Preparing for my baby sulcata!!!*PIX*

[jfulcher]

Hi jflucher. I'm so glad that you want the very best for your baby. And, all your attempts show that. You still have a little time to make some adjustments. Now that you have a larger tote (50-60 gal), you need to get a temp gun so that you can check what those temps will BEFORE your baby comes home. When you have the uvb on, it should be pointed directly down so that it hits one spot directly below it. Those bulbs is not recommended to be place at a slant. The life of the bulb will be compromised, and it may even blow out. I also noticed that your lamp does not have a ceramic socket. Even if the lamp states it can hold a 100w bulb, the brown plastic socket in the picture can cause a fire because the heat of the MVB can melt that plastic. Please have that changed asap. Make sure the 4 temps are achieved in the enclosure. If the heat from the bulb gets too hot, you may need to raise the lamp higher. The lights such always be shut off at night, and a heat emitter should provide night heat. I see you got a mister, and that's fine so long as you maintain humidity at 80%. If you find you're having trouble keeping humidity up, get a fogger and a thermostat control that can shut off the fogger when the humidity reaches 80%. In my opinion, it's the surest way to maintain constant 80% humidity so that the baby doesn't dehydrate and the shell grows smooth and healthy. Keep us posted.

Sorry, I wrote this before I was able to see how your bulb was positioned. All looks great for now. The enclosure size and food, water dishes should last about 2-3 months. Then, you'll need to graduate her to a really large tote, like the ones for storing Christmas trees. Same setup will work. Oh, and where is the CHE for night heat? Temps should never get below 80 degrees at all times, day or night.

Glad you asked about the CHE sibi... It's Tucson, Az. AND our daily temps right now are in the mid 90's, and it stays roughly 80 in here. If not, I have a under tank heat pad that would take the heat direct to the source! And I'm using a 75 watt ballasted bulb. If there is ANY sign or smell coming from the lamp, I have a ceramic lamp standing by! And again as for our weather it got to 110 inside our home today while we were gone... Our landlord has yet to turn on our pump for our swamp cooler. And I have a fogger, and I have a Mister, I mist violet daily vigorously. Whom if any of u are following her recovery is eating like a champ! So once the pumps on humidity won't be the biggest problem ever! LOL

 

[sibi]

Great! You're on a great start for your lil gal. Please post pics as soon as she arrives. We all love baby pics.

 

[Steve_McQueen]

That light setup looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Consider looking into a way to suspend the light from above (I think zoo-med has a stand, or something) , and cut a larger hole for the light (or just cut that end of the lid off).

 

[jfulcher]

Great! You're on a great start for your lil gal. Please post pics as soon as she arrives. We all love baby pics.

OH YOU GOTTA KNO IM GONNA BE GOING SNAPSHOT CRAZY AS SOON AS SHE ARRIVES!!!! I've had a thing lately where I'm naming my baby reptiles or baby and juvies after flowers LOL! Violet my Leo, Lily my baby female beardie, and now Daisy is what I'm naming the hatchling sulcata!!! Even tho it's unsexed.... Sorry it took me so long to reply I rescued a male betta from a .99c store and was relocating it from the horribly small fishbowl it was in, with waaaay too much gravel, and a piece of bamboo... To a kritter keeper... I hate the mistreatment of animals!!! MAKES ME SICK!!! Oh there I go rambling again lol.....

 

[jfulcher]

SOOO EXCITED!!! I get the shipping number tomorrow!!! Then she comes Tuesday!!! I am so impatiently awaiting her!!!

 

[jfulcher]

I decided I HATE relying on my dial thermometer, and hygrometer... So I went to Honk Kong via eBay LOL!!! And bought this for Daisy!!! It's for a fish tank.... But I imagine it'll work just as well for a terrarium... AND IT'S FAHRENHEIT!!! Couldn't for the life of me find one with F settings till I typed in F!!! She's going to be a spoiled, pampered, well taken care of lil sulcata baby!!! ^__^ <3

 

[lkwagner]

Yeah I have that thermometer, I hate it! It's always way off from my temp gun and is always changing esp if its under a light too long. Just be careful cause I don't trust mine at all.
Looks like you're doing a good job! Can't wait to see pics of your new baby!

 

[Tom]

1. Do not use those plastic fixtures for reptile heat lamps or CHEs. I can tell you first hand, they will eventually fail and could start a fire. Use the ceramic one now, before there is a problem.
2. Those clamps always fail too. More first hand knowledge. Hang the lamps from over head. Build something from 2x4s or buy the ZooMed lamp stand.
3. Do not let the night temps drop below 80. I understand Tuscon has warm weather. They also have occasional cold fronts at night. If you run a CHE on a thermostat and your house stays above 80 ALL the time, it will never kick on, and that hurts nothing. If on the other hand your night temps starts to dip into the 70s as it did the other night, your baby will stay warm enough with its CHE.
4. I'm not able to open your pics. Do you have a humid hide?

