into the sun at all?

We have a Solar Glo 160w light that I purchased at the same time I adopted Franky. After reading a post on a different forum, I believe we're going to switch to a Mega Ray, as the UVB output is better. He goes for walks with me in the neighbor's yard, as my husband treated the grass in ours 1 1/2 yrs ago, and I don't want him on it until 2 yrs have passed, as I've seen on some forum posts.

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Very nice ... However, I think that curtain's being so close to the heat lamp is a fire hazard.

The curtains are pulled back and stay open at all times, except for when I'm trying to take pics of Franky's home, lol. The pictures are pretty misleading about how close they really AREN'T.

---

I love it! Great enclosure. Temps sound perfect too.

I would do three things differently, since you asked.
1. Hang that light fixture directly over head so that it points straight down. Those clamps always fail eventually and can lead to disaster. Is that a mercury vapor bulb? If yes, great choice! They work best when pointing straight down.
2. Omit the sand whenever you swap out your substrate. It can irritate their eyes and skin and it poses an impaction threat. Some times they don't "accidentally ingest a little" bit, sometimes they eat it by the mouthful on purpose. Your other two substrate components are great and don't have as much risk associated with them.
3. I would cover most of the top to try to keep in some humidity. 60-80% is ideal, in my opinion.

Now I can't wait for pics of your outdoor enclosure...

Thanks for the input, Tom.

1. Yes, it's a mercury vapor bulb. It's pointed almost straight down, the pictures I took are a little misleading, but I don't want to take more until his digs are all finished. When they are, we'll be hanging the light from the ceiling, and moving his basking spot up top. QUESTION: Since we reply on this light for part of his "sunlight" exposure, will he just go chill under it when he feels he needs it? That's been a concern of mine.
2. Before I got Franky, I read so many conflicting substrate comments that I waited to talk to a vet before deciding, since he doctors exotic animals, and has torts of his own. But, it won't be hard to leave out as we swap out substrate, cuz one bag of play sand does NOT go very far, and it's already gone.
3. We have discussed covering a large portion of the top with plexiglass, and buying a couple of bar stools, so we can sit all day and watch Franky, lol. QUESTION: For humidity purposes, what do you suggest as far as keeping it at that level? Will substrate alone do it, or should I mist inside the enclosure on occasion? I plan on getting a hygrometer so that I can keep a better eye on the levels, but need to know how to keep them correct.

We are making plans for an outdoor enclosure, but don't want to plant until two years with no fertilizer has gone by. He visits with the neighbors in their yard right now. Later in the evening, of course, since triple digit temps are not a lot of fun!