Hello, new member with a baby sulcata, looking for critiques or recommendations for its current enclosure

[Maggie3fan]

I've got some stuff coming, 12"x16" cork bark panels and fake foliage and I will be checking out the nearby nursery for some foliage plants and picking up some terracotta pots. Is Pothos an option because I have a lot of it.


It was more of a question on whether the enclosure would be enough to last between 1-2yrs old and then also be able house an adult tortoise of a smaller breed when I move the Sulcata to an outdoor pen, I would hate to build something and then have it go to waste. In the fall I will start working on a 10' x 15' foot outdoor enclosure.

turtles and tortoises come in species, not breeds.
If your baby is healthy and growing good at 2 years in my house they would graduate from a 6'x2' tort table to the tort shed and it's several outside enclosures. I have operated a small special needs turtle and tortoise rescue for a buncha years, so my tortoise keeping is somewhat different as I rehab sick or injured chelonia then find homes for them...for the last few years a number of Sulcata have been dumped on me but they don't stay...this is Mary Knobbins, she was rescued from antifa in Portland Oregon. She just had to knock over this birdbath regularly

 

[Sulcata_AZ]

I also use pothos in the enclosures; they are so easy to grow after some Sulcata has destroyed it...

Thanks for the information that’s good to know.

turtles and tortoises come in species, not breeds.
If your baby is healthy and growing good at 2 years in my house they would graduate from a 6'x2' tort table to the tort shed and it's several outside enclosures. I have operated a small special needs turtle and tortoise rescue for a buncha years, so my tortoise keeping is somewhat different as I rehab sick or injured chelonia then find homes for them...for the last few years a number of Sulcata have been dumped on me but they don't stay...this is Mary Knobbins, she was rescued from antifa in Portland Oregon. She just had to knock over this birdbath regularlyView attachment 377250

And thank you for the correction on species & breeds.
Mary knobbins is a great name. That is a very kind and wonderful thing that you do for those tortoises.

 

[Sulcata_AZ]

Got the uvb light installed, added some cork bark panels and a fake shrub I had laying around for more shade and hides. I’m going to go to a local nursery to look for some live plants that were recommended.
The Arcadia Lumenize is some pretty cool tech, T5 39w D3+ desert 12% lamp. From 6am to 11am the lamp will slowly increase from 0% to 100% in brightness and UVB intensity, supposedly. Then it will be at 100% brightness and UVB output until 3pm. From 3pm until 7pm it will begin to decrease its brightness and intensity until finally shutting off at 7pm. I’ve got the heat lamp set to come on at 9am and shutoff at 6. I literally just set this up tonight I so haven’t actually seen it operate other than testing the functions while the tortoise soaked in the tub.
Ignore the timeframes on the picture, I was just messing around with the setup.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Got the uvb light installed, added some cork bark panels and a fake shrub I had laying around for more shade and hides. I’m going to go to a local nursery to look for some live plants that were recommended.
The Arcadia Lumenize is some pretty cool tech, T5 39w D3+ desert 12% lamp. From 6am to 11am the lamp will slowly increase from 0% to 100% in brightness and UVB intensity, supposedly. Then it will be at 100% brightness and UVB output until 3pm. From 3pm until 7pm it will begin to decrease its brightness and intensity until finally shutting off at 7pm. I’ve got the heat lamp set to come on at 9am and shutoff at 6. I literally just set this up tonight I so haven’t actually seen it operate other than testing the functions while the tortoise soaked in the tub.
Ignore the timeframes on the picture, I was just messing around with the setup. View attachment 377428View attachment 377429

Hello!
I suggest to adjust ramp up/ramp down timers for UVB: at low power it has some flickering and there is little effect on D3 synthesis anyway. Right now your lamp runtime is 14.5 hours a day, you can make ramps just 1-2 hours long, this will make lamp last longer as a side effect. In my area UVI is low until 9AM and then it rises from 2-3 to 8 by 12AM. And at 6PM UVI is 1-2.

But heat lamp can be turned on for 14 hours.

 

[Sulcata_AZ]

Hello!
I suggest to adjust ramp up/ramp down timers for UVB: at low power it has some flickering and there is little effect on D3 synthesis anyway. Right now your lamp runtime is 14.5 hours a day, you can make ramps just 1-2 hours long, this will make lamp last longer as a side effect. In my area UVI is low until 9AM and then it rises from 2-3 to 8 by 12AM. And at 6PM UVI is 1-2.

