Set up
- Thread starter Marshmellow42
- Start date
Hi Marshmellow,
You havent said what species you have and that is important but kinda looks like a Hermanns to me, however generally speaking there are a number of serious issues with your setup that need addressing straight away. I can tell that you have effectively been sold "The Tortoise Package" by where this came from and this is a super common setup in the UK, unfortunately it is mostly not suitable.
Things that need changing asap:
1. The CFL UV lamp, these are not suitable for torts at all, they dont provide enough uvb and they can damage torts eyes. The correct UV lamp to use is a t5 tube light.
2. The substrate, this looks like your using the Pets@Home brand of Tortoise substrate - no sure whoe idea this stuff was but it is not appropriate and has things in it that can lead to serious digestive impaction as well as damage to your torts shell as it paces around its too small enclosure. Substrate needs to be damp and for your tort should be fine grade orchid bark as best option, nothing else mixed in.
3. Your tort is not a baby anymore, and it needs a lot more space than this provides, for temperate torts the minimum reccomendation is 4ft by 8ft, and thats a bare minimum, more is much better.
4. Those water and food dishes are not reccomended for torts, the vertical sides can lead to your tort tipping himself over and ending upside down in the dish, this can lead to potential drowning or death from overheating if they cant right themselves. Your tort is not so small anymore so this risk is somewhat lower but these should go, replace with a terracotta saucer with sloped sides for water and bathing, and a flat stone is best for food imo, it helps with managing their beak growth.
5. Unsure if the wire in the basking area is a temp probe or something but this is not a good idea to have this acessible to your tort, he is likely to try and bite it, can get tangled up in it, and generally needs to be kept away from this. If this is a heating pad then it is not suitable and should be removed - torts do not need heat from below and it can confuse their instinctual knowledge to dig in order to thermoregulate or cool off a bit.
These are all covered in two important posts you need to read, and I really hope you do, we are here to support you but please dont be defensive, posts like yours are a daily occurance here and we do everything we can to get them sorted out.
MUST READ for new ownders -
How to care for Temperate Species of Tortoise
You havent said what species you have and that is important but kinda looks like a Hermanns to me, however generally speaking there are a number of serious issues with your setup that need addressing straight away. I can tell that you have effectively been sold "The Tortoise Package" by where this came from and this is a super common setup in the UK, unfortunately it is mostly not suitable.
Things that need changing asap:
1. The CFL UV lamp, these are not suitable for torts at all, they dont provide enough uvb and they can damage torts eyes. The correct UV lamp to use is a t5 tube light.
2. The substrate, this looks like your using the Pets@Home brand of Tortoise substrate - no sure whoe idea this stuff was but it is not appropriate and has things in it that can lead to serious digestive impaction as well as damage to your torts shell as it paces around its too small enclosure. Substrate needs to be damp and for your tort should be fine grade orchid bark as best option, nothing else mixed in.
3. Your tort is not a baby anymore, and it needs a lot more space than this provides, for temperate torts the minimum reccomendation is 4ft by 8ft, and thats a bare minimum, more is much better.
4. Those water and food dishes are not reccomended for torts, the vertical sides can lead to your tort tipping himself over and ending upside down in the dish, this can lead to potential drowning or death from overheating if they cant right themselves. Your tort is not so small anymore so this risk is somewhat lower but these should go, replace with a terracotta saucer with sloped sides for water and bathing, and a flat stone is best for food imo, it helps with managing their beak growth.
5. Unsure if the wire in the basking area is a temp probe or something but this is not a good idea to have this acessible to your tort, he is likely to try and bite it, can get tangled up in it, and generally needs to be kept away from this. If this is a heating pad then it is not suitable and should be removed - torts do not need heat from below and it can confuse their instinctual knowledge to dig in order to thermoregulate or cool off a bit.
These are all covered in two important posts you need to read, and I really hope you do, we are here to support you but please dont be defensive, posts like yours are a daily occurance here and we do everything we can to get them sorted out.
MUST READ for new ownders -
How to care for Temperate Species of Tortoise
Marshmellow42
New Member
Thank you for your reply, So basically it’s all wrong
Unfortunately Pet stores are notorious for misinformation, they want to sell you a bunch of stuff and dont really understand the animals in most cases.
I know how you feel honestly, many of us started the same as you have and it can be daunting and it sounds like a lot, but when you break it down, it is pretty straightforward to get it sorted so your tort can thrive. Luckily everything you have bought can be sold quite easily via facebook or ebay, there are always people looking to buy these things.
