I have finally set up my tortoise house (rearranged 3 times based on many threads on TF), and I would love some feedback from all you experts out there, or newbies who have successfully set up their tables. I am pretty happy with the set up, but I really need some advice on certain issues, as I'm not sure Ari is as happy as I am with her abode. Below are photos of the house, which I hope show all the relevant parts of the house. Ari is in one of the hides - she is a bit shy - so I have also attached a photo of her. My questions/issues follow below the photos. BTW - she is a greek (I'm not certain of her subspecies), about 8-9 months old.
Here's some basic info about the house:
Substrate: Pure Coco Coir. Previously I mixed in Cypress Mulch but Ari started eating it. I also have mixed in Repti Bark, but I read on TF that it is difficult for babies to walk on so I don't use it anymore. The hot side has a bottom layer of moist moss (exo-terra forest moss) with about 2-3 inches of coco coir on top; the warm side is coco coir only.
The moss you will see in the photos is a mix of forest moss and sphagnum moss - wet on the hot side and dry on the warm side.
Hot Humid Side: Day - 89-101 degrees, between 20-50% maximum "general" humidity , humid hides humidity: between 40-50%. Humid Hide #1 is an upside down rectangular plastic container covered in contact paper with cut-out opening; a moist sponge is glued to the "ceiling"; moist moss in the back. [Ari spends most of her time sleeping in Hide #1]. Humid Hide #2 is angled into a hill of layers of moist moss and coco coir. Night: 69-71 degrees (MVB & CHE off; I replace the basking bulb with a 100Watt incandescent bulb if the night is chilly; if not, all lights are off)
Warm Dry Side: Between 71-82 degrees and a bit lower at night. Virtually no humidity.
Please Beware! The warm dry side is sparse and dark and in my opinion looks awful and unwelcoming. Ari NEVER goes in there. I have tried to entice her by placing her cuttlebone slightly inside the entry, but no success so far. I could use some interior designing help here!
'Nuf said . . . here are the photos.
I have read through the posts in the Enclosures part of the forum (as well as the species-specific Greek posts), and have read just enough to get completely confused as I try to reconcile all the different (but not necessarily inconsistent) advice. That said, I've tried very hard to narrow down the issues. So here we go . . . !
HUMIDITY: This seems to be the most challenging issue for me. With the current set up, the humidity in the hot area only goes up to about 50%, and that's only AFTER I spray the hot section. I believe that I need to have an additional source(s) of moisture as well as increase the temperature of the substrate. I am considering placing heat ropes under the substrate and decreasing the wattage of the lamps, but I'm not sure of the best way to add more moisture. I have read the following ideas: attaching very wet sponges (where?), placing a glass cover over the humid side (where and what about the lighting from above?); installing a waterfall (sounds complicated), and/or using a wet/damp humidifier (sounds expensive & where/how?). I'm sure there is a simple solution that won't require me to take out a second mortgage on my house, or spend all day spraying the house, but I just can't seem to find it.
REGULATING TEMPERATURE: Right now I'm not employed so I have the ability to check the temps a few times a day and make adjustments (ie, changing the CHE from 100 Watts to 60 Watts or vice-versa), but at some point when I find a job I will be out of the house all day. I have looked at the thermostats at PetSmart - they look kind of cheap and flimsy to me, and I question their quality/effectiveness. I figure that Home Depot is the best source for thermostats, so if anyone can recommend a good brand which can handle multiple sources of heat I would appreciate it.
LAMPS: All of my lamps have ceramic bases, so I'm clear on that issue. However, I don't know when a dome lamp should be used vs. a wire lamp. I assume the dome light provides more concentrated heat, while a wire lamp disburses heat to a larger area (pretty basic), but I don't know which lamps should be concentrated on an area (other than the basking lamp as that seems obvious) or broadly disbursed.
SPARSE WARM AREA: As mentioned above, the warm area is very unwelcoming and DARK (I think it's supposed to be dark given that it has a cover), and Ari never goes in there. If anyone has any ideas to spruce it up to make it into a place Ari would like to visit once in a while, I would really appreciate it.
ANY OTHER ADVICE/SUGGESTIONS IS/ARE WELCOME!! Don't hesitate to offer constructive criticism or make any other comments. I have never been steered wrong here!
