dexter.lo
New Member
Hello everyone, my names Dexter and I live in Pennsylvania. I recently got a sulcata tortoise, and have been living on the forum!
Hello!
- Thread starter dexter.lo
- Start date
Welcome Dexter! You have come to the right place. We are all here to help any way we can.
Hi Dexter, welcome!
Can we see pictures of your new friend?
Also we can give you suggestions on a proper enclosure.
The right temperatures and humidity are crucial when they are newborn.
Can we see pictures of your new friend?
Also we can give you suggestions on a proper enclosure.
The right temperatures and humidity are crucial when they are newborn.
dexter.lo
New Member
Hey Ray! 100 percent i’ll be uploading some here soon…. Currently i’m running a 39.37"L x 24.02"W x 31.5"H enclosure inside of a grown tent to help keep the best and most stable conditions for him. Im getting a basking temp between 95-100 degrees, while maintaining a 55-65 percent humidity in the open during the day. And in his hide on the other side of the table, it stays in the mid 80s and 70 percent humidity…. obviously my temps drop at night and my humidity climbs a bit. He also has a log under his box hide on the other side that I stuff with moss and keep it damp that he loves. I’ve made him a small outside enclosure with a concrete mixing tub to get as much natural UVB and heat. It’s about 89 degrees where I live today with about 55 percent humidity so he’s loving it…. Thoughts, questions, things I could be doing better etc ? Thanks!
The_Four_Toed_Edward
Well-Known Member
Hello and welcome to the forum! I would love to see photos of your tortoise and the enclosure.
dexter.lo
New Member
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Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum! Adorable baby🥰
Try and aim to up the humidity all over if you can but don’t worry too much if you have an area that stays above 80 24/7. But the more you can keep that humidity above 80 in the entire enclosure, hopefully the smoother the growth.
At this stage I’d only have baby out for 2-3 hours tops in the outdoor enclosure to receive their uv, provided it’s not too hot out there😊
Also any kind of moss needs removal asap, tortoises can try to eat it and it can cause lethal impactions, not worth the risk👍
dexter.lo
New Member
Okay fair enough…. any tips on getting the humidity up??
I’ve removed all mosses, for the sub i’m using a 1:1 ratio of coco and bark
I’ve removed all mosses, for the sub i’m using a 1:1 ratio of coco and bark
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Have you got a photo of the indoor set up? It might help me advise you🙂
What is it you’re using for substrate?
Do you spray the substrate? Or do you do pours to damped the bottom layers? Pours are definitely more effective, we do it by pouring some lukewarm water in the corners of the substrate, just enough to wet the underneath, in a closed chamber it does wonders😊I’d have some liner like a cheap pond liner to protect your base for the pours though👍
dexter.lo
New Member
So i’m using 1:1 coco and bark…. i’m spaying, so i’ll definitely try pours. I’m kinda paranoid about shell rot, i’m not sure how often that happens? But the bottom of that tort house is like the liner in the bottom of a dog crate…. i’ll definitely throw some liner down when I change the sub.
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Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Substrate sounds fine, I wouldn’t worry about shell rot if you focus more on the under layers of the substrate being damp and top drier, you don’t want the top getting dusty though, that can cause respiratory problems, so mix/spray now n then. I’m not sure how common it is for these guys, I’m sure some else here can answer to that but I do know it’s more of a problem in red foots.
Yes definitely get some liner, the only thing I’ll say is that tortoise house isn’t an ideal material for the humidity you’re needing. You’d fair better making your own larger base out of something like melamine boards or pvc, lined with pond liner, going up the sides and all, and making sure those sides are high enough.
This size will be outgrown very quickly but they’ll still need higher humidity. I’d go larger than the example photos personally to get the most use out of it, but hopefully they give you an idea of the set up.
You could make your own stands, I’ll attach some examples on how people mount their uv and hang their lights.
Then get yourself a topper, the one you have might work depending on size. If you can’t find an exact fit for your base, place it over like the one with the white base, I’d put lining down under the base though to stop condensate getting on your floor🙂
Also ignore the stuff thats in some of the enclosures in the pics, they’re more to give you an idea of what I’m on about lol😊
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Sulcata's won't get shell rot. What are your temps dropping at night? Never let it get below 80° anywhere in the enclosure. You might need a CHE(ceramic heat emitter) at night. Gives off heat but no light. Torts need total darkness at night. Cool temps at night and humidity going up. Can lead to respatory infection.
dexter.lo
New Member
My temps are falling to 79 consistently all night long… I gotta get my humidity under control, I can’t keep a steady humidity. I’m gonna try and start pouring some water in the corns of the enclosure to get some humidity pumping.
