Soft plastron?

Big Charlie

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You don't want that compact fluorescent bulb! They hurt tortoise's eyes. For a hide, there are things that work better than those half logs. The logs take up a lot of room. You can make one out of a plastic container.

I don't know anything about that temperature and humidity gauge but I think I've heard others say that type is inaccurate.

Is the substrate finely ground? You don't want anything with large pieces.
 

Jon Etzweiler

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Nov 26, 2017
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You don't want that compact fluorescent bulb! They hurt tortoise's eyes. For a hide, there are things that work better than those half logs. The logs take up a lot of room. You can make one out of a plastic container.

I don't know anything about that temperature and humidity gauge but I think I've heard others say that type is inaccurate.

Is the substrate finely ground? You don't want anything with large pieces.

Reviews I’ve read say that the substrate is pretty close to dirt and I’ve seen it used in a YouTube video, it’s got no chunks or large pieces. I suppose I’m on a hunt for the right uvb light lol I’ll get it sooner then later. Luckily I live in Florida so it’s usually sunny, would it be a good idea to leave him outside until I get one? He’s in a glass tank now, but I’m also building a much bigger box, it’s 3ft x 2ft, and about a foot deep, so I figured a bigger hide wouldn’t hurt. With that amount of room I could put the hide I have currently in there, which is just a big plastic yogurt type container with the bottom cut out and a hole big enough for easy entry
 

Big Charlie

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3 by 2 is still kind of small, so I would use the yogurt container hide until he outgrows it. That should give him more space to walk around.

He is okay for a few days without UV. Hatchlings are better kept indoors in an enclosed environment than outdoors. When he is a little bigger, you can put him outdoors for an hour a day, weather permitting.

You'll need a basking bulb too, or you can get one bulb for both. This thread explains it: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/uv-lights.162043/

Are you allowing enough room to have the substrate several inches deep so he can dig, and still have a cover that encloses the lights inside?

The most important thing right now is to keep him warm.
 

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