New Sulcta bb

[Catwinemixer]

Hi All!
First time tort mom, and man am I thankful for all of these threads and info. Got my baby sulcata Herschel about a week ago. Learned a lot and really changed up my set up. High humidity, temp never below 80, orchid bark substrate, daily soaks UBV lamp and I have a infrared heating lamp. He seemed a little sick when I first got him (he was raised in a dry environment) and after making all those changes he has perked right up. I’m a little concerned with pyramiding. Not sure how fast that starts or what I can do to make sure I’m raising a healthy boy. I’ve attached a pic of his shell, just wanna know if his shell looks okay. Thanks everyone, v excited to live this tort loving life.

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome

Photos of your enclosure and lighting will help us to help you.

I am a bit concerned that you mention infra red as red lamps are not suitable for tortoises. They need a plain white light basking lamp for twelve hours a day and then complete darkness at night. A Ceramic Heat Emitter used with a thermostat would be what you need to make sure the temperature doesn’t drop at night.

Give this thread by @Tom a read and compare it with your setup

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tom]

Hi All!
First time tort mom, and man am I thankful for all of these threads and info. Got my baby sulcata Herschel about a week ago. Learned a lot and really changed up my set up. High humidity, temp never below 80, orchid bark substrate, daily soaks UBV lamp and I have a infrared heating lamp. He seemed a little sick when I first got him (he was raised in a dry environment) and after making all those changes he has perked right up. I’m a little concerned with pyramiding. Not sure how fast that starts or what I can do to make sure I’m raising a healthy boy. I’ve attached a pic of his shell, just wanna know if his shell looks okay. Thanks everyone, v excited to live this tort loving life.

Hello and welcome!

Is Cat short for Catalina? That's my second home! Love it there.

The tread linked by Joes Mum should answer most of your questions, but feel free to ask more. That is what we are here for.

 

[Catwinemixer]

Hello and welcome!

Is Cat short for Catalina? That's my second home! Love it there.

The tread linked by Joes Mum should answer most of your questions, but feel free to ask more. That is what we are here for.

Hello and welcome!

Is Cat short for Catalina? That's my second home! Love it there.

The tread linked by Joes Mum should answer most of your questions, but feel free to ask more. That is what we are here for.

It is short for Catalina lol
I’ll post pictures ASAP. I will admit I made all the beginner mistakes. Even though I thought I read enough. His current enclosure is temporary. Kinda the best I could do until I’m able to correct my dummie mistakes. Thanks for all the info Tom!!! It has saved me and my tort.

 

[Catwinemixer]

Hello and welcome

Photos of your enclosure and lighting will help us to help you.

I am a bit concerned that you mention infra red as red lamps are not suitable for tortoises. They need a plain white light basking lamp for twelve hours a day and then complete darkness at night. A Ceramic Heat Emitter used with a thermostat would be what you need to make sure the temperature doesn’t drop at night.

Give this thread by @Tom a read and compare it with your setup

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Thanks Joesmum!
Currently re reading this article. My current set up is temporary until I can correct my mistakes in the next few weeks. I have a CHE 60watt but it doesn’t seem to be strong enough to heat up the enclosure so I’m taking it back to switch out for a 100 watt. For the UVB light I’ll post a picture.After reading that article I’m just gonna switch to lightbulb. Hope my guy will be okay for a few weeks until I get the right enclosure. Thank you for you help. I’m so happy to be here and feel so supported to raise this little dude

 

[Catwinemixer]

Okay so here is my current set up. Whack! I know. Sorry to be another newb. But I’m in the process of fixing the whole thing lol with much gratitude to you all here at TF. Hoping this is “okay” for a few weeks. Gonna change out the infrared today for a CHE. Also not sure what kind for timed thing you guys reckoned for the light or heater. Also attached a photo of enclosure I’m hoping to buy. Hope that is okay too

 

[JoesMum]

For the CHE you just need a thermostat and it can run 24/7. It will only cut in when the temperature drops, so no timer is needed.

Use a timer on the UVB and basking

The substrate is very coarse and won’t hold moisture that well. It should be earthy like fine grade orchid bark or coco coir

 

[Tom]

Okay so here is my current set up. Whack! I know. Sorry to be another newb. But I’m in the process of fixing the whole thing lol with much gratitude to you all here at TF. Hoping this is “okay” for a few weeks. Gonna change out the infrared today for a CHE. Also not sure what kind for timed thing you guys reckoned for the light or heater. Also attached a photo of enclosure I’m hoping to buy. Hope that is okay too

The new enclosure looks like it would work okay, but its too small.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

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. 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.
3. 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 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. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

 

[Maggie3fan]

For the CHE you just need a thermostat and it can run 24/7. It will only cut in when the temperature drops, so no timer is needed.

Use a timer on the UVB and basking

The substrate is very coarse and won’t hold moisture that well. It should be earthy like fine grade orchid bark or coco coir

I thought that the substrate was the thing she got right...lol looks like cypress mulch, my little Grumpyface is on cypress mulch...ok I'm gone