Questions about the tortoise

Ray--Opo

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Hello, pics of your enclosure would be helpful. I started out with a plastic container with a open top. I didn't know the need for humidity. I worked with what I had and built a 2 section wooden top. 1×4 frames with chicken wire and plywood inserts. Once it was painted my heating and humidity problems were solved. I put in a webcam ( thanks Tom for the suggestion). The last photo the wires are a mess because I have a furniture dolly under it and was rolling it outside during the day when it warmed up. If I had found this forum first. I would have done something much different. If we can see your enclosure it would be easier to answer questions.
20180307_122645.jpg 20180307_122559.jpg 20181125_124854.jpg
 

Ray--Opo

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I have two more questions

My tortoise looks like going to sleep when it is soaked. Not sure if this is too comfortable to it. The only worried part is that its head may fall into the water and get drown which make cause some health problem to its lung or even dead. I need to continue to wake it up when it is soaked. Any good way to keep them awake?

The other thing is that the tortoise likes to eat its stool. When the stool is out, it will start to eat it. I cannot be fast enough to pick its stool up every time. Not sure it will cause any health problem or not.
My sully was a poop eater also. Then he seemed to poop during or right after eating. So I was there most of the time to get it. Pretty soon Opo had no interest to eat it. Now he only poops while being soaked. Won't poop in the enclosure. For the first month until I figured out he was eating it he never became sick. I haven't read a post about a tort getting sick from eating poo. Just get it when you can and your tort should grow out of doing that.
 

Ray--Opo

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Talking about the humidity. I’d like to talk about the heating way first. I use the ceramic light to heat but I feel it is a humidity killer. The temperature of the place under or around the ceramic light is high but the humidity is low. In the corners which the ceramic light cannot Impact, humidity is higher but temperature is lower. I am using a fog humidifier but it doesn’t quite change the situation

I also find Amazon sell the heating pad but it cannot be used under a plastic tote. What heating device do you guys use?
A lot of members here use a Kane mat with a thermostat. You don't need to buy the thermostat from Kane. I think they charge to much.
Hopefully another member will chime in if it is ok for a heat mat for your little guy. You don't want to cook him. @Tom
 

Tom

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The enclosure size is not large. I have a large tote but I feel it is very hard to control the temperature. The large one is a plastic tote from walmart. However, the spots under the ceramic light will be very hot. Can be more than 100 f. While some corner will be very cold, around 70 f. Then the tortoise likes to stay in those dark and cold corners. I feel that may hurt its health. I tried use some foil paper to do some seaI of the tote. But it doesn't quite help since I cannot seal them very well. I have ceramic lights and uv lights which has a fixture which needs to be inserted into the tote from outside. can make the whole tote to be almost 85- 95 degrees if I use this relative small tote.
Tortoises need a large enclosure. The reason we are talking about is a primary one. When kept in containers that are too small, constipation is one of the problems you are likely to encounter. You need a large closed chamber. I find it easier to buy one and there are several threads here showing a few different places to buy one. It is near impossible to maintain the right temperatures and humidity in an open topped enclosure. Also, radiant heat panels will work much better to maintain the correct temperatures without making hot spots.

What bulbs are you using? UV? What type? When they hide in the corner, sometimes its because of the bulb. A picture of your enclosure would help us give you better advice.
 

Tom

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I have two more questions

My tortoise looks like going to sleep when it is soaked. Not sure if this is too comfortable to it. The only worried part is that its head may fall into the water and get drown which make cause some health problem to its lung or even dead. I need to continue to wake it up when it is soaked. Any good way to keep them awake?

The other thing is that the tortoise likes to eat its stool. When the stool is out, it will start to eat it. I cannot be fast enough to pick its stool up every time. Not sure it will cause any health problem or not.
Unless the tortoise is very sick, the water should cause you no problems. Its good that he's relaxed in there. If you soak your tortoise for longer time periods, it will empty its bowels in the soaking water and you can dump it down the toilet. Then it won't have the chance to eat it.
 

qiangzhu

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Tortoises need a large enclosure. The reason we are talking about is a primary one. When kept in containers that are too small, constipation is one of the problems you are likely to encounter. You need a large closed chamber. I find it easier to buy one and there are several threads here showing a few different places to buy one. It is near impossible to maintain the right temperatures and humidity in an open topped enclosure. Also, radiant heat panels will work much better to maintain the correct temperatures without making hot spots.

What bulbs are you using? UV? What type? When they hide in the corner, sometimes its because of the bulb. A picture of your enclosure would help us give you better advice.

Do you have an example link to the radiant thermostat? I tried to google it but not sure if I find the correct thing. If I can control the temperature nicely across the whole tote, I will change it back to the large tote.
 

Ray--Opo

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Do you have an example link to the radiant thermostat? I tried to google it but not sure if I find the correct thing. If I can control the temperature nicely across the whole tote, I will change it back to the large tote.
Look for radiant heat panel. I wish I could send it link but I am not that computer savvy
 

Maro2Bear

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Do you have an example link to the radiant thermostat? I tried to google it but not sure if I find the correct thing. If I can control the temperature nicely across the whole tote, I will change it back to the large tote.


