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[Lyn W]

We have just been looking at CHE's and obviously we would want to run it off a thermostat but we already have the heatlamp running off a thermostat. I was wondering if just buying a CHE "bulb" and swapping them out at bedtime would be feasible? Or do we need to 2 separate setups for the 2 heat sources?

The current heatlamp and thermostat seem to do a good job of maintaining a good temperature gradient in the enclosure but I am conscious what I have been told above about having a light on him 24/7. Albeit a dim one.

Darkness is important for torts and lack of a day night routine could be one of the factors why yours is hiding so much and/or maybe the temps aren't right. The dial type thermometer you are using is one that pet shops sell but they are often inaccurate and yours is placed too high. You could do with a digital thermometer/hygrometer positioned to measure temps and humidity at tort level. A digital temp gun is also very useful for spot checking temps in different areas. The caresheet will tell you what the temps should be.
What are you using for UVB?
I assume the heat lamp is a basking lamp - is it spot of flood type?

Most of use T5 HO tubes for uvb, then a flood basking bulb (spots are too intense) and a che/thermostat for night and extra heat.
For your own convenience and safety separate ceramic fixtures for the lamps would be better but no reason why you can't use the same thermostat and just swap the plugs over.

 

[Mikee1977]

Thanks for the replies and great info.

We have a T5 UV tube light in there. Obviously that goes off at night.
The heat lamp says it’s a spot lamp but the light seems quite diffuse?

We have a IR thermometer but that’s a good shout on the height of the thermometers.

He does seem to be spending more time out and about but his default position is still in his hide. He feels secure in there I guess.

 

[Mikee1977]

Thought I'd do a quick update for those that are interested.

Changes made:
CHE added. We have this running off a thermostat to keep him warm at night. He seems to appreciate the day/night cycle this gives.
Substrate changed (A mixture of rough and fine orchid bark)
Live plants added (bought from tortoisehut)
Basking spot added (An old half log and some slate)
Feeding bowl replaced with feeding slate
Hygrometer added

Still to do:
Look at his basking bulb
Sort out some ambient lighting so we're not relying on his UV bulb
Try to find a good source of regular food - He's on shop bought salady stuff and dandelion leaves at the moment

The results are pretty stark. Not sure if it's him settling or his new routine/environment but he's a different beast! He's considerably more active. He spends a lot of time exploring and basking now instead of hiding. He seems to love his plants - Either nibbling leaves, climbing on them or digging them up. He also seems incredibly inquisitive. He knocked his hygrometer off the wall and was gnawing on it. Last night he was trying to reach that white mark where one of his thermometers used to be.

The substrate seems to have helped as well - Several times he has buried himself completely and we can only find him by a suspicious bump in his substrate. Other times he is happy to hunker down in his hide.

 

[Lyn W]

Thought I'd do a quick update for those that are interested.

Changes made:
CHE added. We have this running off a thermostat to keep him warm at night. He seems to appreciate the day/night cycle this gives.
Substrate changed (A mixture of rough and fine orchid bark)
Live plants added (bought from tortoisehut)
Basking spot added (An old half log and some slate)
Feeding bowl replaced with feeding slate
Hygrometer added

Still to do:
Look at his basking bulb
Sort out some ambient lighting so we're not relying on his UV bulb
Try to find a good source of regular food - He's on shop bought salady stuff and dandelion leaves at the moment

The results are pretty stark. Not sure if it's him settling or his new routine/environment but he's a different beast! He's considerably more active. He spends a lot of time exploring and basking now instead of hiding. He seems to love his plants - Either nibbling leaves, climbing on them or digging them up. He also seems incredibly inquisitive. He knocked his hygrometer off the wall and was gnawing on it. Last night he was trying to reach that white mark where one of his thermometers used to be.

The substrate seems to have helped as well - Several times he has buried himself completely and we can only find him by a suspicious bump in his substrate. Other times he is happy to hunker down in his hide.

Sounds like he's a happy chappy and settling in well.
Food is an issue for us in the UK when the weeds disappear.
My tort has to have shop bought over winter, but some salad leaves are better than others (I think they are listed in the caresheet) and adding variety is important. I use the Aldi crispy salad bags as a base, (or from Asda, Morrisons, Lidl, Sainsbury -Florette classic crispy has a great mix ) then I add in things like lambs lettuce, pak choi, kale, spring greens, carrot leaves etc. (the darker the leaves the better).
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is also a good guide to veg you can use.
There are some dried pellets available for occasional use to which you can add water to soften - mazuri is popular in the US and is available online in the UK now - I can't remember which type is best though so check that if you decide to try,
Arcadia do flood basking bulbs for about £3 -£5, I bought mine online - I've only seen spots in the shops.
I think some people use LED lights to light their enclosures. There'll probably be more about that in the Enclosures/Heating and Lighting thread.

