Product & Plant recommendations

[j-remy]

In the research stages of building a tort enclosure for a cherry head. I've read that they are sensitive to directed heat and that a generally higher enclosure temperature of 80-90 is preferred rather than a specific basking spot as to prevent pyramiding.
So, it seems like CHEs are definitely the best way to go.
Any product recommendations for CHEs and thermostat setups would be fantastic.
Product recs for UV aswell
Next looking for recs on whether to use a auto-mister or a humidifier maybe even both for good luck and if so what product I should go for.

And lastly what kind of plants to grow in the enclosure for shade and general happy tortoise vibes.

Thanks,
-J

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello from a fellow red foot keeper

SO glad you’ve made your way to the forum! You’re in the best possible place for research, there’s far too much outdated information out there unfortunately

To answer some initial queries, you’ll actually be best avoiding any kind of humidifier/misting system, they can become problematic, especially for this species, they just get the surface area wet to temporarily boost the levels instead of maintaining the ambient humidity properly, the surface layer being wet isn’t ideal for cherry heads because they’re more prone to fungal infections. The safest most efficient way to maintain your humidity is a thick damp layer of appropriate substrate, in a proper closed chamber set up.

You’re absolutely right about the temperature, it’s best to aim for an ambient of 80-86(82-84 being the sweet spot) 24/7, no need for a night drop with these guys.

There’s lots of wonderful plant options, spider plants are a good start, you can get a mother plant established outside the enclosure for her to give you an endless supply of spider babies. You could use different kinds of grasses for coverage like sedge, carax, fescue. Theres plants like Boston ferns, prayer plants, pilea, air plants, different succulents etc. just be aware that any store bought plants do need re potting in organic soil and a quarantine period of 6-12months(annoying I know), this is because any fertilisers or pesticides could’ve been absorbed by the plants.

I’m going to leave some links below that will hopefully help on the recommendation side of things

This housing thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for red foots(only way to maintain the humidity you need indoors), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, a diet list and a really handy diet link to check out, thank link also has a bunch of plants that are safe for enclosures! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

Young red foot/ cherryhead set up

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information on an effective example of a starter enclosure for a red foot/cherry head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes different closed chambers, some work better than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is probably most important to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they help! Don’t hesitate to ask any further questions, happy to break things down where needed, welcome to the forum

 

[j-remy]

Hello from a fellow red foot keeper

SO glad you’ve made your way to the forum! You’re in the best possible place for research, there’s far too much outdated information out there unfortunately

To answer some initial queries, you’ll actually be best avoiding any kind of humidifier/misting system, they can become problematic, especially for this species, they just get the surface area wet to temporarily boost the levels instead of maintaining the ambient humidity properly, the surface layer being wet isn’t ideal for cherry heads because they’re more prone to fungal infections. The safest most efficient way to maintain your humidity is a thick damp layer of appropriate substrate, in a proper closed chamber set up.

You’re absolutely right about the temperature, it’s best to aim for an ambient of 80-86(82-84 being the sweet spot) 24/7, no need for a night drop with these guys.

There’s lots of wonderful plant options, spider plants are a good start, you can get a mother plant established outside the enclosure for her to give you an endless supply of spider babies. You could use different kinds of grasses for coverage like sedge, carax, fescue. Theres plants like Boston ferns, prayer plants, pilea, air plants, different succulents etc. just be aware that any store bought plants do need re potting in organic soil and a quarantine period of 6-12months(annoying I know), this is because any fertilisers or pesticides could’ve been absorbed by the plants.

I’m going to leave some links below that will hopefully help on the recommendation side of things

This housing thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for red foots(only way to maintain the humidity you need indoors), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, a diet list and a really handy diet link to check out, thank link also has a bunch of plants that are safe for enclosures! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

Young red foot/ cherryhead set up

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information on an effective example of a starter enclosure for a red foot/cherry head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes different closed chambers, some work better than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is probably most important to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they help! Don’t hesitate to ask any further questions, happy to break things down where needed, welcome to the forum

The thing I'm most confused about is the "closed chamber" enclosure. Does it not need some kind of ventilation to prevent stagnant air and mold? If so how much ventilation is the correct amount of ventilation to maintain the balance between maximum humidity and necessary airflow?
-J

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

The thing I'm most confused about is the "closed chamber" enclosure. Does it not need some kind of ventilation to prevent stagnant air and mold? If so how much ventilation is the correct amount of ventilation to maintain the balance between maximum humidity and necessary airflow?
-J

Don’t worry, that threw me through the same loop of thought process when first getting into keeping. The point with the closed chamber is to prevent air flow, that exchange will cause a constant loss of heat and humidity, but no enclosure is air tight, and when opening up to do daily husbandries you’re creating more than enough air exchange to eliminate things becoming stagnant, it definitely doesn’t hurt to keep on top of wiping the walls of your enclosure down too, to avoid a slimy build up, which can happen with any high humidity set up if you don’t keep on top of it.

Be sure to turn over your substrate every 7-10 days too, this is to make sure you don’t have any standing moisture at the bottom, make sure you’re doing daily spot cleans to pick up waste&uneaten food, any organic matter left behind can grow mould, some people implement handy clean up crews in the form of springtails, isopods etc, a lot of the time springtails show up with out purposely adding them lol, especially with the higher humidity

 

[j-remy]

Don’t worry, that threw me through the same loop of thought process when first getting into keeping. The point with the closed chamber is to prevent air flow, that exchange will cause a constant loss of heat and humidity, but no enclosure is air tight, and when opening up to do daily husbandries you’re creating more than enough air exchange to eliminate things becoming stagnant, it definitely doesn’t hurt to keep on top of wiping the walls of your enclosure down too, to avoid a slimy build up, which can happen with any high humidity set up if you don’t keep on top of it.

Be sure to turn over your substrate every 7-10 days too, this is to make sure you don’t have any standing moisture at the bottom, make sure you’re doing daily spot cleans to pick up waste&uneaten food, any organic matter left behind can grow mould, some people implement handy clean up crews in the form of springtails, isopods etc, a lot of the time springtails show up with out purposely adding them lol, especially with the higher humidity

Got it, that actually makes a lot of sense. When thinking about this I hadn't even considered the fact that I would be opening it daily for feeding soaking and cleaning as a means for air exchange. Definitely get it now!