Lenny has landed!

[T1ME1]

Finally picked up my 8 month Greek, Leonard, from the store. Got his table all set up, put him in, he had a quick look around and then went into his sleeping quarters for a nap!

Going to try and upload a couple of pics of his enclosure. Any thoughts/advice gratefully received. Will try and upload pics of him tomorrow once he is more awake. Thought it best to let him sleep for now.

 

[T1ME1]

Enclosure:

 

[Yvonne G]

How fun! I love getting a new tortoise.

 

[lismar79]

Do greeks need high humidity that young? If so, you may have a hard time with that open top.

 

[T1ME1]

It seems that (in the UK at least) they are always kept in tortoise tables. Every breeder here I have spoken to have told me that glass vivariums are a big no-no. Was told that table will be fine, but that I need to spray the substrate every other day to keep moisture up.

If anybody knows different though I would be grateful of the advice.

 

[T1ME1]

Lenny has had his soak this morning and is now eating his breakfast. Managed to get a couple of snaps:

 

[T1ME1]

Here he is!

 

[bouaboua]

Good looking Torts. Congrats.

 

[Jlant85]

>.< Cant wait for my tort eggs to hatch! >.<

 

[T1ME1]

Oh wow! Didn't realise you were expecting new arrivals! How exciting. Are they Greeks?

 

[WillTort2]

Check your temperature range. By having the lamp close to the middle of the enclosure you may not be able to have a cool end to allow your tort to self regulate it's temperature.

If there's not a cool spot, you could try moving the lamp to the far left end as you face the enclosure.

To raise humidity you can try covering part of the wire grid with aluminum or pelxiglass or a wood panel to aid in raising the humidity. Watch the high temperature, because a covered enclosure requires less heat to obtain the proper basking temperature.

Good luck.

 

[JoesMum]

I agree that moving the basking lamp to the far end is a good idea. Younned to have both a hot and cooler areas. Is that acombined MVB bulb? If not, you also need a UV source.

 

[T1ME1]

Thanks @WillTort2 and @JoesMum

The lamp is a combined MVB bulb (150w I believe). It says to keep it 30cm-45cm away from the floor of the Tortoise table. I will measure the current distance this evening and see if I can move it any closer.

In terms of the lamp's placement in general, the table is the exact same design as the one in the store and came ready asembled. I could have a look at moving it to the left though, if required. I had thought the cool end would be on the left. The bedding area is on the right, the heat lamp just outside and then the cool area should be up the left hand end with the water dish and a tree bark hide.

I will order a temperature gun and test the cool end. In terms of placing perspex or something similar over the table, should I keep a section cut out under the lamp, otherwise it could block/filer the UV couldn't it? I have no idea of how to measure the humidity. I am going to get a spray bottle today and spray the coir every other day.

 

[WillTort2]

In the US, for about $20, you can buy a combo temperature/humidity digital gauge with a recording function for high and low of temperature and humidity.

 

[T1ME1]

In the US, for about $20, you can buy a combo temperature/humidity digital gauge with a recording function for high and low of temperature and humidity.

Thanks @WillTort2 I will have a look and see if we have an equivalent here in the UK that I can get.

What lever of humidity should I be aiming for?

 

[WillTort2]

I think the Greek's needs are similar to my Russians. With my Russians grown or no longer juveniles, I try to keep my humidity above 40 %. I prefer to get it around 60 % and I don't mind if it gets to be 80%.

Avoid the upper limits of humidity if your temperatures are low.

The younger the tort, the higher the humidity should be with a top limit of perhaps 85%.

Some of the forum members advise a humid hide for the tortoises. Do a search to see details.

I usually add water to one side of the enclosure and leave the other side slightly dryer; I like the tortoise to have a choice. I'll add water to the other side the next time I add water; which is daily during times with lower humidity. I pick a 1 foot by 3 foot area and add about 32 oz of water; stir the substrate to mix it in and then pack it down for better footing for the tort. (The coco coir can absorb quite a bit of water with a 8" deep substrate.)

Your local climate will be a big factor if you're using an open table design. I live on the US eastern seaboard and humidity seems to range from around 30% to close to 100% on sticky summer days or when raining. If you're in a arid area you may need to enclose your habitat to get he humidity up or add a humidifier to the tort's room.

I will not claim to be a expert on any of the torts, but I'm happy to pass along some of the things that I've learned on the forum and from my experiences with Russian torts.

Good luck.

 

[Shakudo]

Hey!

I found the time to check your thread and your enclosure looks very good!!!
And Lenny looks adorable!

Take care,


Joey