Thoughts on my tortoise table setup

CurtB

Member
Joined
May 13, 2020
Messages
30
Location (City and/or State)
San Jose, CA
Hey everyone,

So, For 6 months, I have been religiously taking to account everyone's recommendations and suggestions when it comes to setting up an indoor tortoise table, just so that my little guy is happy and thriving!

I want a little bit of feedback with my tortoise table setup since I upgraded it from my original zoo med tortoise table by combining two tortoise tables (this is only temporary since I am moving to a much more spacious place & I am trying to be more knowledgeable about setting up my own tortoise table so I can expand my current one w/o spending a ton of money combining zoo med tortoise tables [I don't have carpeting skills, so its a slow yet steady process]).

My baby marginated tortoise right now sits at about 4 1/2 to 5 inches and is a yearling at about less than 2 years of age. the size dimensions of my tortoise table is 6ft x 2ft x 1ft or 26in x 24in x 12 in

The right side of the tortoise table where 2 basking lights stand, contains 2 good sized hides. The bulbs I use are Zoomed 100W basking bulb (bigger one on the right) and 50W (smaller one on the left) that sit at about 12 inches high to act as a heat gradient as she walks around that part of the enclosure with temperatures ranging from 88C+. I also included a saucer that I continuously monitor, clean, and replenish with fresh water, a few rocks, and logs for his entertainment. His food tray sits at the corner a little away from the 50W bulb so that way as she is eating, she gets some warm but not to the point of overheating.

I included a humid hide (plastic Tupperware with green tape) as well because it has been a little difficult for me to maintain at least 70C humidity. I tried combating the humidty problem by installing aa glass cover over the lid of my tortoise table located at the left side so that way the moisture gets trapped in that area (humidity fluctuates from 60-65C sometimes more up to 70 because I installed a self-timing humidifier which is represented by the rubber tube). Additionally, on this left side, I have a few more rocks for him to trim his nails and a place to hide as well. The temperature at this part of the enclosure fluctuates between 78-82C (78 being the lowest, usually at night, while 82 is the highest depending on the day).

The last half of the left side of my tortoise table with the wall separation contains a log hide, a few plants, a small watering dish, and rocks. The temperature and humidity here are the same as mentioned above, and there sits another UVA light bulb overhead. I also wanted to note that I installed or, better yet, inserted thin plexiglass above at least close to halfway to increase humidity as best as I can.

To sum everything up, the right side is his basking area with a heat gradient, the left side is more for the cooler side of his enclosure that is a little more humidity, and I included a humid hide and a humidifier JUST IN CASE.

I love my baby to death (dont we all), and I want him to continue to thrive. For the most part, she has been active here and there but sometimes just likes to sleep and relax, with no signs of pyramiding or sickness. Do you have any recommendations for what I can do to make my tortoise paradise better? This is my 6th month of having her, so I'm trying my best to always be on top of things to make sure she is happy!

Also, do you think I should enclose the area with the plexiglass fully or is the opening good enough? Thank you!
 

Attachments

  • 119663914_754870515307466_2294676176916157437_n.jpg
    119663914_754870515307466_2294676176916157437_n.jpg
    702.2 KB · Views: 52
  • 119787499_330488828165635_8326712454531237177_n.jpg
    119787499_330488828165635_8326712454531237177_n.jpg
    737.5 KB · Views: 52
  • 119690900_3334899819969811_617923415528519497_n.jpg
    119690900_3334899819969811_617923415528519497_n.jpg
    525.6 KB · Views: 52
  • 119700370_244444323569297_4493106233276130065_n.jpg
    119700370_244444323569297_4493106233276130065_n.jpg
    440.6 KB · Views: 53
  • 119721010_244932946870957_1108288706673587721_n.jpg
    119721010_244932946870957_1108288706673587721_n.jpg
    582.5 KB · Views: 50
Last edited:

Hamiltondood

Active Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
248
Location (City and/or State)
Richmond, Texas
looks super cool! love the succulent, you should definitely find a way to enclose it to keep the humidity in. you said something about plexiglass which would probably work okay.
 
Top