Make Your Own Habitat Heater

[ZEROPILOT]

Reuse and hardware stores are great. In fact, the tortoise table in the video is an old Sauder book shelf with Wooster Big Ben paint pans dropped in for the burrow pits. The legs are Ikea legs from an old table., the shelf is an old closet shelf, and the poster frames are old Ikea frames. We joke that our basement is the "Room of Requirement". We built the table when she was 10 after someone accidentally dropped a bag of softener salt down the stairs and smashed the 150G terrarium .

I totally get that the forum is all about optimal care and what is best for the tortoise. I think that's great. So am I. Please also understand that this is not just about cost, time, or the practicality of having or cleaning up after a messy tortoise in your home (it's pretty much all of the above coupled with everything else families have to deal with).

The real question is whether the typical family is capable of caring for such a difficult animal optimally in an artificial environment for 80+ years and my guess is no. Even with the best of efforts, there will be mishaps which could be devastating for the tortoise (such as the ballast problem on our tube UV). At the very least, breeders should make it clear that owners will require a 4' x 8' pen located somewhere in their home that contains dirt, mulch, or grass and will require a very tight 20-degree temperature tolerance along with proper humidity, bedding, diet, etc., for a long, long time (ours did not).

Over the 20 years that I have cared for our tortoise, I have just about every product/method you mentioned and the set up I have shown in the video is what worked for our family. That is why I felt a need to share it on the forum as forums are for sharing our different perspectives. Thank you for your feedback and assistance. Here is a video of our tortoise:

At every yard sale and flea market I visit. I'm looking for things I can re purpose for my animals.
Some see a bookshelf. I Also see a useful framework.

 

[Blackdog1714]

At every yard sale and flea market I visit. I'm looking for things I can re purpose for my animals.
Some see a bookshelf. I Also see a useful framework.

Oh the possibilities with repurposing!!! I met a lady that makes glow in the dark skull ashtrays-I see Tarantula water bowls!!!!!

 

[TortCrush]

Just wanted to add a final note about the light set up shown in the video. We used to use regular 100W incandescent light bulbs for basking but when it was announced a few months ago that all regular incandescent light bulbs will be phased out in 2023, we started looking for alternatives. Any incandescent which produces less than 45 lumens/watt is to be phased out.

To give you an idea, a 40W regular incandescent only produces 11 L/W (60W and 100W would be much lower). While the 25W halogen bulb (which is an incandescent) shown in the video is more efficient, it still only produces 24 L/W so technically does not meet the efficiency required. However, the phase out excludes specialty bulbs such as landscaping and the 25W halogen bulb shown in the video is the same as a commonly used landscape bulb (which you can also purchase in bulk through bulb sites) so is not likely to be phased out. Although pet bulbs are not mentioned, I would assume these would be allowed but not sure.

Also, for longevity, would recommend with any specialty bulb such as (halogen, fluorescent, MV, etc.)
1. Use gloves or a rag when handling so that no oil from your skin gets on the bulb.
2. Each fixture should be plugged into a voltage protector/surge suppressor (and preferably not on the same circuit as heavy appliances such as refrigerators, microwaves, or humidifiers/dehumidifiers).
3. Try not to move or jostle the fixture if you can help it, especially when it is on.

Sadly, the days of reliable, inexpensive, residential lightbulbs doubling as heat bulbs is over.

 

[TortCrush]

Orchard grass substrate update:

Attached is a care sheet for Russian tortoises from the Northern California Hepatological Society. I noted that they did not recommend orchard grass and contacted them to ask why. They stated that it is because it molds easy which can be bad for both the tortoise and owner. I am not particularly worried about this as I change it every few days and keep the environment dry (it is a basement after all). Each will need to decide what is best for their particular use situations but wanted to note this in addition to Tom's concerns.

I just wanted to thank everyone for letting me join and participate in the conversation. I have definitely learned just how high the care bar is set on the tortoise forum and I commend you on your efforts. For me going forward, I will be looking to find the forum for the dead-beat tortoise owners . Wishing you all the best!

 

[TortCrush]

Update -- Split it Halfway: Am currently trying coco fiber (used to use coco noir pre orchard grass and was way too messy) in one of the burrow pits. Will see going forward how difficult or easy to keep clean ...

 

[Yvonne G]

FYI - if you pat it down firmly, or sock it down with your fist it's not quite so messy.

 

[jaizei]

We used to use a 24" tube bulb but had a problem in that we were replacing the bulb every six months but the ballast was going and we couldn't tell. So, finally got an index meter (agree with everyone on the forum that this is well worth the investment) and found the problem. We couldn't find a reliable replacement ballast so switched to the coil bulbs. Not sure about their reliability but time will tell.

Was the bulb burning out every 6 months? Or you were just replacing it for 'uvb purposes'?

What led you to think it was a faulty ballast?

 

[TortCrush]

Replacing for UVB purposes. Bulbs would light but turtle was getting sluggish. New meter showed low UV on new bulb. Bulb UV fine in different fixture. Repeated with several bulbs from different sources, same thing.

 

[Tom]

Orchard grass substrate update:

Attached is a care sheet for Russian tortoises from the Northern California Hepatological Society. I noted that they did not recommend orchard grass and contacted them to ask why. They stated that it is because it molds easy which can be bad for both the tortoise and owner. I am not particularly worried about this as I change it every few days and keep the environment dry (it is a basement after all). Each will need to decide what is best for their particular use situations but wanted to note this in addition to Tom's concerns.

I just wanted to thank everyone for letting me join and participate in the conversation. I have definitely learned just how high the care bar is set on the tortoise forum and I commend you on your efforts. For me going forward, I will be looking to find the forum for the dead-beat tortoise owners . Wishing you all the best!

