Plans for my tortoise table

[jimbo]

Just like to make clear I have never owned a tortoise and am very new to all of this! I plan on getting a Hermann tortoise in a few weeks when I have my set up complete. I really just want to check my plans for my table are sufficient to the tortoises needs! I think it is a good sized table but am not sure if one light (solar glo combination bulb) is sufficient. the table will be inside in my dinning room which is quite warm.

It will be made from a wooden frame with a pond liner laid inside, I then plan to lay seeding trays on top with the different surfaces inside.

Any improvements or things that need to be changed will be very much appreciated!

Cheers

James

 

[tortoisenerd]

Hi there! Welcome to the forum. Wow that looks awesome! Great planning. I love when people draw out plans (I did that too; I'm an engineer). Is this for a full-grown tort or a hatchling? If it is a hatchling I would block off half and expand it as the tort grows so the enclosure can grow with the tort and you don't have to build a larger one. They need an expanding space as they grow, if that is applicable to your case.

I recommend a different brand of Mercury Vapor Bulb. The Mega Ray, T-Rex Active Heat, and Powersun models are all more highly regarded as far as quality and UVB output. If at all possible I would get one of those (you probably need 100 watt). Look at:
www.uvguide.co.uk
www.reptileuv.com
http://www.t-rexproducts.com/products/lighting/active-uv-heat/
http://www.zoomed.com/

So are you hanging the light fixture from the beam? Cool! I just have mine on a stand.

What are you planning to do to heat that large of an enclosure; what temperature is your house? Type of wood to build it out of? Height of the sides? Depth of substrate? Once you have the substrate in there and the MVB set up you should then check the temperatures in the enclosure to make sure you have a gradient from the 70s to the 90s F (21C to 35C), with a basking spot of about 95. I use a laser thermometer (I got the PE1 on Ebay for $25) to quickly and accurately check temps. Then you can see if you need additional heating. Is your room pretty bright? You may also think about additional lighting if needed. With the bulb placed in the center (good call!) you may be ok. It's something that is case by case.

I have a very long rectangular enclosure, about 5.5 ft by 1.5 ft. I have my MVB in the middle offset a bit. Then, during the cooler months I have a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) also offset for additional heat running all the time. Between the two the enclosure stays a nice gradient in winter even though my house temperature may be in the 60s. I then keep only the CHE on at night and my tort learned to sleep under it. A CHE can bump up temperatures from the room temp about 10 degrees plus or minus.

What temp is your house at night at the coolest? You may want a CHE or black light bulb for use at night (and if needed in the day) if it drops before 65F (18C) or so, such as in winter. Some in the U.K. (if I am assuming correctly) keep their Hermanns a little cooler than we would in the U.S. This is ok as long as the tort is used to it and can adjust. They do need to be warm enough to eat, and if you keep them cooler than they are used to it should be a gradual change.

Pond liner is great. I stapled mine in with a staple gun (I used shower pan liner; about the same thickness probably). I love the tray idea. Are they going to be sunk into the substrate to be level, or above the ground? Do stay flexible because this does not always work as planned. I can see you have put a lot of thought into this. Observe the tort in the surroundings and make changes as needed.

Not sure you want that many pebbles; they are not easy for them to walk on sometimes, and some torts try to eat them (they need to be large enough to prevent them from eating them but not soo big it's unstable to walk on). You probably want three hides in that large of an enclosure (in different temperatures). Mine even likes a pile of timothy hay under his light to hang out in and stay cozy. I would use almost all of the soil&sand mixture, one small pebble area, the plant areas (even fake plants for hide areas are great), and the stone. You can even use two tiles or break one in half.

What kind of water dish is the pool? Is this being placed on a table, or are you building legs for it? I can't wait to see pictures when you are done!

Best wishes.