Reduced tortoise appetite

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Oh. Forest 6% lamp isn't cool... Thanks Littleredfootbigredheart for bringing this up!

12% lamps are mounted at 18-21 inches above substrate and this makes a good coverage over basking zone. With 6% lamp we need to put it at 15 inches and make an elevation out of substrate towards the basking area where lamp should be at 11-12 inches (because the tube is long). This could be a cool terrarium landscaping project and a UV gradient... Yet, I'm not sure if you want to go this way right now. If the shop can send you 24", Desert 12% lamp instead of this one - that would be the easiest option.

You can use the "all-one-one" basking bulb for a while. But you need to adjust height to get UVI 3-4 under the lamp (look at lamp's box or booklet inside to find the required height). Then check basking area temperature - leave the thermometer for 1 hour. If temperature is too low, you will need to add incandescent floodlight to the mix or turn on ceramic heat emitter.

That's one of the "greenhouse visuals": https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/indoor-greenhouse-thoughts.186381/

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

It’s amazing how panic makes you buy giant bulbs 😂

Oh those visuals are soooo useful! I’m going to become a proper DIY expert now 😂 I’ll get this sorted tomorrow. Thank you so so much.

I’m not sure why they opted for the 6%. Perhaps it was because of the bulb length?

@Alex and the Redfoot Would you have any visual examples of the greenhouse top? So sorry for all of the questions again 😅

In the meantime, can I use the UV basking bulb as pictured? I didn’t realise the light was addictive! 🙈

Hopefully Alex’s response helped, if you asked for the 12% that was naughty of them to change it on you, it would definitely be easier of you could swap, least that will give you time to get a stand situation sorted😁

Then in the meantime, even though that old uv basking bulb you have isn’t ideal, I understand if you want to get your guy in there sooner, follow Alex’s suggestions and use it temporarily until you get a floodlight and decide what you’re thinking for the uv😊

Btw here’s a little visual of the greenhouse topper idea, we’ve recently been helping this member set up for a young sulcata🙂
You’d need to make sure all of them are on chains, she hadn’t got to the last one in the photo but they’re all on chains now.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Alex’s topper example is definitely better than mine lol, but hopefully you get the idea🙂

 

[CaggyQ]

Thank you both so much! Just to make it clear - this is my error. I didn’t know about the 12% requirement: just asked for a T5 UV setup. Honestly I’ve been in such a tizzy about it all, and they’ve been incredibly patient. I’ve been sounding like a frantic tortoise owner. 😂 It was contained in the T5 box; I’ll contact to see if they can swap it out for me! I was measuring how close it needed to be to be effective and I was thinking it was pretty close.

In other news, I gave him some of the prickly pear and he started to eat it like he hadn’t eaten in months (which tbf, he hadn’t really). However he then made a hit of a choking gesture, spat a bit out and then refused to eat the rest. He ran off into his hide then. I was feeing him by hand too - and if anything goes wrong he tends to blame me for it as well.

Do you think I’ve scared him off prickly pear for life? I’ve a giant leaf of the stuff 🙈

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you both so much! Just to make it clear - this is my error. I didn’t know about the 12% requirement: just asked for a T5 UV setup. Honestly I’ve been in such a tizzy about it all, and they’ve been incredibly patient. I’ve been sounding like a frantic tortoise owner. 😂 It was contained in the T5 box; I’ll contact to see if they can swap it out for me! I was measuring how close it needed to be to be effective and I was thinking it was pretty close.

In other news, I gave him some of the prickly pear and he started to eat it like he hadn’t eaten in months (which tbf, he hadn’t really). However he then made a hit of a choking gesture, spat a bit out and then refused to eat the rest. He ran off into his hide then. I was feeing him by hand too - and if anything goes wrong he tends to blame me for it as well.

Do you think I’ve scared him off prickly pear for life? I’ve a giant leaf of the stuff 🙈

Aw no worries, it was in our responses about the 12% but I should’ve double checked you’d ordered the right one, sorry😣hopefully they exchange it for you, I believe there’s hardly any price difference if any👍I’d go with the 24” like Alex says, it’ll be cheaper and will work just as well, it doesn’t need to be as long as the enclosure🙂

lol bless him, to me he sounds like he was having a grumpy moment🥲I doubt you’ve scared him off it if he likes it, he’ll try it again don’t worry, I think all the changes haven’t helped with him being a bit stressy, hopefully once he’s all set up, he’ll start getting better once he’s settled in❤️

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thank you both so much! Just to make it clear - this is my error. I didn’t know about the 12% requirement: just asked for a T5 UV setup. Honestly I’ve been in such a tizzy about it all, and they’ve been incredibly patient. I’ve been sounding like a frantic tortoise owner. 😂 It was contained in the T5 box; I’ll contact to see if they can swap it out for me! I was measuring how close it needed to be to be effective and I was thinking it was pretty close.

