- Joined
- Jan 17, 2011
- Messages
- 4
Hello all,
I'm sure that some of you have by now read my enclosure thread, and I am kind of hoping to expand on it with some other questions here. I have read the various caresheets available, and spent many hours poring over the usual recommended websites.
My questions are as follows:
I have set my enclosure up utilizing a hot/cool side in order to hopefully allay any issues that may occur during my learning phase. I have a plastic hide box in my enclosure that is 50% filled with moist sphagnum moss. I have placed the temp probe for my helix controller inside this hide, and set the temp for 86 deg F. This Helix is running a 150w CHE that sits about 8 inches from the top of the hide. When the temperature in the hide reaches 85-86 degrees ambient (i have a therm in there as well as the Helix probe) the substrate temp immediately adjacent the hide temps out (with a PE2) at 88-90 degrees. When I shoot the surface temps on the TOP of the hide, they are around 110-120. I realize that the temperatures are going to be higher in this area, but does anyone else have similar numbers or even check this? Am I just getting trigger happy with my temp gun? I have been shooting shell temperatures as well and he seems to be anywhere between 80-85 degrees throughout the day.
Next question: What are the odds of a redfoot with a decent amount of choices as far as temps/humidity making itself sick? In other words, is it possible that a tort might keep itself overly cool or damp in order to avoid other environmental factors? I have a fairly dim UVB light on one end of the enclosure primarily to establish a normal day/night cycle, as it can be quite dark in my apartment. I have tried to provide plenty of choices for my tort; one hide is 86 deg and damp, one hide is 79 degrees and dry, and there are "hot" and "cool" piles of damp moss. Am I failing to give due credit to the common sense of my animal?
Final question: I have noticed that my tort avoids his/her water dish; I am soaking on a biweekly basis at this point just to mirror the previous conditions in which the tort was kept, but is it likely or probable that a tort will become dehydrated even with fresh water and damp moss available?
Thanks in advance for your consideration, I hope that I'm not beating any dead horses here. I'm just kind of hoping that the TFO community can "sanity check" me here. Most of my reptile knowledge is in Varanids, and they seem comparatively simple to me for the most part.
I'm sure that some of you have by now read my enclosure thread, and I am kind of hoping to expand on it with some other questions here. I have read the various caresheets available, and spent many hours poring over the usual recommended websites.
My questions are as follows:
I have set my enclosure up utilizing a hot/cool side in order to hopefully allay any issues that may occur during my learning phase. I have a plastic hide box in my enclosure that is 50% filled with moist sphagnum moss. I have placed the temp probe for my helix controller inside this hide, and set the temp for 86 deg F. This Helix is running a 150w CHE that sits about 8 inches from the top of the hide. When the temperature in the hide reaches 85-86 degrees ambient (i have a therm in there as well as the Helix probe) the substrate temp immediately adjacent the hide temps out (with a PE2) at 88-90 degrees. When I shoot the surface temps on the TOP of the hide, they are around 110-120. I realize that the temperatures are going to be higher in this area, but does anyone else have similar numbers or even check this? Am I just getting trigger happy with my temp gun? I have been shooting shell temperatures as well and he seems to be anywhere between 80-85 degrees throughout the day.
Next question: What are the odds of a redfoot with a decent amount of choices as far as temps/humidity making itself sick? In other words, is it possible that a tort might keep itself overly cool or damp in order to avoid other environmental factors? I have a fairly dim UVB light on one end of the enclosure primarily to establish a normal day/night cycle, as it can be quite dark in my apartment. I have tried to provide plenty of choices for my tort; one hide is 86 deg and damp, one hide is 79 degrees and dry, and there are "hot" and "cool" piles of damp moss. Am I failing to give due credit to the common sense of my animal?
Final question: I have noticed that my tort avoids his/her water dish; I am soaking on a biweekly basis at this point just to mirror the previous conditions in which the tort was kept, but is it likely or probable that a tort will become dehydrated even with fresh water and damp moss available?
Thanks in advance for your consideration, I hope that I'm not beating any dead horses here. I'm just kind of hoping that the TFO community can "sanity check" me here. Most of my reptile knowledge is in Varanids, and they seem comparatively simple to me for the most part.