Leopard Tortoise - Lighting Concern

[Amanda81]

So I went to a Pet Store and got the things I needed immediately. Eco Earth bedding, some moss for his hide, and a thermometer + humidity gauge. I really hope he doesn't eat the bedding/moss as I've seen him/her peck at it already. At the moment, he/she is chilling inside his hide with the moss and the humidity level is around 75%. But yeah, I really wouldn't want him to have impaction from eating the bedding/moss. The dude I bought it from said lay off of beddings until the tort is a bit bigger, but you guys and your articles told me the opposite. I trust ya'll more, but if something happens in respect to impaction, it's the fault of the advice I got. Still, I'm sure all is fine. He seems to love the new bedding now! Aside from that, should I still leave his food inside the enclosure? He might swallow some eco earth... that's my concern. He isn't tame enough for me to hand feed, but if the bedding consumption is an issue, I could just feed him/her on another platform. Also, the basking area seems to be a bit cooler than it should be, by about 10ish degrees, to cover that up, should I get another bulb of 25watt? Thanks for reading and please answer all of my concern/questions.

-View attachment 97814

I was EXTREMELY paranoid that my hatchlings was going to eat their Eco earth when I first got them. I went and bought a 18"x18" ceramic tile that had a nonslip texture on it and feed them on that. Late, maybe a month down the road, after watching them eat and bask and sleep and motor around, i finally figured out, they wasn't going to eat the Eco earth. I am a new tort owner myself and I worry about very little thing, I have been late for work everyday since July when I got my first hatchling. Hehehe. I read Toms care sheet for sulcata and leopard hatchlings, I follow the guidelines of that care sheet and besides a few mistakes that I have made, please note I made the mistake by not following his advise, my baby's have been fine. I usually don't reply to people w advise since I myself is new to it but after reading this thread I thought you could use some reassurance from someone that had the same fear as yourself. Your tort is a cutie tho. He does need a little TLC but if you will read toms care sheet, get him set up as Tom advises and just keep following that care sheet you will straighten him right out. He is going to b a looker!!

 

[Jodie]

Oh, wow! Just found a similar one to yours for 8 bucks at Walmart. Lets hope Petco allows me to return this, not a huge deal though. Anyways, Clay looks nice! I can't lower my fixture as there's no other lower part in my plastic bin, so that's an issue. The little guy is currently sleeping inside his hide with the moist moss and substrate haha.

Oh, good idea. I should probably get some nice stones and feed him there. Should the feeding zone be close to the basking zone? Also, I made a water dish out of this peanut butter jar lid, it's very similar to a terra cotta dish in appearance and structure. Perfect size for him.

I feed under the UVB bulb, mine is separate from the heat lights, so they are getting the UVB. I put it some distance from the basking area though so the greens do not wilt as quickly. I also put food in several different spots. I think this is just what works for your tort and space.

 

[zalvi]

I was EXTREMELY paranoid that my hatchlings was going to eat their Eco earth when I first got them. I went and bought a 18"x18" ceramic tile that had a nonslip texture on it and feed them on that. Late, maybe a month down the road, after watching them eat and bask and sleep and motor around, i finally figured out, they wasn't going to eat the Eco earth. I am a new tort owner myself and I worry about very little thing, I have been late for work everyday since July when I got my first hatchling. Hehehe. I read Toms care sheet for sulcata and leopard hatchlings, I follow the guidelines of that care sheet and besides a few mistakes that I have made, please note I made the mistake by not following his advise, my baby's have been fine. I usually don't reply to people w advise since I myself is new to it but after reading this thread I thought you could use some reassurance from someone that had the same fear as yourself. Your tort is a cutie tho. He does need a little TLC but if you will read toms care sheet, get him set up as Tom advises and just keep following that care sheet you will straighten him right out. He is going to b a looker!!

Hey! I really appreciate the reply, nice knowing there are other people that have been through what I'm going through, haha. And thank you! I need to think of a name for him/her, problem is, it's going to be frustrating if I find out it is of the opposite sex down the road, lol.

I feed under the UVB bulb, mine is separate from the heat lights, so they are getting the UVB. I put it some distance from the basking area though so the greens do not wilt as quickly. I also put food in several different spots. I think this is just what works for your tort and space.

I see what you mean. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Amanda81]

Hey! I really appreciate the reply, nice knowing there are other people that have been through what I'm going through, haha. And thank you! I need to think of a name for him/her, problem is, it's going to be frustrating if I find out it is of the opposite sex down the road, lol.

I see what you mean. Thanks for the reply!

Ya I thought about the name issue when I first got mine, what if I name it a girly name and it's make or the other way around. Then I finally said, who cares, it will be years before you will know anyhow, lol. I did think about naming mine something that could be for a male or female but ended up giving them girl or boy names. Well I guess if Dent turns out to b female the name would b fine and Peewee, I guess that could be for either or. They say the hatchlings that have a extra/split scute are likely to b female, not 100% accurate but maybe something that could help w naming if yours has this feature. There is also a thread about males holding their tails to the side and tucked under their shell while females leave theirs down, again not a 100% accuracy but I believe there is something to the theory cause both my extra scute hatchlings (theory 1: extra scute usually female) leave their tails down so I figure you take both theory's and apply and it's probably likely that their female. All just my theory tho.

