Just bought one :D

[Flipper]

I"m super excited and wee bit nervous!!!!

I just bought my first tortoise from HermanniChris on this forum!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will get her the week of June 9. A Dalmation Eastern Hermann Tortoise

I need to prepare her habitat and I've already been instructed not to "mommy" her LOL.

I've read so many of the threads on this site, including common mistakes of beginners (as I am a tort newbie). If any of you want to offer advise, please feel free to comment

Flipper

 

[Tom]

My advice: Keep talking to Chris.

 

[bouaboua]

Congrats! !! ! !

You did your study already. Good for you and just make sure you post your baby when it arrive. Otherwise you will be in such trouble. Haha!!

 

[Flipper]

My advice: Keep talking to Chris.

Yes, off coarse I will, but he's very busy and I don't want to drive him to insanity

He recomends aspen substrate. Would it be bad to use orchid bark as substrate or do you want to wack me already LOL

 

[Flipper]

Congrats! !! ! !

You did your study already. Good for you and just make sure you post your baby when it arrive. Otherwise you will be in such trouble. Haha!!

I'll post so many pics you'll be rolling your eyes

 

[Tom]

Yes, off coarse I will, but he's very busy and I don't want to drive him to insanity

He recomends aspen substrate. Would it be bad to use orchid bark as substrate or do you want to wack me already LOL

That is not what I use, but different people use different things. Aspen works for him, but it doesn't work here. It is already far too dry here, where I think Chris has some moderate to high humidity where he is for most of the year. Ask Chris what the ambient humidity is in the room where he keeps his hatchling and baby enclosures.

Where are you? What is the ambient humidity in the room where you are going to keep your enclosure?

Orchid bark won't hurt anything, but whether you "need" it or not depends on YOUR situation.

 

[bouaboua]

I'll post so many pics you'll be rolling your eyes

Well...You can try!

I will roll one eye when you post the 100th photo and the second eye at 1,000. How's that? ?

 

[Flipper]

That is not what I use, but different people use different things. Aspen works for him, but it doesn't work here. It is already far too dry here, where I think Chris has some moderate to high humidity where he is for most of the year. Ask Chris what the ambient humidity is in the room where he keeps his hatchling and baby enclosures.

Where are you? What is the ambient humidity in the room where you are going to keep your enclosure?

Orchid bark won't hurt anything, but whether you "need" it or not depends on YOUR situation.

Well Mr Tom, this is super fascinating. I live in St Louis MO. Very humid esp. in summer! UGH!

I'm unsure of my ambient humidity, but I'll find out. I suspect its closer to Chris' in NJ than yours in CA.

Thanks for your input Tom

 

[Tom]

I would want to know all that info before I made my substrate choice. Many large scale breeders, like the illustrious HermanniChris, have large indoor tortoise/turtle rooms. Many times a variety of species are kept in these rooms including aquatic species. The ambient humidity can get quite high. Now I have no idea what ambient humidity is in Chris's baby growing room, but I'm very curious. Because aspen works well for him and his babies grow smooth, I'm willing to fathom a guess that its at least 50-60% in there. In contrast, my reptile room, even with all the damp enclosures only hovers around 20-30%. If I leave the door open humidity can quickly drop into the single digits. It is VERY dry here most of the time. On the rare occasion that our outdoor humidity climbs into the 20s or 30s here, it feels like we are all going to melt. Its funny to me listening to people complain about how "high" 26% humidity is, and how "muggy" it feels here when its like that. I've spent a lot of time in the south where it feels fantastic on the rare occasion that the humidity slips all the way DOWN into the high 80s.

Anyhow, its all relative. Humidity in your enclosure ought to be at least 50% and 70-80% won't hurt. If you can achieve that with aspen bedding, more power to ya. I can't do it here.