Thanks for your patience reading this very lengthy post (those of you who have successfully trudged through this)! My intention was to minimize the backing and forthing of basic questions that usually follow posts requesting help regarding fairly broad topics.
Thanks in advance!
Best,
Kristina
Here's some basic info about the house:
Substrate: Pure Coco Coir. Previously I mixed in Cypress Mulch but Ari started eating it. I also have mixed in Repti Bark, but I read on TF that it is difficult for babies to walk on so I don't use it anymore. The hot side has a bottom layer of moist moss (exo-terra forest moss) with about 2-3 inches of coco coir on top; the warm side is coco coir only.
The moss you will see in the photos is a mix of forest moss and sphagnum moss - wet on the hot side and dry on the warm side.
Hot Humid Side: Day - 89-101 degrees, between 20-50% maximum "general" humidity , humid hides humidity: between 40-50%. Humid Hide #1 is an upside down rectangular plastic container covered in contact paper with cut-out opening; a moist sponge is glued to the "ceiling"; moist moss in the back. [Ari spends most of her time sleeping in Hide #1]. Humid Hide #2 is angled into a hill of layers of moist moss and coco coir. Night: 69-71 degrees (MVB & CHE off; I replace the basking bulb with a 100Watt incandescent bulb if the night is chilly; if not, all lights are off)
Warm Dry Side: Between 71-82 degrees and a bit lower at night. Virtually no humidity.
Please Beware! The warm dry side is sparse and dark and in my opinion looks awful and unwelcoming. Ari NEVER goes in there. I have tried to entice her by placing her cuttlebone slightly inside the entry, but no success so far. I could use some interior designing help here!
'Nuf said . . . here are the photos.
I have read through the posts in the Enclosures part of the forum (as well as the species-specific Greek posts), and have read just enough to get completely confused as I try to reconcile all the different (but not necessarily inconsistent) advice. That said, I've tried very hard to narrow down the issues. So here we go . . . !
HUMIDITY: This seems to be the most challenging issue for me. With the current set up, the humidity in the hot area only goes up to about 50%, and that's only AFTER I spray the hot section. I believe that I need to have an additional source(s) of moisture as well as increase the temperature of the substrate. I am considering placing heat ropes under the substrate and decreasing the wattage of the lamps, but I'm not sure of the best way to add more moisture. I have read the following ideas: attaching very wet sponges (where?), placing a glass cover over the humid side (where and what about the lighting from above?); installing a waterfall (sounds complicated), and/or using a wet/damp humidifier (sounds expensive & where/how?). I'm sure there is a simple solution that won't require me to take out a second mortgage on my house, or spend all day spraying the house, but I just can't seem to find it.
REGULATING TEMPERATURE: Right now I'm not employed so I have the ability to check the temps a few times a day and make adjustments (ie, changing the CHE from 100 Watts to 60 Watts or vice-versa), but at some point when I find a job I will be out of the house all day. I have looked at the thermostats at PetSmart - they look kind of cheap and flimsy to me, and I question their quality/effectiveness. I figure that Home Depot is the best source for thermostats, so if anyone can recommend a good brand which can handle multiple sources of heat I would appreciate it.
LAMPS: All of my lamps have ceramic bases, so I'm clear on that issue. However, I don't know when a dome lamp should be used vs. a wire lamp. I assume the dome light provides more concentrated heat, while a wire lamp disburses heat to a larger area (pretty basic), but I don't know which lamps should be concentrated on an area (other than the basking lamp as that seems obvious) or broadly disbursed.
SPARSE WARM AREA: As mentioned above, the warm area is very unwelcoming and DARK (I think it's supposed to be dark given that it has a cover), and Ari never goes in there. If anyone has any ideas to spruce it up to make it into a place Ari would like to visit once in a while, I would really appreciate it.
ANY OTHER ADVICE/SUGGESTIONS IS/ARE WELCOME!! Don't hesitate to offer constructive criticism or make any other comments. I have never been steered wrong here!
Thanks for your patience reading this very lengthy post (those of you who have successfully trudged through this)! My intention was to minimize the backing and forthing of basic questions that usually follow posts requesting help regarding fairly broad topics.
Thanks in advance!
Best,
Kristina