Info For New People. Please Read This First.

[Eckgirl88]

Are there links to these things that you recommend? I followed the care guide but the home improvement store didn’t have incandescent bulbs between 65-90w the smallest they had was 125w and I can’t figure out what kind of light fixture to get. They didn’t have any orchid bark, cypress mulch, or coco noir(?) that didn’t have added ingredients and I was afraid they would hurt our baby sulcata. We thought the tortoise table was the best option and thought we had done our research. He keeps flipping over from climbing on his hide and falling backwards when he stands on his back legs in the corner. Monday will be the first day nobody will be home to check on him for a few hours and I’m afraid he is going to die. Do we take out the log hide and just use the Tupperware one with the door cut out that he’s unable to climb? I’m swapping out his bowls this afternoon to the terra cotta ones

 

[Chiyo]

Are there links to these things that you recommend? I followed the care guide but the home improvement store didn’t have incandescent bulbs between 65-90w the smallest they had was 125w and I can’t figure out what kind of light fixture to get. They didn’t have any orchid bark, cypress mulch, or coco noir(?) that didn’t have added ingredients and I was afraid they would hurt our baby sulcata. We thought the tortoise table was the best option and thought we had done our research. He keeps flipping over from climbing on his hide and falling backwards when he stands on his back legs in the corner. Monday will be the first day nobody will be home to check on him for a few hours and I’m afraid he is going to die. Do we take out the log hide and just use the Tupperware one with the door cut out that he’s unable to climb? I’m swapping out his bowls this afternoon to the terra cotta ones

 

[Tom]

Are there links to these things that you recommend? I followed the care guide but the home improvement store didn’t have incandescent bulbs between 65-90w the smallest they had was 125w and I can’t figure out what kind of light fixture to get. They didn’t have any orchid bark, cypress mulch, or coco noir(?) that didn’t have added ingredients and I was afraid they would hurt our baby sulcata. We thought the tortoise table was the best option and thought we had done our research. He keeps flipping over from climbing on his hide and falling backwards when he stands on his back legs in the corner. Monday will be the first day nobody will be home to check on him for a few hours and I’m afraid he is going to die. Do we take out the log hide and just use the Tupperware one with the door cut out that he’s unable to climb? I’m swapping out his bowls this afternoon to the terra cotta ones

I don't have links. The stuff changes all the time. Just ask for a regular incandescent flood bulb. Most hardware store will have them in 65 watt sizes. If that one didn't have it, or the kid working there didn't know what you were talking about, try a different one.



Get a "clamp lamp. Get rid of the clamp and the little guard wire thingies, and hang it from the metal hanger that is attached to it. Like this:

You won't fid orchid bark at a hardware store in most cases. You have to go to a nursery. One that sell orchids is more likely to have orchid bark, or be able to order it for you. If you ca't find it cheaply in bulk that way, you can order it in 24 quart bags on Chewy for about $20. Here is the type that I use. Perhaps your local nursery can order it for you:



Show a pic of the enclosure so we can see why he is flipping. Tupperware hides don't work because they are see through. Is yours opaque? I use black dishwashing tubs from Walmart. Works perfectly and they are cheap too.

 

[Eckgirl88]

I don't have links. The stuff changes all the time. Just ask for a regular incandescent flood bulb. Most hardware store will have them in 65 watt sizes. If that one didn't have it, or the kid working there didn't know what you were talking about, try a different one.

View attachment 361459

Get a "clamp lamp. Get rid of the clamp and the little guard wire thingies, and hang it from the metal hanger that is attached to it. Like this: View attachment 361461

You won't fid orchid bark at a hardware store in most cases. You have to go to a nursery. One that sell orchids is more likely to have orchid bark, or be able to order it for you. If you ca't find it cheaply in bulk that way, you can order it in 24 quart bags on Chewy for about $20. Here is the type that I use. Perhaps your local nursery can order it for you:
View attachment 361462


Show a pic of the enclosure so we can see why he is flipping. Tupperware hides don't work because they are see through. Is yours opaque? I use black dishwashing tubs from Walmart. Works perfectly and they are cheap too.