 

[Flipper]

I would want to know all that info before I made my substrate choice. Many large scale breeders, like the illustrious HermanniChris, have large indoor tortoise/turtle rooms. Many times a variety of species are kept in these rooms including aquatic species. The ambient humidity can get quite high. Now I have no idea what ambient humidity is in Chris's baby growing room, but I'm very curious. Because aspen works well for him and his babies grow smooth, I'm willing to fathom a guess that its at least 50-60% in there. In contrast, my reptile room, even with all the damp enclosures only hovers around 20-30%. If I leave the door open humidity can quickly drop into the single digits. It is VERY dry here most of the time. On the rare occasion that our outdoor humidity climbs into the 20s or 30s here, it feels like we are all going to melt. Its funny to me listening to people complain about how "high" 26% humidity is, and how "muggy" it feels here when its like that. I've spent a lot of time in the south where it feels fantastic on the rare occasion that the humidity slips all the way DOWN into the high 80s.

Anyhow, its all relative. Humidity in your enclosure ought to be at least 50% and 70-80% won't hurt. If you can achieve that with aspen bedding, more power to ya. I can't do it here.

I've heard from Chris about my substrate conundrum

He suggests 50/50 mixture play sand and top soil with a 2" top of cypress substrate

I'm going shopping tomorrow! My credit card may explode :0

 

[Flipper]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A8RHTYU/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

I've read the coil UVB bulbs are problematic with the tortoises eyes. Is this the bulb you mean or are you talking about the curly Q ones?

 

[Tom]

Any of the cfl bulbs can be a problem I wouldn't use one.

I also wouldn't use any sand. I respect Chris and his experience with this species, but I have seen too many sand impaction X-rays for me to ever want to put it into a tortoises enclosure. As I said before everybody has different ways of doing things and different reason for why they do it. Obviously Chris has not experienced the problems that I have seen with his tortoise, and that's why he continues to recommend it.

This is a dilemma you will constantly face if you ask different people for advice. Everyone has different things they prefer to do. Whatever you choose, I wish you and your tortoise good health and good luck.

 

[Flipper]

Any of the cfl bulbs can be a problem I wouldn't use one.

I also wouldn't use any sand. I respect Chris and his experience with this species, but I have seen too many sand impaction X-rays for me to ever want to put it into a tortoises enclosure. As I said before everybody has different ways of doing things and different reason for why they do it. Obviously Chris has not experienced the problems that I have seen with his tortoise, and that's why he continues to recommend it.

This is a dilemma you will constantly face if you ask different people for advice. Everyone has different things they prefer to do. Whatever you choose, I wish you and your tortoise good health and good luck.

Thanks for the well wishes!

Will you please tell, or show, me the light you would recommend most for UV please???

I've read a lot already on the short amount of time on this forum about the problems sand cause. I'm unsure. I don't want to hurt my baby. I want to start her on on the best foot I can HMMM!

 

[Tom]

I like either mercury vapor bulbs or long tube style florescent lights for UV. You will have to read up on both. Each have their good and bad points.

 

[ascott]

Second the offer of not using sand in an enclosure as well....personal experience with sand impacted solid tort....some folks use it but I never would....just don't see the benefits vs the increased hazard of an impaction. I also would not use a wood based substrate....again, personal choice and not in any way a knock on others opinions...

 

[Flipper]

I like either mercury vapor bulbs or long tube style florescent lights for UV. You will have to read up on both. Each have their good and bad points.

Ok Tom! I'll investigate further

Thanks

 

[Flipper]

Second the offer of not using sand in an enclosure as well....personal experience with sand impacted solid tort....some folks use it but I never would....just don't see the benefits vs the increased hazard of an impaction. I also would not use a wood based substrate....again, personal choice and not in any way a knock on others opinions...

Thank you for posting what substrate would you recommend, no sand and no wood based? What type of tort do you keep?

Edit: never mind. I see your tortoises in your sig. Silly me.

 

[Flipper]

If I put mesh screen atop my enclosure, then a MVB on that will the uv rays be able to get thru?

 

[JoesMum]

If I put mesh screen atop my enclosure, then a MVB on that will the uv rays be able to get thru?

Should do. UVB can pass through cloud and tree leaves, just not through solid walls, glass and plex glass. I had my worst sunburn ever as a teenager under a tree with no sunscreen... don't tell my Mum, but she was right!

 

[Tom]

The mesh will filter out a large portion of your UV. It will also prevent you from raising or lowering your bulb to get the correct basking temp under the bulb.