New enclosure check !

[Coconikki]

Hello! I am putting together a new enclosure for my baby Leopard tortoise arrival. It is a 48x24x24
-I am using a 32 inch Arcadia 14% UVB
-75 watt Arcadia Halogen for basking currently reading 93 at the hotspot.
-80 watt radiant heat panel for evenings to keep up temps.
- substrate is coco coir under Reptibark
- temps are cool side is at 82 warm side is at 85 basking is at 93 humidity 85.1
Am I okay?

 

[wellington]

Sounds good to me. The only thing I would change is taking out a hide. They really only need one and walking space is important. You could wait and see which hide he uses the most and then remove the other.
Glad you are doing things right and ahead of time. If you purchased from a reputable breeder that starts them right, you should have a nice shelled friend for a long time.
Don't forget to share pics when you get him.

 

[Tom]

Hello! I am putting together a new enclosure for my baby Leopard tortoise arrival. It is a 48x24x24
-I am using a 32 inch Arcadia 14% UVB
-75 watt Arcadia Halogen for basking currently reading 93 at the hotspot.
-80 watt radiant heat panel for evenings to keep up temps.
- substrate is coco coir under Reptibark
- temps are cool side is at 82 warm side is at 85 basking is at 93 humidity 85.1
Am I okay?
View attachment 356230

A 14% tube will be too much at that height. Do you have a Solarmeter?

Halogen bulbs should not be used. They will cause pyramiding.

Those hides are nice, but you also need a humid hide, and some potted plants would make the little one feel more comfortable.

The RHP should be set on a thermostat 24/7 to maintain ambient.
Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

More info here. Look for the leopard care sheet at the bottom:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[wellington]

A 14% tube will be too much at that height. Do you have a Solarmeter?

Halogen bulbs should not be used. They will cause pyramiding.

Those hides are nice, but you also need a humid hide, and some potted plants would make the little one feel more comfortable.

The RHP should be set on a thermostat 24/7 to maintain ambient.
Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

More info here. Look for the leopard care sheet at the bottom:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Halogens also causes pyramiding, didn't know that. Although, should have figured, the aquarium halogens are very hot.

 

[Tom]

Halogens also causes pyramiding, didn't know that. Although, should have figured, the aquarium halogens are very hot.

Yes. They generate intense IR-A. Very desiccating.

 

[Coconikki]

Yes. They generate intense IR-A. Very desiccating.

I swapped it out with a heat spot I already had.

 

[Tom]

I swapped it out with a heat spot I already had.

No spot bulbs. Same problem.

You need a regular incandescent flood bulb.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Hello,
Fellow Leopard tortoise owner here

I think it's great you are working on the set up before the lil' cutie arrives. That shows intentionality. I have no doubts you'll be a great tort keeper.

4x2 is a good space. Just keep in mind that babies like to hide. Naturally they would be camouflaged by dense foliage. In captivity, we tend to put them in big, open spaces (like your current enclosure set up) but I think they do so much better when we re-create the great outdoors for them instead! Yes, walking space is important. But rather than a big open square where the tort will likely only pace the walls anyway, I think winding paths around logs, plants and rocks are much more effective.

I also second the notion to replace the spot bulb with a regular incandescent bulb. You need the heat, yes, but the IR-A Tom is talking about really is an issue. My adult male leopard tortoise has a single pyramid on his back from a CHE that was too close to that one spot. The rest of his shell is smooth. Such a bummer that I messed up with the wrong heat source. CHEs are great, don't get me wrong. But in my case it was too close in too small a space. A heat gradient is going to be better than a heat "spot" for our indoor tortoises any day.

I have never used UV bulbs over a tortoise. I did use one incorrectly over a lizard and killed it. So, I have no input other than artificial UV scares me. I'd take testing that bulb very seriously.

I hope you have a good source for your baby. The source matters more than most people think. Often times we think it doesn't matter how the tort was started because once we get it, we'll take really good care of it and it will be just fine. Unfortunately, as many people have learned, it doesn't really work that way with leopard and sulcata hatchlings. If started too dry, they come to us as a ticking time bomb DESPITE any care, even the BEST care, you might provide for it. So many babies pass away in their new homes because of the way the breeder started them. It's heartbreaking. It's frustrating. It's confusing.

I'm attaching a few photos of my leopard hatchling enclosures so you can see the way I decorated. You don't have to do it the same way. Just keep the goal of re-creating a patch of outdoors, indoors, and you'll do just fine.