New Tort, need #new

[KieranMcKeown]

Well... I'm an idiot. I was wanting to take a look at Alaskas light as I was ordering her a new one and I grabbed it a bit too tight so it smashed in my hands.

I never thought having a tort would be this stressful the first initial days!

Now she has no UV/ basking light until Friday. So angry at myself.

 

[KieranMcKeown]

One thing I have noticed on your enclosure. The substrate is awful dry. I believe it needs to be moist, and a closed chamber would do this guy much better. Closed chambers keep the heat and humidity in.

Hey there!
Thanks for your comment - I just ordered new substrate for Alaska in the last hour so the dryness will be gone soon enough. I agree, the enclosure is very dry and this is why I bathe Alaska every day.

I am also going to spray the table daily to imcrese humidity

 

[Cheryl Hills]

She will be ok till then.

 

[KieranMcKeown]

She will be ok till then.

I hope so - could this be a factor as to why she is unable to open her eyes? When I bath her, they eventually open so I'm guessing it's a humidity issue?

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't remember if you told us they type of light you're using. If it's the compact fluorescent bulb (the curly shape) then that might be the reason the eyes are closed. Those bulbs have been known to be pretty harsh on the eyes.

I think the reason his eyes are stuck shut is because he's not eating good, and he's not eating good because he's not warm enough.

 

[drew54]

I really don't know Drew - it's just the one the man threw in with the table and said that's all I needed. I admit I became very naive with excitement and wish I could turn back time.

The heat map is a very low temperature and I feel like it's best to keep it on until I get the proper temperature on the table?

What wattage of basking bulb would you recommend? I will post a pic of the light I got if that helps?

Yeah, I agree that he is digging to get closer to the heat. So, probably best to keep it on for now. Posting a pic would help us. Do you know the wattage on the current bulb? Don't worry about the past just focus on the now. You will get this little guy m feeling better once the changes are made.

 

[KieranMcKeown]

I don't remember if you told us they type of light you're using. If it's the compact fluorescent bulb (the curly shape) then that might be the reason the eyes are closed. Those bulbs have been known to be pretty harsh on the eyes.

I think the reason his eyes are stuck shut is because he's not eating good, and he's not eating good because he's not warm enough.

Yes - it was the curly light she was using, however I have a non curly one which has higher wattage arriving in the post so this should help the temperature levels. A new problem has arised tonight tho as I accidentally broke that bulb and the replacement won't be arriving for 48 hours unless I can find one in my local town tomorrow so I really don't know what to do in the meantime.

 

[KieranMcKeown]

Yeah, I agree that he is digging to get closer to the heat. So, probably best to keep it on for now. Posting a pic would help us. Do you know the wattage on the current bulb? Don't worry about the past just focus on the now. You will get this little guy m feeling better once the changes are made.

The bulb was a curly 75 watt. I have a 100 watt ordered. Accidentally broke the bulb tonight so will hopefully find one in my local town tomorrow, it not, it might be a bit of a wait before the replacement one arrives. Stressing so much tonight about it!

 

[Yvonne G]

The bulb was a curly 75 watt. I have a 100 watt ordered. Accidentally broke the bulb tonight so will hopefully find one in my local town tomorrow, it not, it might be a bit of a wait before the replacement one arrives. Stressing so much tonight about it!

Is it also a compact fluorescent bulb? Either one of these?:

Neither one of these is satisfactory. They don't put out much UVB, and they might be harmful to the tortoise's eyes (A good reason why he's keeping his eyes closed). It burns the eyes similar to snow blindness. It eventually heals once you stop using the light. You can go to lightyourreptiles.com and buy this:

http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/fixtures/t5-high-output/

But they don't put out much heat, so you'll still need this to provide heat:

or this:

(radiant heat panel)

 

[KieranMcKeown]

Is it also a compact fluorescent bulb? Either one of these?:

Neither one of these is satisfactory. They don't put out much UVB, and they might be harmful to the tortoise's eyes (A good reason why he's keeping his eyes closed). It burns the eyes similar to snow blindness. It eventually heals once you stop using the light. You can go to lightyourreptiles.com and buy this:

http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/fixtures/t5-high-output/

But they don't put out much heat, so you'll still need this to provide heat:

or this:

(radiant heat panel)

Omg you are an absolute life saver! The bulb she used was the second one (long and curly) I hope you realise how much your advice is appreciated here.

 

[KieranMcKeown]

Hey guys! ✌️

Just a wee update on Alaska

I feel like I now have everything right and running well - Yay!

She finally has her new substrate down - bought from a tortoise expert store (coco coid) which keeps humidity much better and she seems to be able to walk better on it so I'm happy .

I have a proper UVB build installed which emits heat. I also purchased a thormonitor to make sure her temp is always kept around 35 degrees, so now the heat map is never turned on.

She finally has a cuttle bone but I feel she needs more time to figure out what it actually is she goes over, looks at it and walks away at a total loss.

Eye problem seems to have disappeared, likely because the old bulb is gone. I bathe her every day in the morning and she seems to love her baths so much.

Food intake is still concerning as some days she would eat all her food, and others she won't touch it - is this normal or do I just feed her too much and the next day she isn't hungry?

Below are some pics of Alaskas upgraded home and a couple of shoots of her basking and appreciating a spray down.

Thanks again to @drew54 and @Yvonne G for your help - don't think I could get to this point without you two. I feel Alaska is going to be a success story

 

[SweetGreekTorts]

Nice job with the new bulb and substrate. Alaska looks very happy and definitely spoiled! As for her eating, if she's eating then I would not be too worried. Tortoises are grazers. All my babies will nibble at their food throughout the day instead of chowing it all down in a single sitting. Just keep offering her fresh food each day and she'll consume what she needs.

She'll know what to do with the cuttlebone. Once in awhile I'll hear a "scraping" noise from one of my hatchling enclosures and when I check, it's just a baby scraping away on the cuttlebone. That helps to keep their beaks nice and trimmed too.

 

[KieranMcKeown]

Nice job with the new bulb and substrate. Alaska looks very happy and definitely spoiled! As for her eating, if she's eating then I would not be too worried. Tortoises are grazers. All my babies will nibble at their food throughout the day instead of chowing it all down in a single sitting. Just keep offering her fresh food each day and she'll consume what she needs.

She'll know what to do with the cuttlebone. Once in awhile I'll hear a "scraping" noise from one of my hatchling enclosures and when I check, it's just a baby scraping away on the cuttlebone. That helps to keep their beaks nice and trimmed too.

I worry too much about her but I'm happy with all I've done for her so far!

Next action: the UVB bulb doesn't give out enough heat so needed to lower it, so imma get a new fixutfi to put a basking light beside the UVB so she isn't getting harmful levels.

 

[drew54]

I'm so happy with the progress that has been made! Your Alaska is going to become a tiny tank!