I will go to the nursery now to find the substrate and the terra cotta dishes. We have tried with the log hide, without the log hide, and now I added a pink Tupperware that I had handy for the moment. He is outside in the enclosure for sunlight now and we will bring the entire habitat back in after a few hours. I have been adding a 2 quart pitcher of water to the substrate every other day or if it looks dry like it does now. I took a lot of photos bc I wanted to make sure I didn’t leave anything out that’s dangerous for him.

He usually was upside down in the corner with the 3 rocks but we have found him in there upside down in the middle of it when the log is out of the habitat. He likes to stand on his back legs in the corner and I think he falls backwards. We added the rocks bc I read that they will learn to flip themselves but they need something to push off of to get momentum.


Here is the link

https://imgur.com/a/QviDeuN

 

[Eckgirl88]

He did it again

 

[Tim Carlisle]

He did it again

Can you moisten the substrate and pack it down with your hand? Looks like that might be part of the issue.

 

[Eckgirl88]

Can you moisten the substrate and pack it down with your hand? Looks like that might be part of the issue.

I will try that. We put a camera in there to see him and he’s definitely going to the corner and standing up and scratching the wall and then tips himself backwards. I feel like I need a fence around his walls 😫

 

[Tom]

He did it again

-I see little white flecks in your substrate. What is that?
-The picture looks "foggy" in the upper left corner. Are you running a humidifier, or is that just the way the light is hitting the lens?
-This type of open topped enclosure is totally unsuitable for sulcatas. You can't maintain the correct heat and humidity with an open top and the wood rots.
-What type of heating and lighting are you using? What type of UV indoors?

 

[Eckgirl88]

-I see little white flecks in your substrate. What is that?
-The picture looks "foggy" in the upper left corner. Are you running a humidifier, or is that just the way the light is hitting the lens?
-This type of open topped enclosure is totally unsuitable for sulcatas. You can't maintain the correct heat and humidity with an open top and the wood rots.
-What type of heating and lighting are you using? What type of UV indoors?

The white in the image is a rock that has substrate on it and some dried remnants of Grassland Tortoise Food that we’ve been providing along with his greens (hibiscus leaves, arugula, dandelion is growing still, clover, etc) that was kicked off the tray. The fog is the light hitting the camera as I was trying to get the picture while getting to him at the same time to right him. Our humidity has been at 80 and temp is 88 at the moment. For humidity we’ve kept the substrate wet and soak him as well as soak his food prior to feeding and misting with the spray bottle. I got an incandescent floodlight but I looked at Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Harbor freight and could not find anything except 125w and 250w so I got 125 and plan to order the smaller wattage Wednesday.
I alSo have a dual fixture with “13w ReptiSun 5.0 UVB Mini Compact Fluorescent Lamp” and I replaced the bulb that came with that with a ceramic heat bulb from Lowe’s when the temp was low. I know now that the tortoise table is inadequate for him and am trying to find an enclosed chamber local to me but also have my FIL who is a fabricator for a commercial sign company here in Vegas who is supposed to get me the materials listed to build the one that Sterant (sp?) shared on this forum.

Unfortunately we were one of those families who thought they had accurate information to care for him and it was all wrong. I happened across this forum when looking for the solution to him rolling on his back. I did set up a webcam so I can check him while at work and come help him if need be but today he did not flip over at all while we were gone. I think the packing of the substrate helped, but I am reading all the info shared here to make sure he has all he needs to thrive with us. I have printed out this post as well as your care guide that I found on Reddit and we are trying to address each concern we find. Is the fogger something we will want to add? I thought I had read it wasn’t something we wanted in there.

 

[Tom]

The white in the image is a rock that has substrate on it and some dried remnants of Grassland Tortoise Food that we’ve been providing along with his greens (hibiscus leaves, arugula, dandelion is growing still, clover, etc) that was kicked off the tray. The fog is the light hitting the camera as I was trying to get the picture while getting to him at the same time to right him. Our humidity has been at 80 and temp is 88 at the moment. For humidity we’ve kept the substrate wet and soak him as well as soak his food prior to feeding and misting with the spray bottle. I got an incandescent floodlight but I looked at Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Harbor freight and could not find anything except 125w and 250w so I got 125 and plan to order the smaller wattage Wednesday.
I alSo have a dual fixture with “13w ReptiSun 5.0 UVB Mini Compact Fluorescent Lamp” and I replaced the bulb that came with that with a ceramic heat bulb from Lowe’s when the temp was low. I know now that the tortoise table is inadequate for him and am trying to find an enclosed chamber local to me but also have my FIL who is a fabricator for a commercial sign company here in Vegas who is supposed to get me the materials listed to build the one that Sterant (sp?) shared on this forum.

