I really need help please!

[Sig]

Bought 2 huge closed chamber cages upon the advice on forum. Made two humid hides and have a mister set up in giant south africans setup. They get hour or 2 of outdoor sun time most days. I have a sulcatta in one cage and giant south african in other cage. 100 watt heat bulbs stay between 80 and 90 degrees 24hrs. I have t8 long lights in enclosures too i leave on 10-12 hrs. I spray substrate couple times a day. Both are humidity and temp monitored. I can barely get above 60
humidity. What am I doing wrong

 

[wellington]

From what I can see, too much ventilation vents on the side and misting even 5 times a day is only getting the surface (wet) oops mean damp which the heat will dry up right away. Pour warm water into the enclosures so the substrate is wet not damp.
Also the enclosure should be no lower then 80 but the basking spot needs to be 95-100 to properly digest their food.

 

[Gillian M]

Hello @Sig and a very warm welcome to the forum.

Terribly sorry I can't help; am no tort expert. But maybe

@Yvonne G
@Tom
@JoesMum

will be able to help.

 

[Sig]

From what I can see, too much ventilation vents on the side and misting even 5 times a day is only getting the surface wet which the heat will dry up right away. Pour warm water into the enclosures so the substrate is wet not damp.
Also the enclosure should be no lower then 80 but the basking spot needs to be 95-100 to properly digest their food.

 

[Sig]

With the light situation how do i make an actual basking spot. How wet should substrate be?really wet?

 

[Sig]

With the light situation how do i make an actual basking spot. How wet should substrate be?really wet?

How much of the vents shud i cover

 

[JoesMum]

I think wellington got that the wrong way round by mistake.

Substrate should be evenly damp, but not wet. To achieve this you must take all the decor out, tip water in from a jug and mix it all thoroughly with your hands until all of it is damp. You don't want wet and soggy.

You need a temperature gun type thermometer to measure spot temperatures in the enclosure.

To raise temperature under the basking lamp, you lower it towards the substrate. Or, you use a higher wattage bulb.

You don't need lots of ventilation. That lets the humidity escape. It's called a closed chamber because it is closed... it is unlikely to be sealed so tight that oxygen cannot get in. This keeps the heat in too.

If you still cannot raise the temperature then you will also need a Ceramic Heat Emitter. Used with a thermostat this can run 24/7 and will only cut in when needed

 

[Gillian M]

I think wellington got that the wrong way round by mistake.

Substrate should be evenly damp, but not wet. To achieve this you must take all the decor out, tip water in from a jug and mix it all thoroughly with your hands until all of it is damp. You don't want wet and soggy.

You need a temperature gun type thermometer to measure spot temperatures in the enclosure.

To raise temperature under the basking lamp, you lower it towards the substrate. Or, you use a higher wattage bulb.

You don't need lots of ventilation. That lets the humidity escape. It's called a closed chamber because it is closed... it is unlikely to be sealed so tight that oxygen cannot get in. This keeps the heat in too.

If you still cannot raise the temperature then you will also need a Ceramic Heat Emitter. Used with a thermostat this can run 24/7 and will only cut in when needed

Thanks very much your alert, Linda.

 

[Sig]

I think wellington got that the wrong way round by mistake.

Substrate should be evenly damp, but not wet. To achieve this you must take all the decor out, tip water in from a jug and mix it all thoroughly with your hands until all of it is damp. You don't want wet and soggy.

You need a temperature gun type thermometer to measure spot temperatures in the enclosure.

To raise temperature under the basking lamp, you lower it towards the substrate. Or, you use a higher wattage bulb.

You don't need lots of ventilation. That lets the humidity escape. It's called a closed chamber because it is closed... it is unlikely to be sealed so tight that oxygen cannot get in. This keeps the heat in too.

If you still cannot raise the temperature then you will also need a Ceramic Heat Emitter. Used with a thermostat this can run 24/7 and will only cut in when needed

 

[Sig]

How much of the vents in the pic i just posted shud I cover and with what? They are on both sides

 

[JoesMum]

Now I am on a better computer, I can see your pictures better.

Is that a coloured bulb?

The basking bulb should be a plain reflective bulb or Mercury Vapour bulb that's on for 12-14 hours a day. The temperature directly under it must be 95-100F/30-35C

Your tortoise needs complete darkness at night. A Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) used with a thermostat can be used to maintain night temperatures.

Coloured bulbs are not recommend as tortoises have excellent colour vision and are not particularly bright. They have a bad habit of eating substrate coloured by coloured lamps as they think it's tasty food (I have watched mine try to eat red circles printed on a newspaper... which demonstrates the lack of intelligence!

The air slots on your enclosure aren't so huge that I would be bothered. As long as you have the correct basking bulb in place, you should be OK.

Your pet store bowls are best replaced as they are a tipping hazard. A piece of flat slate or rock is a great food plate as it abrades the beak and keeps it in shape. A terracotta plant saucer pushed into the substrate makes a great water dish

 

[Sig]

Now I am on a better computer, I can see your pictures better.

Is that a coloured bulb?

