Herman’s tortoise enclosure advise

[Bubbles.tort]

Hi, I’m new to the forum and would love some advice on my tortoise Bubbles enclosure he’s a three year old Eastern Herman’s tortoise that I’ve had since he was a hatchling. He is about 3 inches and lives in a 4 by 2ft plastic container. He has a zoo med uva,uvb bulb. Any advice would be appreciated greatly!!

 

[SinLA]

I’m going to defer to people who know way more than I do, but your tortoise looks pretty unhealthy to me - lots of pyramidimg (shell looks like a grenade rather than a smooth helmet). I suggest starting with this thread because I think you’re doing a lot of “conventional wisdom” care that is outdated and unhealthy. I know you may not be “new” to ownership per se, but I still recommend this article as a start. No one likes being told they are doing things wrongly or poorly, but in the interest of the health of your little one, please do read…

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Bubbles.tort]

I’m going to defer to people who know way more than I do, but your tortoise looks pretty unhealthy to me - lots of pyramidimg (shell looks like a grenade rather than a smooth helmet). I suggest starting with this thread because I think you’re doing a lot of “conventional wisdom” care that is outdated and unhealthy. I know you may not be “new” to ownership per se, but I still recommend this article as a start. No one likes being told they are doing things wrongly or poorly, but in the interest of the health of your little one, please do read…

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Thank you! I will read asap!

 

[SinLA]

Cool, not sure who our local Herman’s experts are but I’m sure @Tom or @wellington could advise…

 

[Bubbles.tort]

Cool, not sure who our local Herman’s experts are but I’m sure @Tom or @wellington could advise…

Thank you! If I make the proper changes will he be suffering because of past mistakes?

 

[Tom]

Hi, I’m new to the forum and would love some advice on my tortoise Bubbles enclosure he’s a three year old Eastern Herman’s tortoise that I’ve had since he was a hatchling. He is about 3 inches and lives in a 4 by 2ft plastic container. He has a zoo med uva,uvb bulb. Any advice would be appreciated greatly!!

Please read this. There is a heating and lighting breakdown and a care sheet for your species at the end.

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Your tortoise appears to be suffering from metabolic bone disease. The info in the thread will help you remedy the situation.

Also, you need to secure the light fixture ASAP. Those clamps always fail, and that could not only harm your tortoise, but many house fire start that way too. Never use the clamp. I remove the clamps. Hang the fixture from over head.

 

[SinLA]

Thank you! If I make the proper changes will he be suffering because of past mistakes?

There are a lot of rescued torts on here that had rough beginnings and come back from it so it’s doable but you have to make changes. He or she is definitely not in great shape…

 

[Bubbles.tort]

Please read this. There is a heating and lighting breakdown and a care sheet for your species at the end.

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Your tortoise appears to be suffering from metabolic bone disease. The info in the thread will help you remedy the situation.

Also, you need to secure the light fixture ASAP. Those clamps always fail, and that could not only harm your tortoise, but many house fire start that way too. Never use the clamp. I remove the clamps. Hang the fixture from over head.

Thank you! Will I need two separate bulbs, one for basking and one for ambient light? And then the uv tube?

 

[Bubbles.tort]

Thank you! Will I need two separate bulbs, one for basking and one for ambient light? And then the uv tube?

I really want to help him and feel terrible now joining this page so any help is greatly appreciated

 

[Tom]

Thank you! Will I need two separate bulbs, one for basking and one for ambient light? And then the uv tube?

Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

 

[Bubbles.tort]

Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

I read this in the linked care guide, was just confused on the basking bulb and light bulb, won’t the basking bulb produce light?

 

[Bubbles.tort]

Also would I be able to buy them in the same dome that I have now? And is my enclosure okay?

 

[Bubbles.tort]

Also would I be able to buy them in the same dome that I have now? And is my enclosure okay?

*put them in
**enclosere size

 

[Tom]

I read this in the linked care guide, was just confused on the basking bulb and light bulb, won’t the basking bulb produce light?

Not enough. The electricity used by an incandescent bulb is about 20% light and 80% heat. It is also usually around 2500K on the color scale. This is dim and more like sunset or early sunrise. We also need bright light to make it look like a sunny day. This is most easily accomplished with LEDs in the 5000-6500K color range. This color range info will be printed on the bulb's package at the store.

This is why ambient light and the basking light are listed as two separate things. And the UV light is a third separate thing, for a total of four heating and lighting elements, when you add in ambient heat, if it is needed.

 

[Bubbles.tort]

Not enough. The electricity used by an incandescent bulb is about 20% light and 80% heat. It is also usually around 2500K on the color scale. This is dim and more like sunset or early sunrise. We also need bright light to make it look like a sunny day. This is most easily accomplished with LEDs in the 5000-6500K color range. This color range info will be printed on the bulb's package at the store.

This is why ambient light and the basking light are listed as two separate things. And the UV light is a third separate thing, for a total of four heating and lighting elements, when you add in ambient heat, if it is needed.

That makes sense! Thank you again! I’m gonna try to get all these things tomorrow, what light fixture would you recommend for the bulbs?

 

[Tom]

That makes sense! Thank you again! I’m gonna try to get all these things tomorrow, what light fixture would you recommend for the bulbs?

I use the $13 ceramic based aluminum domed Home Depot fixtures for CHEs and basking bulbs. They can be used for screw-in type LEDs too. For LEDs, I usually use the under cabinet mounted types and mount them on the ceiling. These are about $35 at Walmart. Like this:


The Arcadia 12% HO tubes, are best used in Arcadia fixtures. They sell them as a "PRO T5 Kit".

 

[Bubbles.tort]

I use the $13 ceramic based aluminum domed Home Depot fixtures for CHEs and basking bulbs. They can be used for screw-in type LEDs too. For LEDs, I usually use the under cabinet mounted types and mount them on the ceiling. These are about $35 at Walmart. Like this:
View attachment 352903

The Arcadia 12% HO tubes, are best used in Arcadia fixtures. They sell them as a "PRO T5 Kit".

Awesome!! I’m gonna get all this bought set up ASAP. Is that the most important right now? Is his enclosure size okay?

 

[Tom]

Awesome!! I’m gonna get all this bought set up ASAP. Is that the most important right now? Is his enclosure size okay?

Its okay for now. He will need larger accommodations as the months pass.

 

[Bubbles.tort]

Thank you so so much!

 

[Bubbles.tort]

Its okay for now. He will need larger accommodations as the months pass.

Are there any signs of improvement I look for when I do these things?