My tortoise refuses to eat his hay

LittleSkittle

New Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2014
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
Iowa
You want me to cover up the remaining open area with tin foil? How will he breath? Should I make holes?
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
I don't measure any of that stuff. I go by how the tortoises are acting. If they're eating and wandering around I know they're warm enough. If the substrate is damp and there's water in their waterer, it's humid enough. But this is what experience does for you. Until you get a better feel for what's going on in there, use all the tools you can to measure and test and whatever.
 

LittleSkittle

New Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2014
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
Iowa
I don't measure any of that stuff. I go by how the tortoises are acting. If they're eating and wandering around I know they're warm enough. If the substrate is damp and there's water in their waterer, it's humid enough. But this is what experience does for you. Until you get a better feel for what's going on in there, use all the tools you can to measure and test and whatever.
Are your tortoises constantly I'm motion? Before I made all these changes he napped for several hours in under the light and heat. Now he's hiding in his hide for the first time since I've gotten him.
 

cmacusa3

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2014
Messages
3,191
Location (City and/or State)
Bixby
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1419198298.304488.jpg

Give it sometime you will figure it out, I only cover half of mine with plexiglass and the rest is open for the lights and heater. My humidity stays over 80% all the time and it's around 98% in the hide. My temps are all ways over 80 and the basking area is over 100.
 

cmacusa3

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2014
Messages
3,191
Location (City and/or State)
Bixby
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1419199037.134023.jpg

Keep it extra damp under it with Sphagnum moss inside and I also keep it on top of the hide and keep it under the heat end.
 

Levi the Leopard

IXOYE
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 1, 2012
Messages
7,958
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Oregon
Does anybody know how many months/years he needs to be in this environment?

This is usually more of a "size" thing. At this small size he'll spend most of the day here and 1-2hrs outside on "good weather" days. As he grows in size he'd gradually spend more and more time outside. By the time he's 6" you'll have him outside most of the day and inside the humid chambers at night. By 8"-10" you can move him outside full time but even still, his bed chambers will be at least moderately humid.
 

LittleSkittle

New Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2014
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
Iowa
This is usually more of a "size" thing. At this small size he'll spend most of the day here and 1-2hrs outside on "good weather" days. As he grows in size he'd gradually spend more and more time outside. By the time he's 6" you'll have him outside most of the day and inside the humid chambers at night. By 8"-10" you can move him outside full time but even still, his bed chambers will be at least moderately humid.
Thank you for answering my question. I'll keep a close eye on his size.
 

Levi the Leopard

IXOYE
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 1, 2012
Messages
7,958
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Oregon
This is an inexpensive humid chamber I put together for juvenile Leopards (housed the same as sulcatas).

It's a 50something gallon tote I bought at Walmart for $17.
$10 worth of Coco coir substrate, rocks from my yard and a $4 terra cotta water dish. I have a 100watt CHE on thermostat set to 80F in one hood and a regular 60watt household bulb (incandescent) run on a 12hour on/off timer in the other hood.
CHE cost $15, the hoods or domes were less than $20 combined, the thermostat was $30, the timer less than $5 and the house bulb like $1..maybe. The digital probe thermometer was cheap too but it's old and I can't remember the cost. My digital hydrometer/thermometer recorded 24hr highs and lows and cost me $9 at walmart. The fake plants I occasionally used in the corner were from the Dollar Store.

This chamber kept perfect temps and perfect humidity. Basking spot near 100F, never cooler than 80F and always 90%+RH. I almost NEVER had to add water.

Because of their size, they didn't live in here full time. A smaller baby sure could though... But by the time I used this, they had outgrown the "baby chamber" and lived all day outside in a planted enclosure. They basically just ate dinner and slept in this. Ok, and spent the occasional cold SoCal days in here, too. But hey, it worked just great and the price was right ;)

104gp3q.jpg


2rmb690.jpg


28mlhf7.jpg


kdsqhj.jpg


This is where they spent their days...

2v01zmf.jpg


211t2lx.jpg


Then they spent their days here getting used to the heated house

2hgz6mx.jpg


2jw484.jpg


and then eventually after moving outside and getting full reign of the yard, my only remaining Leopard is sleeping in this...still with moderate 60-70% RH and temps of 77F-80F

or8q3p.jpg


x3yeyr.jpg


You'll have plenty of time to learn about the heated houses.... but for now I hope this helps give you cheap chamber ideas and something to look forward to as your little sullie grows!
 

tortdad

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2014
Messages
5,567
Location (City and/or State)
NW Houston TX
This is an inexpensive humid chamber I put together for juvenile Leopards (housed the same as sulcatas).

It's a 50something gallon tote I bought at Walmart for $17.
$10 worth of Coco coir substrate, rocks from my yard and a $4 terra cotta water dish. I have a 100watt CHE on thermostat set to 80F in one hood and a regular 60watt household bulb (incandescent) run on a 12hour on/off timer in the other hood.
CHE cost $15, the hoods or domes were less than $20 combined, the thermostat was $30, the timer less than $5 and the house bulb like $1..maybe. The digital probe thermometer was cheap too but it's old and I can't remember the cost. My digital hydrometer/thermometer recorded 24hr highs and lows and cost me $9 at walmart. The fake plants I occasionally used in the corner were from the Dollar Store.

This chamber kept perfect temps and perfect humidity. Basking spot near 100F, never cooler than 80F and always 90%+RH. I almost NEVER had to add water.

Because of their size, they didn't live in here full time. A smaller baby sure could though... But by the time I used this, they had outgrown the "baby chamber" and lived all day outside in a planted enclosure. They basically just ate dinner and slept in this. Ok, and spent the occasional cold SoCal days in here, too. But hey, it worked just great and the price was right ;)

104gp3q.jpg


2rmb690.jpg


28mlhf7.jpg


kdsqhj.jpg


This is where they spent their days...

2v01zmf.jpg


211t2lx.jpg


Then they spent their days here getting used to the heated house

2hgz6mx.jpg


2jw484.jpg


and then eventually after moving outside and getting full reign of the yard, my only remaining Leopard is sleeping in this...still with moderate 60-70% RH and temps of 77F-80F

or8q3p.jpg


x3yeyr.jpg


You'll have plenty of time to learn about the heated houses.... but for now I hope this helps give you cheap chamber ideas and something to look forward to as your little sullie grows!
Mines big so he lives outside 24/7 in a heated house just like the one above.
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1419387737.708707.jpg

Babies and juvy is homemade closed chambers with lights on timers and heaters on thermostats.
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1419387823.125577.jpg
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1419387874.379171.jpga
 

New Posts

Top