Newbie to the Forum!

[rudeboy1964]

I just want to introduce myself to you members and say it's good to be here!
I'm new to tortoises, we have a corn snake and my daughter wanted a tortoise for her 12th birthday so going to need a lot of help

Thanks

 

[Ink]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello and welcome!

This post is a great intro into tortoise keeping (if you haven't seen this already): https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/info-for-new-people-please-read-this-first.202363/

Ask any questions and it's the best to have everything ready before getting a tortoise.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!

 

[JoJosMom]

Welcome friend!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Welcome to the forum! How much space could you provide the tortoise? We can help you narrow down your choices and buy the right equipment!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Welcome to the forum! What kind of tortoise is it you’re interested in getting?🙂

 

[rudeboy1964]

Welcome to the forum! What kind of tortoise is it you’re interested in getting?🙂

Hermanni. I have a 80cm x 45 x 30 tank for it.
it is about 7 months old. Will be collecting it tomorrow. I’m going to use Orchid Bark substrate and sand. I have an 80 watt mercury vapour bulb and it’s being kept indoors in an apartment.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hermanni. I have a 80cm x 45 x 30 tank for it.
it is about 7 months old. Will be collecting it tomorrow. I’m going to use Orchid Bark substrate and sand. I have an 80 watt mercury vapour bulb and it’s being kept indoors in an apartment.

Hello!

Congratulations on getting your first tortoise!

Here is a small list of suggested changes:
1. Don't add sand to substrate. It causes multiple problems with captive tortoises - impactions, irritations and such. They do encounter sandy soils in the wild, however captive environment and diet are very different and sand doesn't work here.
2. Mercury vapour bulbs have some issues with balancing between basking area temperature and safe UVB levels, contribute to pyramiding (perhaps, due to excessive infrared A output). And need rather frequent changes (lifespan is 6 months at best). Please, check Heating/Lightning breakdown section in the care guide I've linked above for the detailed setup example (in short, you need an incandescent bulb for basking and a T5 tube for UVB, a ceramic heat emitter for nighttime heat if the room is cold and ambient LED light if the tank is in the shaded area).
3. The tank is too small - it will last for a while, but it's not enough for 2-3 inches tortoise. Tortoises are different from many other reptiles because they walk a lot foraging for food and don't sit on a branch waiting for prey to come close.

Please ask if you have any questions, concerns or doubts. Also, you can check with us your "tortoise shopping list" to avoid spending money on overpriced or unneeded stuff.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hermanni. I have a 80cm x 45 x 30 tank for it.
it is about 7 months old. Will be collecting it tomorrow. I’m going to use Orchid Bark substrate and sand. I have an 80 watt mercury vapour bulb and it’s being kept indoors in an apartment.

Yeah unfortunately as Alex mentioned there’s a few things you’ll need to scrap altogether here for this tortoise, please ask further questions on how to get set up, we can guide you🙂

 

[rudeboy1964]

So should I get rid of sand altogether? In relation to the tank being open topped and not enclosed, I was thinking of getting a glass sheet to partially cover the tank in the day and fully cover it at night. The room temperature in the apartment stays at around 70f at night time. Thanks

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

So should I get rid of sand altogether? In relation to the tank being open topped and not enclosed, I was thinking of getting a glass sheet to partially cover the tank in the day and fully cover it at night. The room temperature in the apartment stays at around 70f at night time. Thanks

Yes definitely get rid of the sand altogether, your guy still sounds quite young so will need higher humidity therefore I’d recommend keeping it fully covered 24/7, also scrap the mercury vapour bulb and invest in a t5 strip bulb, we personally use the aricadia brand as do a lot of folks here, it’ll need to be mounted about 18 inches from the substrate, also bare in mind this tank you have isn’t going to last long once he starts growing, even now I’d want something a bit bigger, but it should do for now.
You’ll need to ideally get a 8 by 4 foot enclosure set up, bigger if you can, and whilst he’s still young will need it covered. I’d personally recommend something like this flowerbed base, lined with a pond liner(you can find them cheap) then covered with something like this, hope this helps🙂