Hatchling's enclosure (pics)

[ChiKat]

My little hatchling arrives in TWO days
I have everything ready for him- all that's missing is the little guy himself!

I just wanted to make sure his set-up looks okay, or if you think I should rearrange anything.
I think it looks smaller than it really is, but the tile/log/dish etc. are actually larger than they look.
And of course he will get a bigger container as he grows! Right now he's only about 1 1/2 to 2 inches

Oh and obviously I will remove the thermometer probe/cord, I'm just checking temps right now His warm side is currently 93 degrees.

I bought the stand and light fixture that tortoisenerd recommended and I LOVE them!! The dome of the light fixture is a different shape than I was expecting so it doesn't rest perfectly on the stand, but it still works.

 

[Isa]

Good job I really like the enclosure! I am sure your little tortoise is going to be super happy in it

 

[ChiKat]

Question: I've read to make the substrate a little hilly. I have slight inclines in places so it's not completely flat, but do I want to make it more hilly?

 

[ChiKat]

If a moderator thinks this would be more appropriate in the Enclosure section of the forum, feel free to move it!

 

[Isa]

Question: I've read to make the substrate a little hilly. I have slight inclines in places so it's not completely flat, but do I want to make it more hilly?

Hmm i guess you could do that not too much but a little. That way your tortoise is going to be in shape . My tortoise does not like it when it is too hilly though, he just walk around to not climb the hill haha

 

[Crazy1]

ChiKat, your enclosure looks fine. I wouldn't make it more hilly as you are getting a young hatchling see how it does with how you have it set up. Sometimes hills tend to flip hatchlings. Oh and the waterbowl you have. I had one similar. watch the water in it. Mine tended to seep through the terracota but thats ok to keep the area damp just lost water more quickly than expected. Also if it is too deep for the little one you can pick up a hermit crab bowl from PetSmart they work great for hatchlings because they have the ramp. You could leave the temp probe in just tape it to the side of the container that way you have a constant read on his temps. Looks Great only one day to go. I'm looking forward to pics.

 

[tortoisenerd]

I think hills and more cage furnishings are great, but only after you have a good chance to observe the hatchling capabilities (a few weeks to months). My little guy is incredibly good on his feet and tends to get bored (scratching at walls), so I give him more to do. Others tend to get hatchlings that flip and they have to be more careful.

Be prepared to change things around, such as the water dish (it's very tough to get one that works for a hatchling; I like the one with steps called the Groovy Jacuzzi).

Any way you can add more hides? Even make the hay pile slightly larger, and then maybe a fake plant in the cool area. You could get a larger tile, like a 12x12 slate and break it into half and put it against the wall, and then take out that rock? to make more room for stuff like plants to break up the line of sight. You can also break up the cuttlebone and put in 1/3 or whatever to save space. Looks like you may need to be more efficient so you can add more stuff down the road before you upsize containers.

Glad you like the stand! I already had to get a new fixture after about 6 months since I was taking out the bulb and a spacer ring in it cracked. Hopefully my new fixture lasts as well as the stand now.

If the probe gets annoying I recommend the PE1 temperature gun ($25) to instantly take temperatures. My probe was so slow. I use the temp gun all the time now, and besides the water dish it was my best investment.

Looking forward to some tortoise pictures (unless i missed them already)!

 

[ChiKat]

Thanks for the great suggestions! The hay pile is actually pretty large although it doesn't look like it in the picture. I will definitely get some fake plants for the cool side and try to add more hiding places!
That's a good idea to observe his capabilities first before adding too much!

eta: The little guy is arriving tomorrow morning so I'll be sure to post pictures in the next couple days. I have his tracking information and I've basically been refreshing the UPS website every 5 minutes to see where he is He departed Clearwater, Florida about an hour ago. I live in Illinois.

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This round post-it is about the size I think my tortoise will be, just for size comparison

(Yes I know I'm a dork)

 

[tryme]

what light fixture is that and what stand? how much wwere they? your enclosure looks great btw.

 

[stells]

I would move the hay pile from under the lamp... Horsfields (Russians) do like to dig so hills give them some areas of deeper soil to do that in....

 

[ChiKat]

tryme, both the lamp stand and light fixture are from Petco.
Here's the stand. I bought the larger one
http://www.petco.com/product/5011/Z...-7A19-DE11-B4E3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

And here's a sample clamp lamp. I bought the 10" one.
http://www.petco.com/product/9469/F...x?CoreCat=LN_Shopping_ReptileSupplies_ShopAll

I recently remodeled his enclosure so I'll have to post some new pictures. The pictures I posted look so boring!

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This is what his enclosure looks like now.

I moved his tile to the cooler side (per tortoisenerd's suggestion!) so I can leave his lettuce in there and it won't wilt as quickly. I also moved it into a corner because he tends to push his lettuce around and it would get dirty in the substrate. This is his third water dish and I'm finally happy with it!
Nelson's favorite place to sleep is under his pile of hay. He usually doesn't dig very much. Do you think I should still move the hay? I could switch it with the larger fake plant and make the area under the heat lamp a little more hilly.