But heat lamp can be turned on for 14 hours.

That seems like a lot better than I have it setup now. So maybe a 9am start, ramp up to 100% by 11am, then start coming down at 3pm to 6pm?
I’m still so new tortoises and obviously very new to programmable uvb so thank you for all the help!

 

[Sulcata_AZ]

Hello!
I suggest to adjust ramp up/ramp down timers for UVB: at low power it has some flickering and there is little effect on D3 synthesis anyway. Right now your lamp runtime is 14.5 hours a day, you can make ramps just 1-2 hours long, this will make lamp last longer as a side effect. In my area UVI is low until 9AM and then it rises from 2-3 to 8 by 12AM. And at 6PM UVI is 1-2.

But heat lamp can be turned on for 14 hours.

Okay I’ve adjusted the uvb settings and adjusted the heat lamps.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

That seems like a lot better than I have it setup now. So maybe a 9am start, ramp up to 100% by 11am, then start coming down at 3pm to 6pm?
I’m still so new tortoises and obviously very new to programmable uvb so thank you for all the help!

Yes, this is better to my taste. You can switch off the UVB at 5PM. One thing to always keep in mind - is your tortoises basking behaviour. If it "sploots" for two hours from 8-10AM and then for 30 minutes at 4PM - make sure UVB timing covers these intervals and the lamp is at 100% at least half of that time.

 

[Sulcata_AZ]

Yes, this is better to my taste. You can switch off the UVB at 5PM. One thing to always keep in mind - is your tortoises basking behaviour. If it "sploots" for two hours from 8-10AM and then for 30 minutes at 4PM - make sure UVB timing covers these intervals and the lamp is at 100% at least half of that time.

“Sploots” that’s a good word for it. Definitely I will keep an eye on him tomorrow to see what times he “sploots” at.
Is this him splooting? Taken 2 weeks ago in his old cage, actually the timestamp shows that was taken at 4:02pm.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

“Sploots” that’s a good word for it. Definitely I will keep an eye on him tomorrow to see what times he “sploots” at.
Is this him splooting? Taken 2 weeks ago in his old cage, actually the timestamp shows that was taken at 4:02pm.View attachment 377436

That is a A+ sploot my friend🥰

 

[Sulcata_AZ]

I picked up a spider plant & pothos last weekend from a local nursery, they said they didn’t use pesticides but I’m not certain if they had been sprayed with pesticides previously, because they get them from a distributor so most likely they have been sprayed at one point. I removed them from the pots and removed all of the fertilizer and let them soak in water a few times a day for the last week and I sprayed the leaves down after each soak and then put them back in their pots with “organic” top soil.
Should I wait to put these in the enclosure? What is a recommended procedure for plants bought at a nursery?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I picked up a spider plant & pothos last weekend from a local nursery, they said they didn’t use pesticides but I’m not certain if they had been sprayed with pesticides previously, because they get them from a distributor so most likely they have been sprayed at one point. I removed them from the pots and removed all of the fertilizer and let them soak in water a few times a day for the last week and I sprayed the leaves down after each soak and then put them back in their pots with “organic” top soil.
Should I wait to put these in the enclosure? What is a recommended procedure for plants bought at a nursery?

I believe I’ve read people tend to wait a minimum of 3 months to introduce them, helps make sure any fertiliser absorbed by the plant has gone🙂

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I picked up a spider plant & pothos last weekend from a local nursery, they said they didn’t use pesticides but I’m not certain if they had been sprayed with pesticides previously, because they get them from a distributor so most likely they have been sprayed at one point. I removed them from the pots and removed all of the fertilizer and let them soak in water a few times a day for the last week and I sprayed the leaves down after each soak and then put them back in their pots with “organic” top soil.
Should I wait to put these in the enclosure? What is a recommended procedure for plants bought at a nursery?

With spider plants it's best to wait for plantlets to appear and use them in the enclosure and keep the "mother plant" as your permanent supply. With pothos I would use new vines - it grows fast in right conditions.

What you have done after buying plants is the right way to prepare them, 3-6 months are needed to get rid of systemic pesticides (if they were used).