The basking bulb should be a plain reflective bulb or Mercury Vapour bulb that's on for 12-14 hours a day. The temperature directly under it must be 95-100F/30-35C

Your tortoise needs complete darkness at night. A Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) used with a thermostat can be used to maintain night temperatures.

Coloured bulbs are not recommend as tortoises have excellent colour vision and are not particularly bright. They have a bad habit of eating substrate coloured by coloured lamps as they think it's tasty food (I have watched mine try to eat red circles printed on a newspaper... which demonstrates the lack of intelligence!

The air slots on your enclosure aren't so huge that I would be bothered. As long as you have the correct basking bulb in place, you should be OK.

Your pet store bowls are best replaced as they are a tipping hazard. A piece of flat slate or rock is a great food plate as it abrades the beak and keeps it in shape. A terracotta plant saucer pushed into the substrate makes a great water dish

 

[Sig]

Thanks! I have the t8 long fluorescence in there too. I have clear 100 watt reptisun uvb and heat in one I can use. Is that too much uvb? The cages said i cant use a ceramic heat emitter in cage because it can start a fire. What shud I use at night?

 

[Sig]

Are the foggers/misters good to use?

 

[Sig]

This is the uvb i have. What shud i buy for heat that can be used at night thats not ceramic heat emitter

 

[wellington]

The substrate needs to be wet, not like a puddle but wet. Just damp will dry out quickly. With leopards and sulcatas it can't really get too wet unless it's like a puddle. The tube light is fine for UVB, you can't really have too much UVB with bulbs. I as many have used ceramic heat emitters on plastic tubs and nothing melted or started a fire as long as it's done to prevent melting. I don't see why a che would do anything to yours, unless the enclosures came with the socket fixtures attached, then those may not be rated for Che's. Then buy a fixture, ceramic fixture and put in your own and hang from the top. The temps must stay no lower then 80 with humidity so your torts don't get sick.

 

[wellington]

Something like this with a ceramic/porclein socket

 

[Sig]

The substrate needs to be wet, not like a puddle but wet. Just damp will dry out quickly. With leopards and sulcatas it can't really get too wet unless it's like a puddle. The tube light is fine for UVB, you can't really have too much UVB with bulbs. I as many have used ceramic heat emitters on plastic tubs and nothing melted or started a fire as long as it's done to prevent melting. I don't see why a che would do anything to yours, unless the enclosures came with the socket fixtures attached, then those may not be rated for Che's. Then buy a fixture, ceramic fixture and put in your own and hang from the top. The temps must stay no lower then 80 with humidity so your torts don't get sick.[/

 

[Sig]

Unfortunately it came with the sockets thats why i cant use them. I have the domes so mabye i can hang them in there? So heat emitters can stay on at night???

 

[Tom]

All of this is explained here: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

I'll hit the high points from your pics:

1. That bulb is no good. Replace it with a 65 watt flood and set it on a timer for 12-14 hours a day. Put a piece of slate or sandstone under it and measure temps after a couple of hours. It its 95-100, then you are done. Just have extra bulbs on hand for when that one burns out, because it will burn out on Christmas eve when all the stores are closed. If its too cool try a 100 watt flood. This is your basking area. A MVB will not work in your enclosure as they run too hot and will over heat the whole thing.
2. Your UV bulb is okay, but the 5.0 bulbs don't put out much UV. If you are relying on that bulb to meet your tortoises UV needs, then you need to put a meter under it to make sure your UV levels are high enough, but not too high. That bulb can be on the same timer as your basking bulb. Here is the meter to buy: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
3. What you are lacking is a source of heat to maintain ambient above 80 day and night. You can use a CHE or a radiant heat panel. A RHP will work perfectly in that enclosure, and will not start a fire. Get one here: http://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels
4. You'll need to run your heat source on a thermostat for it to do what it needs to do. I like this one: http://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller
5. Get rid of the ramped bowl. Those aren't safe for tortoises. They are a serious flipping hazard. Get get a couple of terra cotta saucers for each cage. Sink them into the substrate and use one for food and one for water in each cage.
6. Your substrate looks too dry. It should be damp, not wet. How much water and how often varies with each enclosure and the seasons too. You'll have to do some trial and error. Misting the surface does very little, as you've seen.
7. Those cages are not huge. They are likely only going to last your tortoises a year at most. 6 months, if your tortoises were started well.
8. Both species are likely going to eat that moss. I'd take it out before it becomes a problem.
9. Get the substrate properly dampened and then try covering half of the vents on each side and see what your humidity level does. It will probably be about right. If not, cover all of the vents and see what happens. Adjust as needed. With less ventilation, you can keep your substrate drier and still maintain good humidity.
10. You should not need humidifiers or sprayers in those enclosures.

To recap: You need three or four things when it comes to heating and lighting:

1. Basking lamp on a timer. Should be 95-100 under the bulb and on for 12-14 hours a day.
2. UV tube on a timer. How long you leave it on depends on what your UV meter says.
3. RHP on a thermostat. Set it to 80 degrees.
4. Additional florescent tube for light, if needed or desired. I run my UV tubes for only 3-4 hours mid day, so I need more light on for the rest of the day.

Ask questions if any of this is not clear.