My enclosure needs a bit of help...any ideas?!

[chandlerledray]

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z53/fluff4/IMG_1259.jpg


There's two living in there, and I want there to be enough room for a warm area, and a normal area for food/water etc plus plants and their logs.

I'm redoing their cage tomorrow and stuff, and I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions..

 

[GBtortoises]

My first suggestion would be to do away with the pellet substrate. It is not a good choice for tortoises for several reasons, one of the main ones being that it holds moisture from urine and drinking water which can potentially be a growth bed for mold and bacteria. Some better choices would be a natural organic soil which some mix with sand and other organic materials. The mix ratio will depend upon the species that you are keeping. Others use cypress mulch with very good results. There are other good substrate choices also. Poke around this site and you will find plenty of good ideas.

Don't crowd them. Tortoises are terrestrial and spend alot of time wandering. For every fixture that you place on their substrate you're taking away their valuable floorspace. If it isn't directly beneficial to them such as a hide area, water dish or food dish it's probably taking up valuable space. Decorations make are more for the keeper than the animal.

 

[-ryan-]

The design that I have used for a super cheap enclosure (that works well) starts with a 45 gallon sterilite tote that I can buy at walmart for usually $10-13. I set one up for a young uromastyx that was having trouble because she didn't like people being able to see her (so the solid plastic walls give her a lot more security). I spent $12 for the tub, $6 to wire two lights into the top, a halogen bulb for $6, a compact flourescent that I had around the house, some dirt I had around the house, $9 for a lamp dimmer because the heat lamp is a bit too hot, and I reused some slate and cork bark that I already had. that means my total cost was about $33 for a complete setup.

That's compared to probably $200 to get a setup at a pet store that would do the same thing. I would say your best bet is to get the tub (or a Christmas tree tote, if you are fortunate enough to be able get one in your area!), put some substrate in, either coconut husk or cypress mulch... plain organic topsoil works well too if you can get it in your area. Then get another light or two. Those reflector lamps with the ceramic base are always cheaper at home supply stores (and walmart) than at pet stores.

There were a lot of great suggestions in your other thread too, so keep combing through those.

Good luck!

 

[webskipper]

Looks like a great place to be. Place one hut elsewhere and go for the informal look.

Aquariums are not favored by Tort owners simply because of air circulation and the fact that a Tort will keep moving like a tank towards where it wants to go. So with glass, a 4 inch tall barrier must be placed around the glass so it will move along.

What is the light hanging from? It's cord? Use the clip that came with it or make one from coat hanger wire just to relieve stress off the cord. It's a fire hazard.

Save the pellets for cleaning up after an oil change.

 

[Madkins007]

Forgive me for asking, but two of what?

As has already been mentioned, get rid of the pellets. Better choices depend on a lot of factors including species. You can search the site for lots of discussions on this topic.

Knowing your heating plan would help as well- if it is just the light, how are you keeping temps up at night? (And having a warm enough room is a great answer.)

Keep your plans simple. I know there are a lot of beautiful habitats on-line but remember your guys want room to move, good temps and humidity, and good hides- the rest is generally more for you as them. Keep things simple and easy to clean.

For example, make a simple shelf across one end to replace the logs and act as a hide, then set several safe 'droopy' plants on the shelf. Replace the awkward food dish with a simple flat tile or old plate that can be washed every day- or, if the soil is not usually wet, try the vet trick of making plates out of a folded page of newspaper and tossing it when it is done. You can try something similar with the water dish- replace it with two plastic plant saucers so one can be washed while one is in use.

Just my take on the subject, but the easier the daily cares are, the more likely you are to do them every day. Also, especially in a small habitat, cleanliness is a major tool to prevent problems.

 

[Yvonne G]

Here's my take on the plant subject...just my opinion. You have to read all the opinions and make one for yourself and what works for you and your tortoises. Because very small tortoises are prey, they hide a lot. So if you want to have lots of plants in there, fake or real, place them away from the walls just far enough that the tortoise can fit in between the wall and the plant. They usually do laps around the perimeter for exercise, and plants will make them feel more secure. With a wide open space they tend to hide a lot and get not exercise.

With lots of plants in the habitat, this causes more shade, and probably cools it down a bit. So you might have to hang your light a bit lower. You need to invest in a good thermometer that you can lay on the floor in different spots around the habitat to make sure you are getting a warm side (80 to 90) and a room temp side (not below 65, but below 80) Tortoises do what is called thermoregulating, that is, they sit in the sun to warm up, then they go to the shade to cool down. Without a warm side and a room temp side its not healthy for your baby.