 

[Mikee1977]

A bit of a query I thought I'd stick in here rather than start a new thread...

After a few weeks of seemingly settling into a relatively active routine our little darling has suddenly slowed down considerably. In the last week he has barely moved. He shifts around a bit, has a bit of a scratch and maybe moves a few inches but mostly he is buried in his substrate. From a bit of reading this is not entirely unusual this time of year but we were wondering should we be disturbing him to encourage him to feed and to bathe him? I'm all for fishing him out, giving him a bath and sticking him in front of his food each day. My wife thinks we should just leave him to it, the thinking being if he's hungry/thirsty he'll emerge... Settle an argument please guys!

 

[Lyn W]

Not unusual for them to slow down but I would double check your temps at tort level with a reliable thermometer to make sure he's warm enough and has uvb if you weren't planning on hibernating him which is a gradual process of reducing temps to stop him eating so there's no food to rot in his gut.
When was the last time you soaked and fed him?
My tort isn't a hibernating species so @Yvonne G or @Tom can give you better advice.

 

[Tom]

A bit of a query I thought I'd stick in here rather than start a new thread...

After a few weeks of seemingly settling into a relatively active routine our little darling has suddenly slowed down considerably. In the last week he has barely moved. He shifts around a bit, has a bit of a scratch and maybe moves a few inches but mostly he is buried in his substrate. From a bit of reading this is not entirely unusual this time of year but we were wondering should we be disturbing him to encourage him to feed and to bathe him? I'm all for fishing him out, giving him a bath and sticking him in front of his food each day. My wife thinks we should just leave him to it, the thinking being if he's hungry/thirsty he'll emerge... Settle an argument please guys!

Definitely wake him up and keep him eating and active. You may need to increase your temperatures, lighting duration, and lighting intensity. When we do not brumate them, we have to take steps to keep them up and active. "Leaving him to it" is not a good plan because it is winter and your tortoise's body knows it should be brumating, yet in your lit and heated indoor enclosure, it does not have suitable conditions for brumation. I call this "limbo". It can be deadly. You need to make it Summer time in your enclosure. Warm temps in the day time, warmer night temps, lights on for 14 hours a day, add LEDs in the 5000-6500 K color range, be sure you are using the correct type of UV tube mounted at the correct distance. And yes, wake him daily. It sometimes takes work to convince them that brumation is not necessary despite what their minds and bodies are telling them due to the conditions outside.

 

[Mikee1977]

Thanks for the info guys.

We've seen a lot more of him these last 3 days. A bit strange that he just "stopped" for 3 or 4 days though.

I'm wondering if it is temperature related. It was pretty chilly last week but has become a lot milder these last couple of days. Though we have a thermostat controlling his heater/basking lamp we live in quite a cold, draughty house so I suspect that there could be some considerable temperature gradients in his viv. We have a thermometer at either end but they're a couple of inches above his substrate (He knocks them off if they're any lower!). He sleeps dug way down into the substrate. Maybe it was a bit chillier down there in his sleeping corner? I'm thinking maybe we need to insulate his viv better to ensure there's no cold spots.

 

[Lyn W]

Thanks for the info guys.

We've seen a lot more of him these last 3 days. A bit strange that he just "stopped" for 3 or 4 days though.

I'm wondering if it is temperature related. It was pretty chilly last week but has become a lot milder these last couple of days. Though we have a thermostat controlling his heater/basking lamp we live in quite a cold, draughty house so I suspect that there could be some considerable temperature gradients in his viv. We have a thermometer at either end but they're a couple of inches above his substrate (He knocks them off if they're any lower!). He sleeps dug way down into the substrate. Maybe it was a bit chillier down there in his sleeping corner? I'm thinking maybe we need to insulate his viv better to ensure there's no cold spots.

My leopard has days when he doesn't leave his heated hide even when everything is the same in his room - usually on darker days when there's less daylight coming through the window. It's like they have inbuilt barometers.
Check the caresheet for the 4 temperature ranges - the thermostat will stop it getting too hot or cold.