New leopard tortoise: need help building humid container please!!

Yaaapops

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I have just recently purchase a baby leopard tortoise and need some massive help building my enclosure. I have a 100w ceramic heating light and don’t know how to make it so that it can be enclosed within the chamber. If I put it under the lid it is barley 6 inches above the ground... but if I put it above the lead hardly any heat is getting in :/ been taking my lil guy outside to get more heat/sun but his tank gets down to 75 sometimes due to me trying to keep it nice and humid. Any help would be great thanks! The picture is the larger enclosure I’m trying to build to trap in humidity, I will be using a shower curtain over the front for easy access but can’t sold my heating issue...
 

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Ink

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Hopefully an expert will help.
 

Yaaapops

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Hopefully an expert will help.
Currently I have him in a much smaller enclosure but I was wanting something bigger with higher walls to trap in the humidity :/ I’m must’ve not having heat light problems instead... my small enclosure is hard to keep humidity in and I end up getting the coco fiber realllllllly wet to keep it in... does anyone know if this is okay?
 

wellington

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Get a big plastic tote box. That enclosure is way too small and to get temps right will be impossible and possibly cook him.
The plastic totes have a top.
I also like the portable pop up green houses.
You can also build one. Take a look at Tom's enclosure threads.
 

ZenHerper

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Cold, wet substrate in a cold-air environment is very dangerous.

Leopards need the heat (not lower than 80* day and night).

Ceramic heat emitters (CHEs) radiate quite a lot of heat, but must be aimed directly at the substrate. If there is a lid or other material in the way, the heat won't get into the enclosure. The piece of lid you have cut makes it very hard to rig a CHE properly. (I don't see a ceramic fixture in the photo, btw.)

On an emergency basis, just to get the heat right, use the large container with damp substrate and the lid off so that a CHE can be hung above to get the surface of the substrate all throughout up to 80* (it will be hotter just under the CHE fixture).

A baby is at very great risk if kept cold for even a single night.
 

Yaaapops

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Cold, wet substrate in a cold-air environment is very dangerous.

Leopards need the heat (not lower than 80* day and night).

Ceramic heat emitters (CHEs) radiate quite a lot of heat, but must be aimed directly at the substrate. If there is a lid or other material in the way, the heat won't get into the enclosure. The piece of lid you have cut makes it very hard to rig a CHE properly. (I don't see a ceramic fixture in the photo, btw.)

On an emergency basis, just to get the heat right, use the large container with damp substrate and the lid off so that a CHE can be hung above to get the surface of the substrate all throughout up to 80* (it will be hotter just under the CHE fixture).

A baby is at very great risk if kept cold for even a single night.
Currently I have been keeping the tank no lower then 75 in some spots! Even at night time I checked at 3 am the other day and still 75 :/ can I play a CHE directly inside the box?? I have a much much smaller box right now because like others I fell victim to an old school breeder and had not found this forum. I would like to upgrade ASAP but finding it hard to be able to hang lights in an enclosed container
 

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Yaaapops

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Currently I have been keeping the tank no lower then 75 in some spots! Even at night time I checked at 3 am the other day and still 75 :/ can I play a CHE directly inside the box?? I have a much much smaller box right now because like others I fell victim to an old school breeder and had not found this forum. I would like to upgrade ASAP but finding it hard to be able to hang lights in an enclosed container
Also I should say that the log stays around 95-105 if he wants to bask and the basking spot around 85.. only the left side gets around 75. This is all during the day or while the lights are on
 

Yaaapops

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Get a big plastic tote box. That enclosure is way too small and to get temps right will be impossible and possibly cook him.
The plastic totes have a top.
I also like the portable pop up green houses.
You can also build one. Take a look at Tom's enclosure threads.
What sizes tote box would you recommended? 35 gal or 50 gal? And do I need to buy the taller ones or just regular ? I’m not sure how to get my head lamp under the enclosure and not melt the plastic :/ I might just not be the smartest
 

wellington

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Oops, sorry. The pic did not look like a tote until I clicked on it.
If the tote you have had a lid, cut holes so the bulb/heating element is over the hole but the fixture sits on the lid. Line the rim of the hole with tun foil to prevent the plastic from melting.
Temps at tort level never lower then 80.
 

ZenHerper

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Currently I have been keeping the tank no lower then 75 in some spots! Even at night time I checked at 3 am the other day and still 75 :/ can I play a CHE directly inside the box?? I have a much much smaller box right now because like others I fell victim to an old school breeder and had not found this forum. I would like to upgrade ASAP but finding it hard to be able to hang lights in an enclosed container
OK. That screw-in bulb is not a CHE.

