Out with the old, in with the new.

[Jay Bagley]

I know Sheldon 's last name is Bagley, but just curious, is his middle name Cooper?

Lmao, I'm such a dork. I had to Google to see who that was.

 

[KarenSoCal]

Lmao, I'm such a dork. I had to Google to see who that was.

Oh Jay...now I have serious concerns for you!![emoji23]

 

[Jay Bagley]

Oh Jay...now I have serious concerns for you!![emoji23]

Hahahahaha[emoji23]

 

[Jay Bagley]

• Interesting that you also noted paint flaking and being rubbed off at the shell line... i had that issue too with my enclosure. I ended up using some old floor tiles that we had laying about and was able to place one 12 inch layer all around the lower perimeter. Half buried in the substrate. This worked so well, never had any other issues with paint getting rubbed off.
• Good job on the hide...they like cozy hides...

The first hide I put in there was just temporary, it was kind of on the small side for him. I updated that with something much larger, he seems to love it. It's another wastebasket, just much larger. Wanted to thank you for the tile idea, the most problematic area I had with the paint is where his hide meets the side of his enclosure. Put a tile in between the two, and now we're good to go. Thank you again. Still need to work on getting plants and stuff in there so it isn't so boring for him. And on a side note, I've heard people say how messy coco coir is, they weren't kidding. I stirred in some water the other day, and by the time I was done it looked like I opened up the door and blew everything around with a leaf blower.

 

[vladimir]

I love the dirty Sheldon face [emoji16]

 

[katieandiggy]

I threw some orchid bark down on top of the coco coir and it was sooooo much less messy! The coco coir underneath holds water very well so it really helped with the humidity.

 

[Jay Bagley]

I love the dirty Sheldon face [emoji16]

He reminds me of a kid playing in the mud puddle[emoji3]. Every morning when he comes out of his hide, he is covered in it from burrowing the night before.

 

[Jay Bagley]

I threw some orchid bark down on top of the coco coir and it was sooooo much less messy! The coco coir underneath holds water very well so it really helped with the humidity.

I like that idea, thank you for sharing it. Looks like I have another project for the weekend[emoji4].

 

[Maro2Bear]

Also for a top layer, look at your garden center for a big old bag of cypress mulch. Ive had great success with this as a substrate. I would fill up a bucket with cypress, give it a good warm water soak, then squeeze out and use in our Sullys indoor and later outdoor enclosure. No mess, no dust, no issues, no mold or mildew, etc.

Best of luck. Happy 4th. Happy Torting.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

The first hide I put in there was just temporary, it was kind of on the small side for him. I updated that with something much larger, he seems to love it. It's another wastebasket, just much larger. Wanted to thank you for the tile idea, the most problematic area I had with the paint is where his hide meets the side of his enclosure. Put a tile in between the two, and now we're good to go. Thank you again. Still need to work on getting plants and stuff in there so it isn't so boring for him. And on a side note, I've heard people say how messy coco coir is, they weren't kidding. I stirred in some water the other day, and by the time I was done it looked like I opened up the door and blew everything around with a leaf blower.View attachment 243930

I have about a 3" layer of Coco Coir then I put a layer of cypress mulch on top of that for Murphy's enclosure. Keeps it more clean.

 

[no one]

I find that Indu and even Turt a little bit get stained by the Coco Coir. From the burrowing down in it. Doesn't Sheldon get stained?

 

[Jay Bagley]

Also for a top layer, look at your garden center for a big old bag of cypress mulch. Ive had great success with this as a substrate. I would fill up a bucket with cypress, give it a good warm water soak, then squeeze out and use in our Sullys indoor and later outdoor enclosure. No mess, no dust, no issues, no mold or mildew, etc.

Best of luck. Happy 4th. Happy Torting.

Thank you, I honestly would love to use cypress mulch. When I first got him back in October, that was the first substrate that I tried. The only issue I had with it, within the first week I found a piece of it in his stool. At first I didn't think it was a big deal, and just figured he picked up a stray piece while eating. But shortly after that, every stool that he passed had cypress mulch in it. I started watching him very closely, he would systematically search for pieces that appealed to him and eat them. I have him on a really good mineral that I gave him once a week. It's something with wood that is lighter in color that appeals to him. If I could break him of the habit, I would really like to use it. I almost wonder if he thinks it's some kind of cuttlebone or something, because he loves them.

 

[Jay Bagley]

I find that Indu and even Turt a little bit get stained by the Coco Coir. From the burrowing down in it. Doesn't Sheldon get stained?

I've only had him on coco coir for about a week and a half, no staining yet. I used repti bark for a while in his old enclosure, and he did get some reddish staining from that.

 

[Jay Bagley]

I have seen some really good improvements in Sheldon since going to the closed chamber. When he was in his open-top tortoise table, his daily routine would consist of... When the lights came on at 7 a.m. he would go to his basking lamp which was a mercury vapor bulb, and huddle under it for the first hour to hour and a half of the day. Then he would move about and get some exercise, back to the lamp, more exercise, eat some food, and then back to the lamp. It was really frustrating watching him spend so much time underneath his basking lamp. I know that wasn't doing him, or his shell much good. Now as soon as the lights go on, he is very active because he is staying warm all the time. He spends very little time underneath his 65 watt flood bulb. This is very refreshing to see, so thank you again to everyone who encouraged me to get rid of the tortoise table, and go to a closed chamber.

 

[no one]

I've only had him on coco coir for about a week and a half, no staining yet. I used repti bark for a while in his old enclosure, and he did get some reddish staining from that.

Yes, I use to have repti bark on the Coco Coir and got the reddish staining too. Then I switched to just the Coco Coir. Still staining, but a least not reddish. A well...

 

[Tom]

This enclosure looks great! You will learn from each one you do.

Now you know about the paint thing, the messy coir thing, the wood warping thing, the hide thing and the "OMG these things grow fast!" thing.

I like the converted room for winter idea too. You'll probably need that this coming winter. Sheldon is about the size that I move them outside full time. By the time fall arrives, he's going to be too big for that enclosure. If you keep making him so healthy and well fed, he's going to outgrow your Dad's beautiful handiwork. Stop soaking him, put him back in a dry table, and feed him lettuce instead of all the good stuff you feed him, so he will grow slower.

 

[Jay Bagley]

This enclosure looks great! You will learn from each one you do.

Now you know about the paint thing, the messy coir thing, the wood warping thing, the hide thing and the "OMG these things grow fast!" thing.

I like the converted room for winter idea too. You'll probably need that this coming winter. Sheldon is about the size that I move them outside full time. By the time fall arrives, he's going to be too big for that enclosure. If you keep making him so healthy and well fed, he's going to outgrow your Dad's beautiful handiwork. Stop soaking him, put him back in a dry table, and feed him lettuce instead of all the good stuff you feed him, so he will grow slower.

Lmao Tom!! You are definitely right on all of the above, moving him into something larger will also give me an excuse to get another tortoise, preferably something smaller this time.[emoji3]

 

[daniellenc]

Lmao Tom!! You are definitely right on all of the above, moving him into something larger will also give me an excuse to get another tortoise, preferably something smaller this time.[emoji3]

Red foot!!