Hello tortoise enthusiasts!
My name is Scott, and I'm from Austin, TX - I have a few questions about a new indoor enclosure I just built for Govinda, my 9 month old leopard tortoise. First of all, I bought him in Tucson, AZ with intentions of moving back home to Austin, so he was being kept in a small 20 gallon aquarium (i know, not the best, but it was temporary) with a UV and a 50w heat lamp on one side. It wasn't the best temperature gradient, but it worked and he got a lot of outdoor time, daily baths and mistings, and plenty of healthy greens.
Now, I'm in a more permanent place, and recently decided to upgrade his home. Here are a few issues I'm having. Right off the bat, the little guy (or gal) loved his new home, and was very active and explorative. In the last week, however, he's been a little more sluggish and reluctant to eat. I realized his temps were probably too low with just the 50w bulb, so i added a 75w, but now my thermometer is reading temps of 120 on the warm end. Is this too much? I'm worried the 75w won't be enough to keep things sufficiently warm throughout that side of the enclosure AND provide a good basking spot.
Additionally, my place is cold and drafty at night (around 68-70F), so i need something to keep him a little warmer. I'm wondering if keeping a CHE on all the time, plus a heat lamp during the day would do the trick. A guy at the pet store recommended a heating pad to put under his warm hide, but it doesn't seem to work that well, and I've read mixed reviews about them (besides the fact that it makes me a little nervous).
As far as UV goes, I've got a UVB coil in the center about 12in from the ground. Not sure if an MVB would be better or not.
Finally, the trunk that i bought is made of cedar, which I've read is not a good thing. I lined the thing with plastic trash bags and my substrate is pure cypress and coco coir, so not sure if the aromatics from the cedar will cause any problems.
So that's basically it. I'm hoping to get an outdoor enclosure for him eventually, but he's just too small to keep outside at the moment. Please let me know if anyone has any advice. Thanks!
My name is Scott, and I'm from Austin, TX - I have a few questions about a new indoor enclosure I just built for Govinda, my 9 month old leopard tortoise. First of all, I bought him in Tucson, AZ with intentions of moving back home to Austin, so he was being kept in a small 20 gallon aquarium (i know, not the best, but it was temporary) with a UV and a 50w heat lamp on one side. It wasn't the best temperature gradient, but it worked and he got a lot of outdoor time, daily baths and mistings, and plenty of healthy greens.
Now, I'm in a more permanent place, and recently decided to upgrade his home. Here are a few issues I'm having. Right off the bat, the little guy (or gal) loved his new home, and was very active and explorative. In the last week, however, he's been a little more sluggish and reluctant to eat. I realized his temps were probably too low with just the 50w bulb, so i added a 75w, but now my thermometer is reading temps of 120 on the warm end. Is this too much? I'm worried the 75w won't be enough to keep things sufficiently warm throughout that side of the enclosure AND provide a good basking spot.
Additionally, my place is cold and drafty at night (around 68-70F), so i need something to keep him a little warmer. I'm wondering if keeping a CHE on all the time, plus a heat lamp during the day would do the trick. A guy at the pet store recommended a heating pad to put under his warm hide, but it doesn't seem to work that well, and I've read mixed reviews about them (besides the fact that it makes me a little nervous).
As far as UV goes, I've got a UVB coil in the center about 12in from the ground. Not sure if an MVB would be better or not.
Finally, the trunk that i bought is made of cedar, which I've read is not a good thing. I lined the thing with plastic trash bags and my substrate is pure cypress and coco coir, so not sure if the aromatics from the cedar will cause any problems.
So that's basically it. I'm hoping to get an outdoor enclosure for him eventually, but he's just too small to keep outside at the moment. Please let me know if anyone has any advice. Thanks!
Last edited by a moderator:
