Please help. Greek or Russian or Hermann?

[CaseyAR]

Go to Amazon and look up Reptile Mercury Vapor Bulb. They have good prices on them and they ship out very quickly. I usually get my orders from them in about two or three days.

Is the vapor bulb the only one I need? Or do I need a separate tube uv light as well for his open top table?

do you have any weeds in your yard? like dandelion? this is what they love weeds weeds weeds if you are not sure of what it is you can post a pic and someone will try to help you out. It is winter here so nothing but snow outside . I did find dandelion at whole foods.

I might try whole foods because I don't trust anything in my yard. My mother lives with my husband and I and she's tended the yard for years and I know for a fact she's used weed killer and the like :-(

 

[Heather H]

Is the vapor bulb the only one I need? Or do I need a separate tube uv light as well for his open top table?

I might try whole foods because I don't trust anything in my yard. My mother lives with my husband and I and she's tended the yard for years and I know for a fact she's used weed killer and the like :-(

i love whole foods. mine has dandelion. and its good for us too. you can ask them to make you a smaller bunch.

 

[Heather H]

mvb is both heat and UVB. unless your temps at night go under 60 then you should not need a night time heat source.

 

[CaseyAR]

mvb is both heat and UVB. unless your temps at night go under 60 then you should not need a night time heat source.

Thanks so much for the help! Im just trying to get my ducks in a row before i put out any more money. I'm on amazon and I see a 100 watt and a 160 watt. Is the 100 sufficient?

 

[dmmj]

It's a tortoise, it is always going to drink the water, like it has never seen it before.
As for him just sitting there, it will be awhile before it warms up ( emotionally) to you. it"s eating so that is a great sign, they often don"t for awhile.

 

[Heather H]

Thanks so much for the help! Im just trying to get my ducks in a row before i put out any more money. I'm on amazon and I see a 100 watt and a 160 watt. Is the 100 sufficient?

I have a 100 watt are you talking about the current enclosure or the one you guys are making?
I would go 150 for the open enclosure

 

[leigti]

The wattage depends on how far away the bold is from the tortoise. The hundred watt bulb should be about 12 inches above the tortoises shell, the hundred and 60 W bulb is higher than that. So it does depend on how high you want to put it.

 

[weldorNate]

The 3'x6' should be nice should also notice a nice active tortoise when it gets all settled in

 

[Tom]

The bark substrate you have in there now is good stuff. I don't like "top soil" because I don't know what it is made of. It could be anything. Its also messy.

How cold does your house get at night? If its higher than 60ish year round, then you really only need the MVB and a timer for it. I would get the 160 watt for the table since it heats a larger area, which is good.

If you are going to offer squash ( I wouldn't offer it often...) I would recommend grating it. They can choke on big square chunks like that. Leafy greens are best. There are many types at the store and you should rotate through lots of them, but favor escarole, endive and spring mix.

Is that soaked ZooMed pellets? That is a good food, but few tortoises will eat it plain like that. The best way to use it is to soak a single pellet and mix that in with chopped up leafy greens. Over time you can start using two pellets and maybe work up to three.

Here is a list of better food suggestions that you might be able to find in spring and summer:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food

 

[CaseyAR]

The bark substrate you have in there now is good stuff. I don't like "top soil" because I don't know what it is made of. It could be anything. Its also messy.

How cold does your house get at night? If its higher than 60ish year round, then you really only need the MVB and a timer for it. I would get the 160 watt for the table since it heats a larger area, which is good.

If you are going to offer squash ( I wouldn't offer it often...) I would recommend grating it. They can choke on big square chunks like that. Leafy greens are best. There are many types at the store and you should rotate through lots of them, but favor escarole, endive and spring mix.

Is that soaked ZooMed pellets? That is a good food, but few tortoises will eat it plain like that. The best way to use it is to soak a single pellet and mix that in with chopped up leafy greens. Over time you can start using two pellets and maybe work up to three.

Here is a list of better food suggestions that you might be able to find in spring and summer:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food

I had no idea about those pellets! This morning I ran his food through my Ninja chopper (I don't know why I didn't think of that before). As far as the soil goes, I thought soil was okay as long as it doesn't have any additives? The reptibark I have now is 10 dollars for a small bag, and it took 2 bags to fill up the tank he's in now. I'm worried that once his table is finished I'll go broke filling it with the reptibark when soil is a couple of dollars a bag. If the soil isn't safe then I'll just have to figure out a way to scrape up for the reptibark. But good Lord my husband is only so understanding lol. Thank you so much for the food list! I'll probably have to make a trip to a whole foods store to get a lot of it. I live out in the middle of nowhere and our market has very little.

 

[CaseyAR]

Also, what is the best type of thermometer for the table? Or would a temp gun be better?

 

[Tom]

I had no idea about those pellets! This morning I ran his food through my Ninja chopper (I don't know why I didn't think of that before). As far as the soil goes, I thought soil was okay as long as it doesn't have any additives? The reptibark I have now is 10 dollars for a small bag, and it took 2 bags to fill up the tank he's in now. I'm worried that once his table is finished I'll go broke filling it with the reptibark when soil is a couple of dollars a bag. If the soil isn't safe then I'll just have to figure out a way to scrape up for the reptibark. But good Lord my husband is only so understanding lol. Thank you so much for the food list! I'll probably have to make a trip to a whole foods store to get a lot of it. I live out in the middle of nowhere and our market has very little.

It is not that topsoil is unsafe. Its that different people have different preferences, often based on experience and practicality. I've tried various types of "top soil" and never liked it. Not knowing what is in it concerns me too.

In my "beginner Mistakes" thread I mention that pet stores are generally not a good place to get tortoise supplies. Hardware stores are much more suited to our needs. You $10 a bag O bark is a great example. You can get a huge 2.0 cubic foot bag of it at a garden center or hardware store for $5-6. I buy 10 of these at a time. Just make sure you get the fine grade stuff, not the coarse grade with the big honkin' chunks. I get one called "Pathway Bark" at Lowes for $4.83 a bag. THis would work great in your new table.

 

[CaseyAR]

I couldn't find Pathway Bark at the Lowe's near where I live. Will cypress blend mulch do?

 

[Heather H]

I couldn't find Pathway Bark at the Lowe's near where I live. Will cypress blend mulch do?

@Tom will this work?
Casey when you want a certain person to see something put a @ before the name. I tagged Tom in this for you

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Is it pure cypress? 'Blend' makes me think they've got something mixed in. Do they have ingredients? Look out for pine and cedar.

 

[CaseyAR]

Oh! Thanks @Heather Hilliard! @Yellow Turtle01, It Does Say Cypress blend, but it doesn't specify what else they put in it.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Hrmm.
Tom knows his cyrpress, so hopefully he has some input on the 'blend'
I'm one of those people who swear by coco coir

 

[Heather H]

Oh! Thanks @Heather Hilliard! @Yellow Turtle01, It Does Say Cypress blend, but it doesn't specify what else they put in it.

you are more than welcome. I am a also a big user of coco coir.

 

[Tom]

I couldn't find Pathway Bark at the Lowe's near where I live. Will cypress blend mulch do?

Depends on what is in it and what the particle size is. It could work, but we'd have to know what is in it.

 

[CaseyAR]

Koopa hasn't eaten since Thursday morning. Is this normal behavior?