New member

[Bobbyott]

Hello I am a new member and I am also new to the tortoise world. I have a 4 month old sulcata only a few days now. I built a wood enclosure 4ft long x 2ft wide x 1 ft high. I have a heat lamp and a uvb lamp, I'd like to post some pictures of it to make sure I'm doing it right. He/she seems to be happy. I just wanted to say hi.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

Here is the standard sulcata info:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and your new family member.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
is also very useful for some of the basics.

 

[Bobbyott]

Hello and welcome.

Here is the standard sulcata info:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

Thanks Tom seems for the most part I'm doing everything I should be doing. Question, if the lights are on timers how am I supposed to maintain my temperature

 

[Alexio]

You run day time lights on timers, I usually do 12-12. Then I have a ceramic heat emitter that is controlled by a probed thermostat it usually kicks on after the lights go off and runs on/off all night. The thermostat mostly keeps the CHE off during the day. When the lights are on and providing heat. In cold times the CHE turns on during the day ad well.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello

 

[Carol S]

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Bobbyott]

Welcome to the Forum.

You run day time lights on timers, I usually do 12-12. Then I have a ceramic heat emitter that is controlled by a probed thermostat it usually kicks on after the lights go off and runs on/off all night. The thermostat mostly keeps the CHE off during the day. When the lights are on and providing heat. In cold times the CHE turns on during the day ad well.

So where should the placement of the heat emitter be? Posting a pic of my enclosure keep in mind it's 4ft long by 2ft wide

 

[Alexio]

I usually keep mine in the middle ish or on the opposite end of the heat bulbs. Since yours is more rectangular I would place yours more in the center. What is your warm side / cool side day and night temps ? Also what if your humidity like? I feel like you would have an easier time maintaining temps and humidity if you finished enclosing your box. By finishing the top portion you will be able to keep the humidity inside the enclosure and keep the night temps up in cooler weather.

 

[Bobbyott]

I usually keep mine in the middle ish or on the opposite end of the heat bulbs. Since yours is more rectangular I would place yours more in the center. What is your warm side / cool side day and night temps ? Also what if your humidity like? I feel like you would have an easier time maintaining temps and humidity if you finished enclosing your box. By finishing the top portion you will be able to keep the humidity inside the enclosure and keep the night temps up in cooler weather.

I've had him/her 3 days now, so daytime he spend out in my yard in a kiddie pool set up like his indoor enclosure. Hot side is low 90's and right under the heat light its around 106 cool side at night is like 76 to low 80's. I will be going back out tomorrow to get more supplies, heat emitter and I will plexiglass the open side. Right now I mist for humidity. Am I forgetting anything?

 

[Tom]

Thanks Tom seems for the most part I'm doing everything I should be doing. Question, if the lights are on timers how am I supposed to maintain my temperature

Here is a heating and lighting breakdown I typed up for someone a few months ago:

Let me break down the heating and lighting thing. You need three or four elements:
1. Heat. During the day this is best accomplished with 65 watt flood bulbs from the hardware store set on digital timers. These also give some light. Move them higher or lower to get the basking temp under them correct. I buy them in 6 packs, so if they burn out I always have a spare on hand.
2. Light. Sometimes the basking bulb and ambient room light are enough. If not, use a tube style florescent strip light form the hardware store. Run it on the same timer as the heat lamps. Try to get a bulb in the 5000-6500K color range. The more common 2500K color range bulbs look yellowish.
3. Ambient temp maintenance and night heat. Tortoises need it dark at night, but still warm. This is best accomplished with the use of a CHE in a ceramic based fixture. Get the 11" ceramic based domes from Home Depot for all your heat lamps.
4. UV. Best to sun them for an hour two or more times a week. Its okay to skip a few weeks over winter and this will do no harm. Several options for indoor UV, if needed:
a. Use a mercury vapor bulb, like the power sun for your basking bulb. Use this in the Home Depot fixture I mentioned, not in a small pet store dome or deep dome. Replace it every fall.
b. Use a long tube type 10.0 florescent bulb. These MUST be mounted no more than 10-12" from the tortoise to be effective.
c. Get an Arcadia 12% HO bulb from lightyourreptiles.com. These are great, but they make a lot of UV. Mount it at least 18" and as much as 26" away from the tortoise and put it on its own timer for only about 4 hours a day.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[KaitlinKeefe_]

Welcome!

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome Bobby !