Is this Dome fitting any good?

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Good luck! We are still trying to tweak ours , 3 weeks after getting her! Trying desperately to get it right. Made one enclosure and it didn't get enough sun. So we had to go back to drawing board and move it. Now trying to get a night box running with a basking lamp and over night heat. Don't know if it's a bit ambitious /doable in one box but trying to follow Tom's early model. The hardest thing has been sourcing the right light/heat. I've already made my first mistake with my basking lamp.🤦‍♀️it's so hard here in UK to get them outside with our VERY unpredictable weather isn't it?

It really is😣unfortunately for us as well, our red foot has really high humidity requirements, which is so difficult to maintain outside of an enclosed chamber here in the uk, it’s been a long journey setting up her large tropical environment here, people definitely have better climates over in the states and other hot countries for them, so much easier to provide large outdoor spaces, forever jealous😕
I’m glad to see you on the forum! It’s SO helpful when you’re in the midst of setting things up! I’d of been lost without it! So many just follow outdated info blindly, at least here you can engage with members who are up to date and they can help guide you with any future questions that might crop up with your set up😊

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Good luck! We are still trying to tweak ours , 3 weeks after getting her! Trying desperately to get it right. Made one enclosure and it didn't get enough sun. So we had to go back to drawing board and move it. Now trying to get a night box running with a basking lamp and over night heat. Don't know if it's a bit ambitious /doable in one box but trying to follow Tom's early model. The hardest thing has been sourcing the right light/heat. I've already made my first mistake with my basking lamp.🤦‍♀️it's so hard here in UK to get them outside with our VERY unpredictable weather isn't it?

Enclosure is a process, not a result. Don't worry I'm still tweaking my setups - both indoors and outdoors. And I have planned moves of the outdoor space twice a year: to the south side in the winter and to the northern in summer.

I'm not sure if you need a basking lamp in the night box (it's purpose is to be a burrow-like hide).

UK weather is not awfully bad for Testudo species who can brumate through the winter. Yet I feel you pain I have a redfooted tortoise and Mediterranean climate is far from perfect for them.

 

[pippin]

Enclosure is a process, not a result. Don't worry I'm still tweaking my setups - both indoors and outdoors. And I have planned moves of the outdoor space twice a year: to the south side in the winter and to the northern in summer.

I'm not sure if you need a basking lamp in the night box (it's purpose is to be a burrow-like hide).

UK weather is not awfully bad for Testudo species who can brumate through the winter. Yet I feel you pain I have a redfooted tortoise and Mediterranean climate is far from perfect for them.

Today we managed to fit the basking lamp , in shellys box. We fixed it in a ceramic fitting with just a 75w flood bulb , no dome as the box isn't that big. (50 cm x 28) The idea is that on only cloudy/cooler days we will just click the bulb on and if shelly is cold she will go in the box to get a uva hit! (No uvb) At night we will switch everything off and just have a heater set on a stat that only kicks in if temp drops below 15c . I have put a very small cold frame in her enclosure and today she went in and burrowed down in under the the soil and straw (not an ideal bedding material but she likes it?) Her outdoor enclosure isn't covered over so her night box will be closed up at night. Still not sure if I'm doing things right?? 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ the temp today was up and down a bit but the infra red meter said the soil and inside cold frame were quite warm.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

As far as I remember it's wide enough and that's good. Only one thing was concerning - how bright it glows in the dark and how long. I suggest to give it a try. It could make a great fixture for a ceramic heat emitter in any case.

I've got one. It doesn't glow very brightly and doesn't glow for very long.
It's also made pretty well

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Today we managed to fit the basking lamp , in shellys box. We fixed it in a ceramic fitting with just a 75w flood bulb , no dome as the box isn't that big. (50 cm x 28) The idea is that on only cloudy/cooler days we will just click the bulb on and if shelly is cold she will go in the box to get a uva hit! (No uvb) At night we will switch everything off and just have a heater set on a stat that only kicks in if temp drops below 15c . I have put a very small cold frame in her enclosure and today she went in and burrowed down in under the the soil and straw (not an ideal bedding material but she likes it?) Her outdoor enclosure isn't covered over so her night box will be closed up at night. Still not sure if I'm doing things right?? 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ the temp today was up and down a bit but the infra red meter said the soil and inside cold frame were quite warm.

Can you post some photos how it looks like now?

 

[pippin]

Can you post some photos how it looks like now?

Will do. Just need to plant up a bit more tomorrow so she has more shelter. Not connected her bulb and heater up yet either. I'm just putting her out for a couple of hours a day at the moment when the sun is out. Is anyone else in the uk struggling to get their torts outside in this awful weather?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Will do. Just need to plant up a bit more tomorrow so she has more shelter. Not connected her bulb and heater up yet either. I'm just putting her out for a couple of hours a day at the moment when the sun is out. Is anyone else in the uk struggling to get their torts outside in this awful weather?

Yeah it is unfortunately difficult to get them out as much as we like to here in the uk, our sunny hot spells are great for them but so few and far between😣