In other news, I gave him some of the prickly pear and he started to eat it like he hadn’t eaten in months (which tbf, he hadn’t really). However he then made a hit of a choking gesture, spat a bit out and then refused to eat the rest. He ran off into his hide then. I was feeing him by hand too - and if anything goes wrong he tends to blame me for it as well.

Do you think I’ve scared him off prickly pear for life? I’ve a giant leaf of the stuff 🙈

Prickly pear is tasty, he will get back to it And what's good - it can be stored for a long time without a fridge.

 

[CaggyQ]

Aw no worries, it was in our responses about the 12% but I should’ve double checked you’d ordered the right one, sorry😣hopefully they exchange it for you, I believe there’s hardly any price difference if any👍I’d go with the 24” like Alex says, it’ll be cheaper and will work just as well, it doesn’t need to be as long as the enclosure🙂

lol bless him, to me he sounds like he was having a grumpy moment🥲I doubt you’ve scared him off it if he likes it, he’ll try it again don’t worry, I think all the changes haven’t helped with him being a bit stressy, hopefully once he’s all set up, he’ll start getting better once he’s settled in❤️

Gosh you have no need to apologise! ❤️ It’s all my fault. The 12% advice got lost somewhere in my brain. I’m doing a PhD at the moment which involves writing a novel, so my mind has reached full capacity atm. All I could say to the reptile shop in Dublin was “T5. A long T5.” 😂 I’ll call them tomorrow to see if they can swap it around.

I’m glad you’re both saying he’ll get back to the prickly pear; you’re so right when you’re saying he’s having a tough time at the moment. And I could tell in that moment he was blaming me 😂

What’s the best way to store prickly pear?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Gosh you have no need to apologise! ❤️ It’s all my fault. The 12% advice got lost somewhere in my brain. I’m doing a PhD at the moment which involves writing a novel, so my mind has reached full capacity atm. All I could say to the reptile shop in Dublin was “T5. A long T5.” 😂 I’ll call them tomorrow to see if they can swap it around.

I’m glad you’re both saying he’ll get back to the prickly pear; you’re so right when you’re saying he’s having a tough time at the moment. And I could tell in that moment he was blaming me 😂

What’s the best way to store prickly pear?

Just put it somewhere in moderately dry place at room temperature. That's it

 

[CaggyQ]

Hi team,

Yoshi update! So the cool side of the enclosure is reading at 22 degrees, which is close to his hide. All he wants to do is stay in his hide which isn’t helping him stay warm! He’s digging in to the substrate as well and the shell is cold to the touch.

I’m off to a local pet store to buy another lamp and ceramic heat bulb for the enclosure, just to warm the cool end up a bit. 😊

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi team,

Yoshi update! So the cool side of the enclosure is reading at 22 degrees, which is close to his hide. All he wants to do is stay in his hide which isn’t helping him stay warm! He’s digging in to the substrate as well and the shell is cold to the touch.

I’m off to a local pet store to buy another lamp and ceramic heat bulb for the enclosure, just to warm the cool end up a bit. 😊

Ah bless him, a ceramic should definitely help the temps! Let us know how that goes👍

 

[CaggyQ]

Ah bless him, a ceramic should definitely help the temps! Let us know how that goes👍

Just about to set it up. Expect photos and probably more questions 😂

 

[CaggyQ]

Just about to set it up. Expect photos and probably more questions 😂

This is the set up currently. I went with a 100w ceramic on the cooler side, but I’m going to monitor the temperature to see how it goes. Most likely I’ll need to invest in another dimming thermostat for the cooler side, especially as we head towards the cooler seasons! He’s in his hide at the moment which is not heated but has dandelion hay. Do you think that’s enough heat for him for now?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

This is the set up currently. I went with a 100w ceramic on the cooler side, but I’m going to monitor the temperature to see how it goes. Most likely I’ll need to invest in another dimming thermostat for the cooler side, especially as we head towards the cooler seasons! He’s in his hide at the moment which is not heated but has dandelion hay. Do you think that’s enough heat for him for now?

Thermostat wise you want an on/off one for the ceramic bulbs, dimming thermostats are for light emitting heat like the floodlight, and the floodlight shouldn’t need one if you check with a temp gun to get the right height.

I’d personally remove the hay and continue it being coco coir/orchid bark into the hide, just make sure the coir is damp and packed down. They aren’t grass eaters so won’t need it, if eaten like that it might build up as they aren’t built to digest it properly.

I’d also suggest removing that big rock thing, it looks far too high for him to climb and is blocking roaming room👍 Just to double check, what are the measurements of this enclosure? I think as I recall previously it was mentioned you were upgrading him to an 8x4 foot enclosure, was that right? is that the measurements of this one?

Personally looking at the pics I you have more than enough bulbs to keep things warm enough, but if temps are still a struggle, perhaps a topper will be a good addition🙂

 

[CaggyQ]

Thermostat wise you want an on/off one for the ceramic bulbs, dimming thermostats are for light emitting heat like the floodlight, and the floodlight shouldn’t need one if you check with a temp gun to get the right height.

