Indoor Sulcata Enclosure Advice

[Tokka]

Decided to follow the advice on here and up my enclosure game. Any advice? Here are some pictures. I have two separate humidity and temperature readers in the enclosure. I planted grass and dandelion greens for snacks and have the top set aside for planting tortoise treats like wildflowers. I attempted the “closed” enclosure. Substrate is orchid bark and coconut fiber. I do have a humidifier and hole to attach too but I doubt I’ll need it. Right now in the throws of summer my sunroom where she’s at stays 80-90 degrees, but I need advice on light bulbs for the coming months. I saw some suggestions on here I intend to look into. She also goes out to the “outdoor” enclosure I have set up early morning when it’s cooler for an hour or 2 for some proper sunlight and exercise. Bare with me, I constructed and made this myself so its on the rougher end

 

[Yvonne G]

I really like the way you've decorated the indoor enclosure! The little boy fishing in the waterer is just so cute. And the rocks inside the waterer is a nice safety feature. But I don't see any lights? Your little guy needs a spot where he can sit under the artificial sun and soak up the rays. And the UVB light must be UNDER the roof of the enclosure because the glass/plastic (?) will block the rays from entering the enclosure. UVB doesn't go through glass or plastic.

 

[Tokka]

Theres room for a dowel under the plexiglass top(between the wheels). I was just worried a light attached to it would be too close to her 6" up vs above the top which is closer to 14". Good point about losing the UV. At the moment she is going outside for a few hours every morning for exercise and sun bathing. Do you get your bulb somewhere specific?

I really like the way you've decorated the indoor enclosure! The little boy fishing in the waterer is just so cute. And the rocks inside the waterer is a nice safety feature. But I don't see any lights? Your little guy needs a spot where he can sit under the artificial sun and soak up the rays. And the UVB light must be UNDER the roof of the enclosure because the glass/plastic (?) will block the rays from entering the enclosure. UVB doesn't go through glass or plastic.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

If you're tortoise gets an hour outside everyday you don't need artificial UVB inside. You could just use LEDs for ambient lighting and an incandescent flood bulb for basking.

 

[Tokka]

If you're tortoise gets an hour outside everyday you don't need artificial UVB inside. You could just use LEDs for ambient lighting and an incandescent flood bulb for basking.

That sounds much simpler. I’ll add that. Thank you.

 

[Tom]

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. 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.
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. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.
3. 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.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

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