Unfortunately we were one of those families who thought they had accurate information to care for him and it was all wrong. I happened across this forum when looking for the solution to him rolling on his back. I did set up a webcam so I can check him while at work and come help him if need be but today he did not flip over at all while we were gone. I think the packing of the substrate helped, but I am reading all the info shared here to make sure he has all he needs to thrive with us. I have printed out this post as well as your care guide that I found on Reddit and we are trying to address each concern we find. Is the fogger something we will want to add? I thought I had read it wasn’t something we wanted in there.

Good on replacing the cfl bulb, but you found a ceramic heat emitter at Lowe's? That's a new one for me. I didn't know they sold those there.

Sign makers are where many people find their expanded PVC sheets. Lucky you know someone!

Definite "NO" on the fogger. You can run them in the room, but I don't recommend blowing them directly into an enclosure.

My care guide is on Reddit? Did someone repost it from here? That's cool! I hope it reaches many tortoise keepers!

 

[Tim Carlisle]

Good on replacing the cfl bulb, but you found a ceramic heat emitter at Lowe's? That's a new one for me. I didn't know they sold those there.

Sign makers are where many people find their expanded PVC sheets. Lucky you know someone!

Definite "NO" on the fogger. You can run them in the room, but I don't recommend blowing them directly into an enclosure.

My care guide is on Reddit? Did someone repost it from here? That's cool! I hope it reaches many tortoise keepers!

I hope she didn't buy a regular ceramic space heater. I've never seen CHE's al Lowes either.

 

[Eckgirl88]

I hope she didn't buy a regular ceramic space heater. I've never seen CHE's al Lowes either.

@Tom & @Tim Carlisle i got this

https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE/5013820967

I really appreciate all of you and others sharing your time and knowledge with us. It truly shows the love you have for these animals and your patience is impressive.

I had to fight my instinctive defensiveness and check my ego when finding out how uneducated I was for all this. It is my responsibility as a pet keeper to make sure more than his basic needs are met and my intention is to ensure he thrives and always is cared for in the best possible way. It was a link to your care guide on Reddit. If only money wasn’t what put results at the top of the search results online. I believe I saw you recommend Tortoisesupply.com and they are local to us and I was planning to get ours from them, but my husband and daughter fell in love with this guy’s outgoing personality and he came home with them. Definitely picking up some of their seeds though so we can have healthy plants growing year round. My daughter and I will be regular readers of this forum and again I just want to thank all of the contributors who share their hands on experience and advice with us. Also, yesterday we watch him wave his limbs and head like a windshield wiper and successfully flip himself over on camera while we were driving home to flip him and my kids praised him through the microphone. When our online orders of the improvements come in I will share the updated photos as well.

 

[Tim Carlisle]

@Tom & @Tim Carlisle i got this

https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE/5013820967

I really appreciate all of you and others sharing your time and knowledge with us. It truly shows the love you have for these animals and your patience is impressive.

I had to fight my instinctive defensiveness and check my ego when finding out how uneducated I was for all this. It is my responsibility as a pet keeper to make sure more than his basic needs are met and my intention is to ensure he thrives and always is cared for in the best possible way. It was a link to your care guide on Reddit. If only money wasn’t what put results at the top of the search results online. I believe I saw you recommend Tortoisesupply.com and they are local to us and I was planning to get ours from them, but my husband and daughter fell in love with this guy’s outgoing personality and he came home with them. Definitely picking up some of their seeds though so we can have healthy plants growing year round. My daughter and I will be regular readers of this forum and again I just want to thank all of the contributors who share their hands on experience and advice with us. Also, yesterday we watch him wave his limbs and head like a windshield wiper and successfully flip himself over on camera while we were driving home to flip him and my kids praised him through the microphone. When our online orders of the improvements come in I will share the updated photos as well.

Sweet! None of my local Lowes sell that particular bulb. During emergencies, I had to go to a local reptile store and pay 2x what they would cost anywhere else. lol