 

[zalvi]

Ya I thought about the name issue when I first got mine, what if I name it a girly name and it's make or the other way around. Then I finally said, who cares, it will be years before you will know anyhow, lol. I did think about naming mine something that could be for a male or female but ended up giving them girl or boy names. Well I guess if Dent turns out to b female the name would b fine and Peewee, I guess that could be for either or. They say the hatchlings that have a extra/split scute are likely to b female, not 100% accurate but maybe something that could help w naming if yours has this feature. There is also a thread about males holding their tails to the side and tucked under their shell while females leave theirs down, again not a 100% accuracy but I believe there is something to the theory cause both my extra scute hatchlings (theory 1: extra scute usually female) leave their tails down so I figure you take both theory's and apply and it's probably likely that their female. All just my theory tho.

Nice tips, will def look into it. As for feeding goes, the little guy hasn't ate much. He ate some kale the other day and took some bites out of his collard greens but he hasn't ate much. He's been sleeping quite a lot. I'll give him some fresh grass today to see how that goes. Ik he is still adjusting to his new home, but any tips on feeding him/her?

 

[zalvi]

Are these plants/leaves ok to give to my tortoise btw?

 

[Jodie]

I am horrible at plant id. If you don't get a response repost this on the plat thread from the main forum page. The more variety you can provide the better. My Leopards love dandelions.

 

[Jodie]

Plant id is under diet and food.

 

[Yourlocalpoet]

Have you sorted out the basking light and enclosure temps?


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[zalvi]

Plant id is under diet and food.

I will do that, ty.

Have you sorted out the basking light and enclosure temps?


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Yeah, starting to see the temperature. Humidity is good, but I will need to get an additional 25 or 50 watt heat bulb.

 

[Amanda81]

Nice tips, will def look into it. As for feeding goes, the little guy hasn't ate much. He ate some kale the other day and took some bites out of his collard greens but he hasn't ate much. He's been sleeping quite a lot. I'll give him some fresh grass today to see how that goes. Ik he is still adjusting to his new home, but any tips on feeding him/her?

When mine first arrived they wouldn't eat, I didn't have them warm enough. The breeder told me to bump the temp of enclosure to 90. I did that, I took a small portion of romaine lettuce, endive, and spring mix mixed those with a larger portion of dandelions, clovers, and wide leaf plantain, I chopped it up in bite size pieces, put it on their time, set them in front of it and then hid so they couldn't see me watching them (which I still do to this day) and it took maybe 30-45 seconds and they were all over it. My baby's are still getting use to grass, they are not fans so I wouldn't use just grass to persuade him right now(yours might be use to it and like it) You have to make sure he is warm tho. You have him in a storage container, right? Go to walmart, they have clear shower curtains for $2, get that and use to cover the top of your storage container. If your Eco earth is damp and it's not above 80 degrees you are going to have a sick baby, possibly a dead baby, you can not play around with the dampness and cool temps. The curtain thing is cheap and quick and more effective them u think. I use them on my enclosures. I put aluminum foil between the curtain and anything hot like a light fixture. As for your light, if u have a piece of wood long enough to sit on top of your storage bin then you could use that to mount your light to so it's adjustable and on the inside of his house after you put the curtain over the top. The curtain will retain heat, humidity and it's see through so u can still check on him as you want. Now earlier I said I wouldn't use grass to tempt him to eat, let me clarify, I really mean just while your tempting him to eat. His diet needs to be 80% grasses but when they aren't eating, grass isn't the best thing to tempt them with. Just like we need our veggies but when we r sick, mom gave ya stuff she normally wouldn't give ya except on special occasions, same thing here. I just recent had 2 get sick, in a desperate attempt to get them to eat, drink anything, I went and got them a bite of fruit, this is normally a big no no, but it was an attempt to save them.

 

[zalvi]

Found this stone in my backyard, thoroughly washed it. Is this safe to use for my tortoise's enclosure?

 

[zalvi]

Enclosure update! Successfully lowered the fixture, don't think I will need another light. What I plan to do next is take the lid for this box and cut it to fit the other half of the moister side, and have that on always. That way the heat will stay more fixed in one region and the moisture on the moist side will also stay consistent.

 

[Yourlocalpoet]

View attachment 97925 View attachment 97924 Enclosure update! Successfully lowered the fixture, don't think I will need another light. What I plan to do next is take the lid for this box and cut it to fit the other half of the moister side, and have that on always. That way the heat will stay more fixed in one region and the moisture on the moist side will also stay consistent.

This has already been mentioned, but you should hang your MVB vertically and not at an angle. Positioning at an angle can damage the filament inside the bulb and shorten it's life span. It also stresses this is the instructions.