This care sheet is full of the typical old wrong info that we are trying to eradicate here. There are a few good points, but a lot of bad points. It also makes no differentiation between adults and babies, which have different needs. It recommends 5-6 square feet as a minimum for space, and that is only enough space for a small hatchling. Then they recommend free roaming in the room, which is very likely to end in the tortoises death in one of many ways.

This is exactly the type of info we are referring to when we say that most of the care info found online is wrong.

 

[TortCrush]

This care sheet is full of the typical old wrong info that we are trying to eradicate here. There are a few good points, but a lot of bad points. It also makes no differentiation between adults and babies, which have different needs. It recommends 5-6 square feet as a minimum for space, and that is only enough space for a small hatchling. Then they recommend free roaming in the room, which is very likely to end in the tortoises death in one of many ways.

This is exactly the type of info we are referring to when we say that most of the care info found online is wrong.

I think it’s great you’re passionate about tortoise care! Perhaps a better way to accomplish correcting so many misconceptions is to directly contact and work with a wide variety of organizations. For example, you could contact the Zoological Association of America (ZAA.org), explain that you have 40 years or experience caring for tortoises, explain your concerns, and offer to send them a series of care sheets by tortoise type-> indoor/outdoor->age. In these you could specify the enclosure size, substrate, and lighting requirements for each situation. My guess is that they would welcome the information, especially if you explained that it was to help the average pet tortoise owner (as these types of tortoises are usually not found in zoos). Let them do the work for you by then disseminating the information. This would also save you a ton of time, rather than having to waste so much time dealing with uninformed new forum members, such as myself. Again, as always, I appreciate the information your website provides, thank you for it, and wish you all the best going forward.

 

[Tom]

I think it’s great you’re passionate about tortoise care! Perhaps a better way to accomplish correcting so many misconceptions is to directly contact and work with a wide variety of organizations. For example, you could contact the Zoological Association of America (ZAA.org), explain that you have 40 years or experience caring for tortoises, explain your concerns, and offer to send them a series of care sheets by tortoise type-> indoor/outdoor->age. In these you could specify the enclosure size, substrate, and lighting requirements for each situation. My guess is that they would welcome the information, especially if you explained that it was to help the average pet tortoise owner (as these types of tortoises are usually not found in zoos). Let them do the work for you by then disseminating the information. This would also save you a ton of time, rather than having to waste so much time dealing with uninformed new forum members, such as myself. Again, as always, I appreciate the information your website provides, thank you for it, and wish you all the best going forward.

We've tried that with many such organizations. They usually don't respond at all. When they do respond, they do so with contempt. They see themselves, or whoever they consulted, as the experts and people like me are just kooky pet owners. The AZA and ZAA look down on price pet owners. Many of those people believe that people like me shouldn't even have some of these rare and special animals, yet they can't even keep them alive 50% of the time. It is a frustrating problem to be sure.

Also tried, and continue to try, local pet shops vets, FB and other online sources, etc... Everyone thinks they know better.

 

[TortCrush]

We've tried that with many such organizations. They usually don't respond at all. When they do respond, they do so with contempt. They see themselves, or whoever they consulted, as the experts and people like me are just kooky pet owners. The AZA and ZAA look down on price pet owners. Many of those people believe that people like me shouldn't even have some of these rare and special animals, yet they can't even keep them alive 50% of the time. It is a frustrating problem to be sure.

Also tried, and continue to try, local pet shops vets, FB and other online sources, etc... Everyone thinks they know better.

I am truly sorry to hear that but am very glad to hear that you have tried. I can definitely relate to there being a disconnect between the usual information agencies for reptiles and the standard pet owner. My somewhat frustrating situation is definitely an example of that, hence my post. Sometimes on forums, it can be hard to search for the correct terms and have the most important posts come up. Perhaps it would be helpful to create a banner page (one that stays on top all of the time) explaining that your care recommendations differ from treatment/wildlife organizations because you focus on preventive care as well as the specific set-up difficulties faced by individual pet owners for each tortoise type and situation. Links could then be provided on the banner page to downloadable PDFs with the most important information you would like pet owners to understand. I would be more than happy to help type/format the care sheets if you would like as I realize this is time consuming. Again, I apologize for any misunderstanding on my part and wish you all the best.

 

[TortCrush]

P.S. I also do not have a problem with you deleting all of my posts as my understanding was misguided. Now that I understand where you are coming from, I realize that they were not helpful to your direction.

 

[Blackdog1714]

P.S. I also do not have a problem with you deleting all of my posts as my understanding was misguided. Now that I understand where you are coming from, I realize that they were not helpful to your direction.

Your fairly tame compared to other threads especially since you realized you were wrong, admitted it and worked to do better! That is excellent behavior that is missing from so many!

 

[TortCrush]

Your fairly tame compared to other threads especially since you realized you were wrong, admitted it and worked to do better! That is excellent behavior that is missing from so many!

LOL, interesting take. Misguided to the singular objectives of your forum does not mean one is wrong, merely that the forum objectives don't encompass the objectives of the posts. I do appreciate the compliment that I am tame compared to other threads because I've seen some of the threads under "troll/trolls/trolling" on the site. Thanks again for allowing me to participate in the conversation and wish you all the best going forward!

 

[Tom]

P.S. I also do not have a problem with you deleting all of my posts as my understanding was misguided. Now that I understand where you are coming from, I realize that they were not helpful to your direction.

I don't see any reason to delete anything. A respectful discussion went back and forth. Disagreements and misunderstandings were had, and conversation took place that illuminated where each person was coming from. I think someone reading the conversation will gain insight and useful info. Perhaps someone will be inspired and find a new and more effective way to disseminate this information.