Thank you everyone

[reesespeices172]

So I am a first time leopard tortoise owner and I just wanted to give a big thank you to all the people on this forum who post these informative things you saved my tortoise life. I had an enclosure that was way to dry for my leopard and he honestly stopped eating and I was going through all the threads and learning all these things I should have known and now he’s thriving he loves his new remodel. Within the last two hours Kevin has really become way more active and happy

 

[reesespeices172]

 

[wellington]

One thing that worries me. Looks like you have a towel under the lights?
If so please remove it. It's a fire hazard.
If your worried about the plastic melting place a piece of tin foil of the plastic.

 

[reesespeices172]

One thing that worries me. Looks like you have a towel under the lights?
If so please remove it. It's a fire hazard.
If your worried about the plastic melting place a piece of tin foil of the plastic.

okay done.

 

[ZenHerper]

Well done to you and Kevin! He's looking pretty scrappy...

 

[reesespeices172]

Well done to you and Kevin! He's looking pretty scrappy...

I caught him mid yawn in the last picture and it looks like he's screaming at me ?

 

[Tom]

Best if you hang the lights from overhead so they aren't touching the sides. This can be easily accomplished by cutting a piece of plywood larger than your enclosure, screwing a 2x4 posts on each end of the enclosure, and then attaching another 2x4 to the tops of your posts over the enclosure. Then hang your lights from this overhead 2x4. Or ZooMed makes a lamp stand that works too.

What is in those light fixtures? There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. You can mount a fixture on the ceiling, or hang a dome lamp from the ceiling. Go lower or higher wattage if this makes the enclosure too hot or not warm enough. Do not use "spot" bulbs, mercury vapor bulbs or halogen bulbs because these bulbs are overly desiccating and cause pyramiding even in good living conditions.
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species like sulcatas or leopards. I like this thermostat: https://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller. Put the probe in the coolest corner away from all heating elements. You may need more than one heating element to spread the heat out for a given enclosure.
3. Light. I use florescent tubes for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most tubes at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. I've been using LEDs lately and they are great, and run cooler than a florescent. This can be set on the same timer as the basking bulb.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. I like the ZooMed 10.0 HO, and the Arcadia 12% HO. Which type will depend on mounting height. It helps to have a UV meter to test and see what your bulb is actually putting out at your mounting height. Plexi-glass or screen tops will filter out some or all of the UV produced by your bulb.

You need to remove the hay and the moss. The hay will mold, and your baby won't eat it any way. Your baby will eat the moss and it can cause an impaction. Neither of those do anything, and you don't need them.

Do your best to close in the top to hold in heat and humidity.

Your welcome!

 

[reesespeices172]

Best if you hang the lights from overhead so they aren't touching the sides. This can be easily accomplished by cutting a piece of plywood larger than your enclosure, screwing a 2x4 posts on each end of the enclosure, and then attaching another 2x4 to the tops of your posts over the enclosure. Then hang your lights from this overhead 2x4. Or ZooMed makes a lamp stand that works too.

What is in those light fixtures? There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. You can mount a fixture on the ceiling, or hang a dome lamp from the ceiling. Go lower or higher wattage if this makes the enclosure too hot or not warm enough. Do not use "spot" bulbs, mercury vapor bulbs or halogen bulbs because these bulbs are overly desiccating and cause pyramiding even in good living conditions.
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species like sulcatas or leopards. I like this thermostat: https://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller. Put the probe in the coolest corner away from all heating elements. You may need more than one heating element to spread the heat out for a given enclosure.
3. Light. I use florescent tubes for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most tubes at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. I've been using LEDs lately and they are great, and run cooler than a florescent. This can be set on the same timer as the basking bulb.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. I like the ZooMed 10.0 HO, and the Arcadia 12% HO. Which type will depend on mounting height. It helps to have a UV meter to test and see what your bulb is actually putting out at your mounting height. Plexi-glass or screen tops will filter out some or all of the UV produced by your bulb.

You need to remove the hay and the moss. The hay will mold, and your baby won't eat it any way. Your baby will eat the moss and it can cause an impaction. Neither of those do anything, and you don't need them.

Do your best to close in the top to hold in heat and humidity.

Your welcome!

Right now we’re just using a shower curtain to keep in the humidity and the lights are like that until he gets the cover fort he encloser Friday I’ll post pics when is done also I heard the Moss helps keep the humidity in and it’s the only thing that stays wet enough for him the first day he sniffed it but he didn’t find it appealing.