Our new family member Jeffrey

[JeffreyB]

This is our tortoise Jeffrey we have had him almost a week now. I was wondering if you would recommend a ceramic heat lamp for overnight as I think it may get a little cold. He tends to choose too sleep under the wood hide rather than in his bedding area. I am going to change substrate to top soil sand mixture when I change it, only have the wood as that’s what was provided when purchased. Also have some tortoise mix seeds germinating which we will add when they start growing. Also is there anything else anybody would recommend.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Don't use soil and sand. Your tort could get impacted. Someone from England should be here soon. To suggest the type of substrate you can purchase there.
The thermometers, I would suggest 2 of them. Place them low in the enclosure.. The CHE put in a dome fixture with a thermostat. The clamp on the dome fixture can fail and fall into the enclosure. It is best to run a cross bar over the top of enclosure and hang the fixture.

 

[wellington]

Unfortunately you have some misinformed info
Sand and soil should not be used.
A tube flourescent for uvb along with an incandescent FLOOD bulb for basking and the ceramic heat emitter for any added day heat needed and night heat.
He has already been raised very dry and that's why he is pyramiding. Get some dampness in the enclosure to try and reach 50% humidity for and adult, 80% for hatchlings in a closed chamber.
A 4x8 foot is a minimum for an adult Russian.
Day temps should range from 75-80 with basking reaching 95-100.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

This is our tortoise Jeffrey we have had him almost a week now. I was wondering if you would recommend a ceramic heat lamp for overnight as I think it may get a little cold. He tends to choose too sleep under the wood hide rather than in his bedding area. I am going to change substrate to top soil sand mixture when I change it, only have the wood as that’s what was provided when purchased. Also have some tortoise mix seeds germinating which we will add when they start growing. Also is there anything else anybody would recommend.

Hello and welcome!🐢💚

Please don’t take this the wrong way, but a lot of the set up is incorrect along with the substrate you plan on changing to, don’t use any kind of top soils or sand, I only say this because I want you to have a positive keeping experience🙂

Your tortoise looks quite young still and could with being in a closed chamber set up to stop the pyramiding progressing any further, in this thread below, I go over why not to use the soil and sand, the right kind of equipment and substrates to use, sizing, care and a bit about diet at the end, hopefully it helps! I think you can apply the information to this set up to last them till they’re a bit bigger and ready for their permanent size😊

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tom]

This is our tortoise Jeffrey we have had him almost a week now. I was wondering if you would recommend a ceramic heat lamp for overnight as I think it may get a little cold. He tends to choose too sleep under the wood hide rather than in his bedding area. I am going to change substrate to top soil sand mixture when I change it, only have the wood as that’s what was provided when purchased. Also have some tortoise mix seeds germinating which we will add when they start growing. Also is there anything else anybody would recommend.

Hello and welcome. Here are the tips:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

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[JeffreyB]

Hello and welcome!🐢💚

Please don’t take this the wrong way, but a lot of the set up is incorrect along with the substrate you plan on changing to, don’t use any kind of top soils or sand, I only say this because I want you to have a positive keeping experience🙂

Your tortoise looks quite young still and could with being in a closed chamber set up to stop the pyramiding progressing any further, in this thread below, I go over why not to use the soil and sand, the right kind of equipment and substrates to use, sizing, care and a bit about diet at the end, hopefully it helps! I think you can apply the information to this set up to last them till they’re a bit bigger and ready for their permanent size😊

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

Thankyou for the info I think I’ll get the greenhouse cover until he’s? Older I do have some coco coir I will use for the base with some forest wood. I do have a couple of thermometers/humidity checkers in there temperature under basking light is 32 degrees with between 50&60% humidity and cooler end temp around 27 degrees with similar humidity. I was told not to wet the substrate for Horsefield when I bought it as not good for respiratory issues. I was also told uv light eco T5 unit light and heat lamp 12hrs a day should I change UV LIGHT to 4hrs. I will buy ceramic heat lamp for additional day/night and with temperature control plug heat asap.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thankyou for the info I think I’ll get the greenhouse cover until he’s? Older I do have some coco coir I will use for the base with some forest wood. I do have a couple of thermometers/humidity checkers in there temperature under basking light is 32 degrees with between 50&60% humidity and cooler end temp around 27 degrees with similar humidity. I was told not to wet the substrate for Horsefield when I bought it as not good for respiratory issues. I was also told uv light eco T5 unit light and heat lamp 12hrs a day should I change UV LIGHT to 4hrs. I will buy ceramic heat lamp for additional day/night and with temperature control plug heat asap.

So once they’re older, you’ll definitely need lower humidity, the level you have right now is good for an adult. It’s only whilst they’re younger you’ll need it higher, respiratory problems tend to come along when people use humidifiers because they make the air too wet, but dampening your substrate won’t cause breathing problems don’t worry, they aren’t going to be breathing in water droplets🙂
T5 bulbs are correct for UV yes, may I ask what brand of uv it is you have? Could you post a pic of the bulb/packaging?

Yeah just your basking and any ambient lighting should be on a 12hour timer and your t5 tube UV can be on the 4hours, it’s not that you’re doing any harm having the uv on the same timer, but it’s more that it’s wasting your bulb life unnecessarily, having them on the same timer is just an old fashioned rule that has stuck with a lot of keepers, it stems from the belief that once basking is on, ie the ‘sun’ that uv must coexist at the same, fact is though, no tortoise in the wild is blasted with 12hours of uv a day, if you take a uv solar meter, you’ll discover the uv rays only peak for a few hours, therefore it’s fine to mimic that in captivity and save your uv bulb as they’re more expensive to replace, hopefully that all makes sense😊