Here’s a link to the Reptile Basics heat panels that many of us use.

https://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels

And here is a link to the Zilla thermostat

https://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller


Good luck.
 

Ciri

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Ok. I can buy these things. But one problem is that I only have one tortoise and it eats not much everyday. The grocery store usually doesn’t let me do a mix of greens. If I buy one veg, I need to buy a certain amount. That amount can let my tortoise eat for at least two weeks. If I buy multiple vegs and the tortoise cannot eat that much, the result may be that most of the veg will go bad after 2-3 weeks and get wasted. So I only can do one veg every two weeks. Is that ok for the multiple diet?

Personally I don’t quite eat those vegs so I also cannot eat the veg if the tortoise cannot finish them all.
You can buy a single carrot vegetable or small sweet potato. As for the greens which are quite nutritious, how about growing a variety of the greens in a plant pot in your house? And just so you know, these all need to be organic to avoid toxins which could harm the tortoise.
 

Yvonne G

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It’s not cold. The temperature is from 30 to 40 C which I believe it is 90-100f. I will first make the water around 40 c and the temperature will continue to drop. When it reaches 30 c, I will add hot water to make it back to 40.

I don’t have a good way to keep the water temperature as a constant.

Sometimes I will make it a little higher even to 45c. But I also cannot make the temperature higher than 45c. I feel it might be too hot.
If you use a small enough container (with high sides) you can set it back inside the enclosure NEXT to where the light shines down on the floor of the enclosure to help keep it warm.
 

Yvonne G

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Ok. I can buy these things. But one problem is that I only have one tortoise and it eats not much everyday. The grocery store usually doesn’t let me do a mix of greens. If I buy one veg, I need to buy a certain amount. That amount can let my tortoise eat for at least two weeks. If I buy multiple vegs and the tortoise cannot eat that much, the result may be that most of the veg will go bad after 2-3 weeks and get wasted. So I only can do one veg every two weeks. Is that ok for the multiple diet?

Personally I don’t quite eat those vegs so I also cannot eat the veg if the tortoise cannot finish them all.
Everyone who only keeps one tortoise has this same problem. You only have to buy one head of one item this week, then a different item next week and yet a different item the following week. Yes, there is waste. Until you have the tortoise eating weeds and plants from outside, there is going to be waste.
 

qiangzhu

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Here’s a link to the Reptile Basics heat panels that many of us use.

https://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels

And here is a link to the Zilla thermostat

https://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller


Good luck.

thanks!
Is this panel installed at the bottom of the tortoise container? It should be inside the container or outside?

Also is it ok for a plastic container? I know plastic may get melted for high temperature
 

Ray--Opo

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The panel is for mounting from the top inside the enclosure. Not sure if it would melt the plastic hopefully someone can answer for you. I will also do some research.
 

qiangzhu

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The panel is for mounting from the top inside the enclosure. Not sure if it would melt the plastic hopefully someone can answer for you. I will also do some research.

So it should be inside or outside? Can I just put it on top of my container use the four walls of the container to hold it?
 

qiangzhu

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The panel is for mounting from the top inside the enclosure. Not sure if it would melt the plastic hopefully someone can answer for you. I will also do some research.

Oh I see you said it should be inside the enclosure. So how should I hold it on top? The way I can only think is to put it outside the enclose and use at least two walls of the enclosure to hold it
 

Ciri

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For food you could also create a Grazing box – put a couple of inches of soil (no perlite or manure) in a plastic or metal bin and plant diachondra, clover and other seeds. If you make 2 you can rotate so the plants can recover between feedings. Then you don't have the food waste. And its healthier to graze naturally as well as more fun for the tortoise.
 

Ray--Opo

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Oh I see you said it should be inside the enclosure. So how should I hold it on top? The way I can only think is to put it outside the enclose and use at least two walls of the enclosure to hold it
You could lay 2 peices of wood across the top and fasten the RHP to them. Remember the RHP might be a little pricey. But you will need it later on as you're tort grows.
 

Ray--Opo

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For food you could also create a Grazing box – put a couple of inches of soil (no perlite or manure) in a plastic or metal bin and plant diachondra, clover and other seeds. If you make 2 you can rotate so the plants can recover between feedings. Then you don't have the food waste. And its healthier to graze naturally as well as more fun for the tortoise.
This is a great idea Ciri. Plant a couple of small pots with wheatgrass and you can cut some of it to mix in the food also. It grows fast.
 

C. Nelson

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Everyone who only keeps one tortoise has this same problem. You only have to buy one head of one item this week, then a different item next week and yet a different item the following week. Yes, there is waste. Until you have the tortoise eating weeds and plants from outside, there is going to be waste.

I solved this problem by owning a rabbit and a guinea pig who gladly eat the rest of the greens!
 

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