Covering the enclosure is a good idea, I'm glad you've decided to do that.

Next thing you need is a reliable thermometer and a temp gun so you can make sure your temps are appropriate.

Are you using any night heat? If not, what are your temps at night?



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[zalvi]

This has already been mentioned, but you should hang your MVB vertically and not at an angle. Positioning at an angle can damage the filament inside the bulb and shorten it's life span. It also stresses this is the instructions.

Covering the enclosure is a good idea, I'm glad you've decided to do that.

Next thing you need is a reliable thermometer and a temp gun so you can make sure your temps are appropriate.

Are you using any night heat? If not, what are your temps at night?



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How can it hang vertically when I use a plastic bin? That's the issue I have with that. As for night temperature, It has been around 80 degrees at night

 

[Amanda81]

View attachment 97910 Found this stone in my backyard, thoroughly washed it. Is this safe to use for my tortoise's enclosure?View attachment 97909

It's neat looking but I would worry to much. It is rough, might scratch baby's shell, I'm not sure, I have always used something almost smooth but just rough enough they can get traction, terra cotta saucers work great. They come in all kinds of sizes, use them upright for dishes and turn them upside down and bury them even with your eco earth for a basking spot. Oh and their cheap. You will have to take his food and water dishes out everyday, sometimes more then that and wash them. If you have the lid u could always cut a hole in the lid maybe an inch smaller then your light fixture, cover the rim/edges with aluminum foil, then you could cover the entire enclosure, equalling more humidity, more stable heat, and then you could just sit your light on top the lid, make sure it's sitting on aluminum foil.
Someone here on the forum did this I think with a screen lid, they posted a pic of it. If I can find it I will post it on here for ya.

View attachment 97925 View attachment 97924 Enclosure update! Successfully lowered the fixture, don't think I will need another light. What I plan to do next is take the lid for this box and cut it to fit the other half of the moister side, and have that on always. That way the heat will stay more fixed in one region and the moisture on the moist side will also stay consistent.

Maybe it's the pic but your Eco earth doesn't look damp. Now I might have did it wrong but I soaked my Eco earth in a large bowl, say 2 cups of Eco earth to 1.5 cups water, warm water so it's not cold to baby, then just squeezed out extra water with my hand as I put it in my enclosure. It packed down easier, it didn't get all over the baby's as bad and my humidity levels stay above 80%. I would stir it up once a week and add water if needed then and pack it back down till next time
This is a pic of the baby's on that tile I was telling you about.
See how wet my Eco earth looks, it's not "fluffy" it is more packed down, firmer walking surface for them.

 

[Yourlocalpoet]

You could use a lamp stand?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B000HG76B8?pc_redir=1408109839&robot_redir=1

It doesn't have to be that brand, just showing you for illustrative purposes.

This is a small version but they do different sizes.

You do turn the lamp off at night, right?

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[Amanda81]

I found that pic of the aluminum foil idea. I am not sure who posted it, but it's really an easy way to achieve what ya need See how the lights sit in the bottom pic?

 

[zalvi]

You could use a lamp stand?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B000HG76B8?pc_redir=1408109839&robot_redir=1

It doesn't have to be that brand, just showing you for illustrative purposes.

This is a small version but they do different sizes.

You do turn the lamp off at night, right?

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Hmm. I've read some bad reviews about that, but I'll see what I can do. Yes, I do turn off the light at night.

I found that pic of the aluminum foil idea. I am not sure who posted it, but it's really an easy way to achieve what ya need View attachment 97937See how the lights sit in the bottom pic?

Thanks for all the info. I see what you're saying, but I still need a base to set it on. And this bin isn't transparent so if I do something like that using the lid, I won't be able to see much! I can understand why the light should be straight, but if I cover the other half up (moist side) with the lid, I don't see why it would be an issue. You see, cutting the lid is going to be difficult in the first place. It's thick af, and the bottom part is also awkward. I will need to buy some tools to cut it. Just cutting it through will be tough, let alone a hole in the lid for the light!

 

[Yourlocalpoet]

View attachment 97944 View attachment 97943
Hmm. I've read some bad reviews about that, but I'll see what I can do. Yes, I do turn off the light at night.

Thanks for all the info. I see what you're saying, but I still need a base to set it on. And this bin isn't transparent so if I do something like that using the lid, I won't be able to see much! I can understand why the light should be straight, but if I cover the other half up (moist side) with the lid, I don't see why it would be an issue. You see, cutting the lid is going to be difficult in the first place. It's thick af, and the bottom part is also awkward. I will need to buy some tools to cut it. Just cutting it through will be tough, let alone a hole in the lid for the light!

I've had no problems using a stand in the past, but it's your enclosure, if you don't want to do that you could always do something like this:

url=http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-6361.html]http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-6361.html

Throw out the original lid, and use something else easier to cut into to house your lamp.

I also understand your tub isn't transparent so you won't be able to see much, nothing you can do about that I'm afraid except buy a transparent tub!

Good luck though.


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