If you have questions after reading the resources available we are happy to assist, while I am just a Tort owner like yourself, we have some of the most experienced and knowledgable people in the world here when it comes to torts and you will not find better info anywhere else. Torts are hardy and resiliant animals when their basic needs are met, if those needs are not met, the effects can take a long time to show up but when they do they are often permanent.
Marshmellow42
New Member
I will get there, it’s interesting and fun learning but also nervous to get it right. I will get the water and food bowls changed for a dish. Also this is not his permanent home he will be moving outside to a bigger enclosure shortly. I can change his substrate to orchid bark he has enjoyed burrowing. Will he still be able to do this? I thought they needed soil for this reason?
The wire is a temp probe but not sure on where exactly to have it as it said it needs to be where the tort will be. Do I bury it in the substrate? But will that then affect the temp reading? Many thanks
Hi and welcome,
I'm in Wales.
Please read this it covers all the do's and don'ts to help avoid common mistakes
tortoiseforum.org
As you're in the UK I'm guessing your tort is either a Hermanns or Russian which are the most common here. If so this will also help (also included in the link above)
tortoiseforum.org
They are both full of the most up to date information you'll find anywhere. If you have any questions after reading please ask away there's plenty of good people around to help.
You'll also find www.thetortoisetable.org.uk helpful
I'm in Wales.
Please read this it covers all the do's and don'ts to help avoid common mistakes
Info For New People. Please Read This First.
Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...
tortoiseforum.org
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
tortoiseforum.org
You'll also find www.thetortoisetable.org.uk helpful
He will still be able to dig in orchid bark yes.
As for the probe, I’m not sure of a good way to hang it tbh, I have never used one like that. I just occasionally measure the temp under the basking spot using a thermometer but I don’t have one there permanently.
Hi and welcome,
I'm in Wales.
Please read this it covers all the do's and don'ts to help avoid common mistakes
As you're in the UK I'm guessing your tort is either a Hermanns or Russian which are the most common here. If so this will also help (also included in the link above)Info For New People. Please Read This First.
Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...
They are both full of the most up to date information you'll find anywhere. If you have any questions after reading please ask away there's plenty of good people around to help.The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
You'll also find www.thetortoisetable.org.uk helpful
Hi and welcome,
I'm in Wales.
Please read this it covers all the do's and don'ts to help avoid common mistakes
As you're in the UK I'm guessing your tort is either a Hermanns or Russian which are the most common here. If so this will also help (also included in the link above)Info For New People. Please Read This First.
Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...
They are both full of the most up to date information you'll find anywhere. If you have any questions after reading please ask away there's plenty of good people around to help.The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
You'll also find www.thetortoisetable.org.uk helpful
Both links already provided above
Marshmellow42
New Member
It’s a thermostat probe so it flicks on at 27 and goes off at 30. It’s not been on much as our house has just been topping 30
What is connected to that thermostat? The basking bulb needs to be a flood type bulb and it needs to be set on a timer, not a thermostat. Its should be 36-37C directly under the flood lamp.
Thermostats are used for maintaining ambient temperature using a CHE or a RHP.
All of this is in the linked threads.
Marshmellow42
New Member
Oh gosh I think I need to come off here and take myself to a reptile place as in the nicest possible way I am so confused by it all and getting very worked up about it all. I thought I had got it all right and it’s all wrong. The lady told me to buy a thermostat and have it at 27-30. It has a eco terra basking spot bulb.
Thanks everyone
Stores exist for one purpose - to sell you things. Even if they have the best of intentions, their purpose is not good care, their purpose is sales. No one on this board has any vested interest in making you buy something you don't need, all anyone here cares about is healthy tortoises...
There is no “reptile place” in the UK that you will get reliable or trustworthy information from, they will tell you more wrong info.
Just remove the thermostat, if it’s not connected to a ceramic heat emitter you don’t need it.
We can help you but if your feeling overwhelmed then just take it one step at a time.
All the info you need is in the care sheet that I linked originally, if you have not read those links please do.
It can be very overwhelming getting things right, but you really won't find any better care advice than here. Reptile/pet shops/breeders are there for profit and know little about tort care - even those that keep torts themselves are usually still passing on out of date advice . All the care sheets here are up to date, written by people with decades of experience with torts, who have learnt from their past mistakes and pass on best practice to us so that we can avoid the same mistakes. It can save you wasting a lot of money on wrong equipment and vet fees. All questions are valid and will be answered - even if they've been asked a thousand times before everyone here has the best interest of torts at heart and love to help others give their torts good lives. Take it slowly, don't panic, and follow the caresheets and you should have a happy healthy tort.