It is some kind of incandescent spot bulb or a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB).

If it is a spot bulb, that is the problem. It is not strong enough to radiate far. And aiming it sideways does not help. No heat bulb will work at an angle.

MVB bulbs are generally too strong -- they blast dry heat and the UVB radiation is inconsistent (or non-existent).

You cannot place the bulb fixture inside the tote. It must be hung from above at one side or corner, unimpeded by the plastic top. Where and how high depends entirely on what the temp readings on the ground are.
 

wellington

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What sizes tote box would you recommended? 35 gal or 50 gal? And do I need to buy the taller ones or just regular ? I’m not sure how to get my head lamp under the enclosure and not melt the plastic :/ I might just not be the smartest
The tote you have maybe big enough for now. It would be easier though with a 50 gal tote or larger with higher sides not short sides.
My other post tells ya how to place the heat and lights. A tube uvb light could be rigged to hang inside while the heating che's sit on the top.
 

wellington

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OK. That screw-in bulb is not a CHE.

It is some kind of incandescent spot bulb or a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB).

If it is a spot bulb, that is the problem. It is not strong enough to radiate far. And aiming it sideways does not help. No heat bulb will work at an angle.

MVB bulbs are generally too strong -- they blast dry heat and the UVB radiation is inconsistent (or non-existent).

You cannot place the bulb fixture inside the tote. It must be hung from above at one side or corner, unimpeded by the plastic top. Where and how high depends entirely on what the temp readings on the ground are.
A florescent uvb fixture can be placed inside the tote. A mvb or and other regular bulb can not as they will hang too low.
 

wellington

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I personally would get one of these. They come in many sizes, cheap, and work good for an enclosure. Some have a floor some don't. If it doesnt, I use a tarp and tape the sides up around the outside of the green house. Lights and heat can hang from the center support bar. I used rope to attach them and easily adjust the height.
When they have out grown it, the house can be used as a cover for their outside enclosure as a hot spot for the tort to go into when they want with just a simple cut of a door into the side or use as a greenhouse to grow tort food.
 

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Yaaapops

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Oops, sorry. The pic did not look like a tote until I clicked on it.
If the tote you have had a lid, cut holes so the bulb/heating element is over the hole but the fixture sits on the lid. Line the rim of the hole with tun foil to prevent the plastic from melting.
Temps at tort level never lower then 80.
Dang I have already cut up the lid :/ would I still be able to do that? I’m afraid it won’t support the lamp.. was thinking about getting one of those standing lamps so I could lower it to the perfect spot right above the plastic. Is my tub big enough then? It is 38 gallon.
 

wellington

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Dang I have already cut up the lid :/ would I still be able to do that? I’m afraid it won’t support the lamp.. was thinking about getting one of those standing lamps so I could lower it to the perfect spot right above the plastic. Is my tub big enough then? It is 38 gallon.
What's the measurements? You could get the green house I posted. Put that over your tote. Then when he outgrows the tote you have the greenhouse to use.
The tote wouldn't need the lid as you could hang all fixtures from the greenhouse supports.
 

Yaaapops

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OK. That screw-in bulb is not a CHE.

It is some kind of incandescent spot bulb or a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB).

If it is a spot bulb, that is the problem. It is not strong enough to radiate far. And aiming it sideways does not help. No heat bulb will work at an angle.

MVB bulbs are generally too strong -- they blast dry heat and the UVB radiation is inconsistent (or non-existent).

You cannot place the bulb fixture inside the tote. It must be hung from above at one side or corner, unimpeded by the plastic top. Where and how high depends entirely on what the temp readings on the ground are.
I’m pretty sure that is a spot bulb :/ it does get the log pretty hot as a basking spot but that’s in my old enclosure.. what bulb would you recommend ? I’m thinking about getting a standing one instead of a clamp...

also how do you feel about the UVB light being that high up?? Would it still work or do I need it lower? For my new set up.
Thanks again !
 

wellington

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Actually getting the greenhouse will save you money. Will let you use the tote you already have and you will already have the next size enclosure. If you get a greenhouse that is like 3 or 4 x 5 or 6 it should last you until the tort can be moved outside.
 

Yaaapops

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What's the measurements? You could get the green house I posted. Put that over your tote. Then when he outgrows the tote you have the greenhouse to use.
The tote wouldn't need the lid as you could hang all fixtures from the greenhouse supports.
21 x 38 x 15 in , do you know if a shower curtain would melt under a heating lamp?? I’m thinking about trying to use that as a lid instead and just have a corner cut out for the heating lamp but I don’t want any melting :/
 

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