Pease click the links in my signature. There is info in there that will help you.

 

[jfulcher]

Well I'll check it with my gun and see if Mayr u just got a faulty one, if not I'll get my money back, and it's going to be far from the lamp, or far enough for no fires.

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AND SHE SHIPPED TODAY!!!

 

[jfulcher]

Doing a final rundown of the setup! Checking temps and making sure everything is correct! Plus Noodle(kitty photo bombing the pic)wanted to be shown! XD~
Temps are good, humidity is a little low, haven't sprayed in a couple days... But I'll spray it def good tonight! Temps at night running 78-80 so gotta bring out the reptile under tank heat pad just in case... IM SO NERVOUS!!! DX

 

[MasterOogway]

Doing a final rundown of the setup! Checking temps and making sure everything is correct! Plus Noodle(kitty photo bombing the pic)wanted to be shown! XD~
Temps are good, humidity is a little low, haven't sprayed in a couple days... But I'll spray it def good tonight! Temps at night running 78-80 so gotta bring out the reptile under tank heat pad just in case... IM SO NERVOUS!!! DX

I am soooo excited for you! I can't wait to see pictures

 

[jfulcher]

I am soooo excited for you! I can't wait to see pictures

THANKS!!! I AM AN EXCITED MAMA!!! I CAN BARELY SIT STILL!!! Was up till 6:30am fidgeting with the setup and moving BF'S desk to the bedroom so we'd have more room for her(and the beardies) as she grows. Still going to make her an outside tortie for sure once she's big enough!!! AND IT'S GOING TO HAVEMA LOCKING GATE!!! No critter theif is going to get either my torts.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I don't think an under tank heater can be used on a plastic tote.

For those who use them, am i wrong? ? ?
I was under the assumption an under tank heater can only be used on glass..

Be careful, i know you are excited and trying to do things right. It just seems like you are cutting corners in dangerous areas. (plastic socket for the MVB, paper clips to hold the light, under tank heater on plastic for night heat)

 

[knighterson]

You can use the mini size (rh 7 I think?) on plastic but I think they still recommend it side mounted.

 

[theelectraco]

I don't think an under tank heater can be used on a plastic tote.

For those who use them, am i wrong? ? ?
I was under the assumption an under tank heater can only be used on glass..

Be careful, i know you are excited and trying to do things right. It just seems like you are cutting corners in dangerous areas. (plastic socket for the MVB, paper clips to hold the light, under tank heater on plastic for night heat)

Small ones can be used on plastic. They are designed for Kritter Keepers usually, but the higher wattage UTH may warm up the plastic too much

 

[jfulcher]

Mines pretty small and a low wattage... If we can get it working.... Worked last winter.... It's getting power, but not heating up.

 

[SmileyKylie623]

Not sure if anyone else mentioned this but large Rubbermaids work great. They are cheap and I have not had any problems with maintaining perfect temps or humidity with my 55 gallon tub so far. I do have a metal piece of dog x-pen fencing (if anyone knows what that is) over the top to rest the lamps on and to keep my cat out. Like I said, haven't had one issue yet and the container cost me $13 at Target!

 

[jfulcher]

Not sure if anyone else mentioned this but large Rubbermaids work great. They are cheap and I have not had any problems with maintaining perfect temps or humidity with my 55 gallon tub so far. I do have a metal piece of dog x-pen fencing (if anyone knows what that is) over the top to rest the lamps on and to keep my cat out. Like I said, haven't had one issue yet and the container cost me $13 at Target!

I've got a slightly smaller tub at the moment... But I'm JUST setting everything up lol! Had to rearrange my living room from moving my bfs desk to the bedroom to make room for all my reptilian children LOL!!! I have her enclosure on a dinner table tray(the fold out kind...) and tacked a power surge protected power strip to the wall.... And moved my beardies over there as well! So all my babies are within eyes reach at all times!
Here's a pic of my little corner with my babies!!!
p.s. I just moved a VERY messy desk out of there so there's remnants of his mess there..

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And here's the secured power supply!!!

 

[jfulcher]

OKAY!!! For all you worried about her night time temps, I found my heating pad!!! It's double wrapped in its cloth wrap, AND a pillowcase! So no melting!!! Have it set to MED-HI... Going to check temps in a hour or so and see what it is in there.... I kept it about that for my gravid tarantula, and it stayed around 80-85 all night and made it go up to about 95-98 during the day.... But it will go off during the day!!!

Correction... I had it set to medium lo so I just readjusted it....

 

[jfulcher]

10:22 and counting... Not here yet... LOL...

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OH NO THERE'S A PROBLEM!!!!