Is Cosmo's Home OK?

[cosmomom]

I thought I was doing a great job in setting up a nice home for Cosmo (6 month old Hermann) - now after reading through the enclosure threads on this fourm, I'm not sure. He seems pretty comfortable andI was told by the reptile specialty shop where I got him what to do. Here is what I have:

- 48"h x 18"w x 24"h glass tank with (2) front sliding doors and open top with a screen.
- on top of screen is a 24" length UV light, and a spotlamp for basking to one side of tank
- substrate is alfalfa pellets (per recommendation of the shop)
- Hiding den (which he loves and sleeps in every night)
- half log, moss - kept moist
- water dish enough to bask in
- water dish for drinking
- thermometer that reads 80 - 85 during day, and about 70 at night (not under the bask light) and humidity that stays at around 60%
- feeding dish is filled fresh in morning and removed when he goes to sleep
- lights are on for 12 hours, no lights at night.
- I have covered (3) sides of the tank with background decoration paper (made for aquariums) and up to where the sliding doors are on the front (about 4"). I wonder if he is getting stress because the backgound sheet is of plants and rocks - it looks lovely though!

Please advise thoughts onthis set up.

I am having trouble figuring out how to post photos

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm going to make some comments, but bear in mind I don't keep any Hermann's tortoises, ok?

A 4' long tank seems long enough that you should be able to have a warm end and a room temperature end. That's what you want to strive for. If you notice that he's bumping onto the glass a lot, then you might have to cover the outside with some paper so he can't see out. You don't need to cover the whole side, just high enough that he can't see out.

Depending upon how big the holes in the screen are, I don't think the UV rays will penetrate the screen material. So you might need to open the screen where the UV light is.

Alfalfa pellets is "old school." And your shop keeper hasn't kept up to date. We now realize that dry pellets of any kind are 1, hard on the tortoise's legs, and 2, you can't moisten them. Most tortoises require a little bit of humidity in their habitat to help keep their shell growing smoothly. So MY personal choice of substrate is cypress mulch, but there are other choices for you.

Posting pictures is pretty easy if you first open a free PhotoBucket account. You put your pictures into PhotoBucket, then choose the picture you want to share with us, scrolling your mouse down to the bottom of the picture. A window will pop open that shows different lines of numbers. You left click on the words, "IMG code" and yu will see some numbers appear to the right of that. Then you "copy" those numbers (by first highlighting them, then right click to save it into your briefcase). Then you come back to your reply on the forum and right click again, and paste the string of numbers in your reply. When your reply posts, the string of numbers changes to your picture. and Voila!

Yvonne

 

[cosmomom]

thanks. What is considered a warm and room temperature? that is good thinking about whether the UV rays are getting through the screen. (I would like some more comments from others too). I will also check into what else would be good for substrate. It seems 60% humidity is good?? I do have the background paper on the glass, sometimes it seems he is trying to walk to it though.

 

[Yvonne G]

80 to 85 on the warm end is good. Naturally its warmer than that directly under the light. Room temperature on the other end is good. Range in the 70's.

We always tell people about screening the covers on outdoor habitats that the sun's rays can't penetrate the small mesh holes of wire, they just bounce back off. Since your light source is closer to the screen than the sun is to the outdoor's screen, maybe this isn't true in an indoor habitat. Others will comment, I hope.

Yvonne

 

[Kadaan]

60% humidity is fine for a Hermann, they don't need it to be as humid as other species.

The general recommendation is to stay away with glass enclosures, since they make it hard to have a temperature gradient (75-80 degree "cool" side, and a 90-95 degree "warm" side) without adequate ventilation. A 4' long tank with a screen top should be fine though, but you'll want to measure the temperature at both ends periodically to make sure the "cool" side isn't getting to hot.

Since you have a flourescent UVB lamp that doesn't generate as much heat as a MVB would, you can try hooking it onto the side under the screen to avoid any potential blocking by the screen cover.


For substrates, the main goals are:
1) Capable of keeping some moisture (pellets, paper, anything that falls apart when damp aren't the best options)
2) Non-toxic (some woods like pine and cedar are toxic)
3) Won't cause impaction (anything small enough to eat that doesn't break down or soften, like pure sand, can cause intestinal problems)
4) Traction (shouldn't be too hard like gravel, and not too soft like sand)

The most common substrates seem to be coco fiber or orcanic top soil mixed with 25-50% play sand, or organic mulches like orchid bark/cypress/fir.

I started up a thread that got some good replies talking about substrate choices here: Substrates

 

[nicky-mollie]

 

[George]

Nice rocks, where did you get them from?

P.S. Tortoise very cute too!

 

[nicky-mollie]

Nice rocks, where did you get them from?

P.S. Tortoise very cute too!

hello i got the cobbles from wicks building supplies washed them, glued them in the shape i wanted then placed small gravel stones over the glue while it was still wet, its a very strong stucture glad you like it

 

[samstar]

Thats a nice rock cave, I'm sure Cosmos is one happy tort