Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
I will say on the first link some of the set up photos are questionable afšbut I think a lot of those are old uploads, for the most part thereās lots of cool stuff thereš
Reduced tortoise appetite
- Thread starter CaggyQ
- Start date
Hi everyone! So I have an update and have a couple of random questionsā¦
Yoshiās super new enclosure arrived! Iām currently building it and I have so many options my heads in a bit of a whirlā¦ should I have one hide or two, or should I have one hide with a longer run, with a little window included at the end? I wish I had these kind of choices for my house lol
Yoshiās super new enclosure arrived! Iām currently building it and I have so many options my heads in a bit of a whirlā¦ should I have one hide or two, or should I have one hide with a longer run, with a little window included at the end? I wish I had these kind of choices for my house lol
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Yay how exciting!! Canāt wait to see some photos of it built!
Iād probably go for the two hides personally, Just so he has a couple of options on where he wants to tuck himself away, nice to have a few choicesšbut obviously feel free to play around with your landscape and see what you think(itās the most fun part imoš) cannot wait to see what you do with the spaceš„°
Thatās what I was thinking! Lots of hiding spots. āŗļø I was also thinking of leaving one side free, but giving him his beloved cave so itās not all completely new. But THEN I realised I could use his cave for his outside enclosureā¦ Iām ridiculously excited about the all choices he has. I canāt afford a house atm so Iām living vicariously through him š š¢ š”
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Aw yeah itāll be nice to re use his cave in one of your new sets ups! Heāll probably use it as his comfort blanket whilst settling inš„°our red foot did bless her, I had the exact same thought process when putting her old cave hide in, was nice giving her something she was used to. She loves mixing it up now and actually favours the new box hide we made for the upgrade, sleeps in there most nightsš
Your guy will soon find some new favourite spots Iām sure! Or heāll be stubborn and stick to what he knows haha, theyāre all such different little personalitiesš
lol I love that! I live vicariously through our family pets, spoiling them rottenš„²ā¤ļø
Hi everyone,
Yoshiās enclosure update! So thereās been beds taken apart, lots of drilling and sourcing, and I think weāre nearly there! Iām just wondering if you think I need two UV heat bulbs, given the length of his enclosure? I put his vivarium below it in case he ever got sick and he needed some special incubation. š
Heās currently hiding in his new huge bed š
(I also changed the water bowl because I thought it was a tad too deep).
Yoshiās enclosure update! So thereās been beds taken apart, lots of drilling and sourcing, and I think weāre nearly there! Iām just wondering if you think I need two UV heat bulbs, given the length of his enclosure? I put his vivarium below it in case he ever got sick and he needed some special incubation. š
Heās currently hiding in his new huge bed š
(I also changed the water bowl because I thought it was a tad too deep).
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Alex and the Redfoot
Well-Known Member
Hello!
No, you don't need two UVB lamps. One basking area with a UVB tube and an incandescent bulb will be enough. Ambient lights (LED strip or bar or 2-3 bulbs) to create a "bright sunny day" over the whole enclosure - would be really nice too. And a ceramic heat emitter or two on a thermostat for the colder seasons.
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Just the one uv light will be fine, either of these two attached, next to the incandescent floodlightšthen as Alex said, maybe some ambient lighting and I imagine youāll need to install a che on a thermostat for our colder monthsš
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Thanks so much! I got this bulb to replace the UVB Tube, but I do have a UVB one that I can add in as well? At the moment, Iām worried itās not āwarmā enough; itās 125wā¦ Iāve attached the box here. Happy to light the place up to make him happy. Although Iām surprised to see heās already checking the place out!
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This is all fantasticā¦thank you so so much! š my Amazon bag is filling up by the second š
Alex and the Redfoot
Well-Known Member
Please, check with us before ordering, ok?
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Avoid any kind of all in one bulbs like this, the bulbs attached in my previous reply is the the ones you need, the UV t5 bulbs arenāt to do with heat, theyāre to provide uv light. The ceramic heat emitters will help make up the heat in the enclosure, always have the CHEās on a thermostatš
Use a temp gun to check under the floodlight(correct one attached above) to get the spot directly underneath 95-100f, the rest of the enclosure should be 75-80 during the dayš
Alex and the Redfoot
Well-Known Member
This is the "all-in-one" Mercury vapour bulb. With these it's hard to balance safe UV, basking zone size and temperature, so they are not recommended. Also, they have shorter lifespan than tubes (6 months on average) and you can't adjust UVB exposure timings. A combination of UVB T5 tube and incandescent flood light works much better. So I would advise to put UVB tube lamp back in place and get an incadescent lamp for heating.
And you are right, that's really cool, that he is not stressed by all changes!
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Donāt worry! Pet stores and such are a pain for convincing people to buy the wrong stuff, been there myselfš£
Yeah always feel free to check here, can hopefully save you some moneyš
They really are! That light bulb cost me ā¬50ā¦ and I remember one pet store selling me one of those compact fluorescent bulbs when he was a baby. He hid away in his cave and only ate his dinner when it was dark at night. My heart was broken when I realised it was hurting his eyes!
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Bless you, we should be able to rely on them to know what the appropriate equipment is, itās such a pain they follow such outdated care infoš£
At least you got things changed up once you realisedš„°
I had never been more panicked to find a light bulb in my life š¤£
Update though! I called a reptile specialist in Dublin and told them all of your advice, and they are about to put together a nice little package for me in the post based on your suggestions! It would be faster than ordering from Amazon because of the brexit restrictions here. š
Alex and the Redfoot
Well-Known Member
Sorry, if it's a silly question - do SwellReptile or Amazon.co.uk ship to Ireland? I'm not completely aware of the situation, we have more members from Ireland here and I hate giving bad advice. Does this reptile shop in Dublin have a website?
So they do officially ship to Ireland, but not all of the products are able to be sent to Irish addresses. Irish customers need to either find an address that will ship to Northern Ireland (because thatās part of the United Kingdom) or get NI postal store address to send it to there. I actually opted for his new table top to be sent directly to me via a service called āaddresspalā because of its size, and I ended up having to pay an additional ā¬60 in customs charges. Itās a bit crazy, because I can get to NI by driving 30 minutes down the road š
You can absolutely recommend Amazon UK, and just remind them that they may need to find an NI address or postal service for delivery and collection!
The store I am currently speaking to were once called Reptile Haven (and can still be found online with that name) but theyāre currently going through a change in ownership so Iāll double check with them their new name when Iām back on the phone. They donāt have a website yet, but Iāll share once they do. Very friendly and helpful!
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