I’d personally remove the hay and continue it being coco coir/orchid bark into the hide, just make sure the coir is damp and packed down. They aren’t grass eaters so won’t need it, if eaten like that it might build up as they aren’t built to digest it properly.

I’d also suggest removing that big rock thing, it looks far too high for him to climb and is blocking roaming room👍 Just to double check, what are the measurements of this enclosure? I think as I recall previously it was mentioned you were upgrading him to an 8x4 foot enclosure, was that right? is that the measurements of this one?

Personally looking at the pics I you have more than enough bulbs to keep things warm enough, but if temps are still a struggle, perhaps a topper will be a good addition🙂

Thank you so much, @Littleredfootbigredheart! 😊

I have a dimmer for the basking side, but I do have a wee on/off timer at the moment that I can plug into the cooler side for the ceramic. I’m just wondering though how I could keep him warm all night - would the on/off thermostat work its magic to keep the ceramic on and monitored on the cooler side? 🤔

Can I say for the record that I am so incredibly grateful for both of your support? Honestly you have both been amazing and I will be forever grateful. ☺️

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you so much, @Littleredfootbigredheart! 😊

I have a dimmer for the basking side, but I do have a wee on/off timer at the moment that I can plug into the cooler side for the ceramic. I’m just wondering though how I could keep him warm all night - would the on/off thermostat work its magic to keep the ceramic on and monitored on the cooler side? 🤔

Can I say for the record that I am so incredibly grateful for both of your support? Honestly you have both been amazing and I will be forever grateful. ☺️

Yeah the on/off will keep the ceramic on when needed overnight, as you just have the one, id maybe put it in the middle so it can distribute the heat more evenly both ways, if the one at night isn’t going it for you, you could always get two, put one the basking end and one the other end, the thermostat will still turn then both on/off as and when needed day and night as to not overheat the enclosure or let it get too cool.

Bless you, no problem at all, I love helping folks on here wherever I can🥰 I always feel supported myself here too, it’s a wonderful community❤️

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
A few questions first:
1. What's in the dome on the left? (probably clamped on the enclosure side) Is it ceramic heat emitter?
2. You mentioned "dimmer for basking". Is it a dimming thermostat for basking bulb? What model?
3. "Wee on/off timer" is it a thermostat (what model if it is) or just a timer socket?
4. Are gauge-type thermometer/gygrometer are still in use or you've got digital?

 

[CaggyQ]

Hello!
A few questions first:
1. What's in the dome on the left? (probably clamped on the enclosure side) Is it ceramic heat emitter?
2. You mentioned "dimmer for basking". Is it a dimming thermostat for basking bulb? What model?
3. "Wee on/off timer" is it a thermostat (what model if it is) or just a timer socket?
4. Are gauge-type thermometer/gygrometer are still in use or you've got digital?

Hello there! Thank you so much. Here’s the answer to your questions:

1. Yes, that’s the ceramic heat emitter!
2. Yes, a dimming thermostat from Habistat. This one specifically: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MMIJUG8/?tag=
3. Just a timer socket at the moment. I want to buy another thermostat after my account recovers from the shock 😂
4. I have two thermometers: one that’s just the wee sticky ones for the walls, and then I use my thermostat gun to get better readings!

I’m hoping this sounds like I’m becoming a better tortoise mum 😅

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

1. Okay, good. It works better when pointed straight top-down. Unless your basking lamp can't heat warm end enough, it's not necessary here.
2. This thermostat has two output sockets and probably can control two ceramic heat emitters, you don't need a new thermostat. Even if the second socket is only for the fans/misters and such, you can use a powerstrip to connect both CHEs.
3. See p.2
4. Good!

So what I'll try to do:
1. Check basking area temperatures without CHE. If they are fine, then just move it to the cold side. If not - try to hang it from the same lamp stand where basking bulb is.
2. For the night close the lids and place CHE on the mesh in the cold end. Use tin foil to cover mesh around CHE. This is definitely a "band aid", a greenhouse top will work much better.

 

[CaggyQ]

Amazing! The temperatures are all looking good in the warm side, but I may just hang it from the same lamp tomorrow morning. I put some tin foil over the mesh and it’s looking like it will create a nice night time temperature. That was a fabulous piece of advice and I’m delighted with it. A greenhouse will be ordered as well! 😊

As a side note, what can I do for him to help with his stress? I’ve been bathing him, and changing his food regularly, but he’s still burying himself deep into his hide. This is only day two in the new enclosure, and obviously there have been some temperature tweaks I’ve made since then, so this may also throw him off even more so.

For example, I bathed him today, so will I leave him be tomorrow (usually he gets a bath 2-3 times a week, but I’m not sure if it should be more regular to help him along)? And sometimes I scoot some of the substrate away so he sees the light to wake up, but should I just completely leave him be? My concern is that he won’t come out to bask or eat if I don’t “delicately” intervene. I’m also concerned that he’ll be cold to touch and I won’t know unless I check.

I don’t handle him except for bath time, and I’m very conscious of that being a stress factor too.