Too Cold????

[LittleLove]

Hello, how are you all doing today? I have a baby Sulcata. It is very Hot where I live so the air conditioner is running 24/7. How do I know if my
" fred" is OK. I have a UVA / UVB light that is 50 watts.

 

[wellington]

He should be in his own enclosure that has its own heat and lights and the temp should never drop below 80F and you need thermometer and a temp gun to know this.

 

[LittleLove]

He should be in his own enclosure that has its own heat and lights and the temp should never drop below 80F and you need thermometer and a temp gun to know this.

Should the top of his enclosure be open or should I keep him covered. At night I cover it.

 

[wellington]

Post pics of how you house him, what equipment you use for him and what his humidity is.
In his own closed chamber enclosure he should have a tube flourescent or outside 3-4 times a week for sun. An incandescent FLOOD bulb for basking that reaches 95-100 and humidity that is 80%. The night temps should also be 80F

 

[wellington]

Should the top of his enclosure be open or should I keep him covered. At night I cover it.

Covered day and night, closed chamber enclosure.

 

[LittleLove]

Post pics of how you house him, what equipment you use for him and what his humidity is.
In his own closed chamber enclosure he should have a tube flourescent or outside 3-4 times a week for sun. An incandescent FLOOD bulb for basking that reaches 95-100 and humidity that is 80%. The night temps should also be 80F

I am new to having a turtle. I got him as a gift and didn't have anything so I made this house for him. It's not great but I didn't know I was getting him.

 

[LittleLove]

I have been looking

Should the top of his enclosure be open or should I keep him covered. At night I cover it.

Thank you I am going to order a thermometer. Thank you for responding to my question

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome! There are a few things that need addressing with the enclosure to ensure your baby thrives, first off bulb will need switching to wellingtons suggestions, avoid halogen or all in one compact uv bulbs. A baby as young as yours needs setting up in a closed chamber to achieve the humidity you need.

Perhaps these threads below will help🙂

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? 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. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Leopard/sulcata starter

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information below on how I’d personally tackle an indoor starter set up for this guy until they’re bigger. Hopefully it helps give you some ideas! I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[wellington]

I am new to having a turtle. I got him as a gift and didn't have anything so I made this house for him. It's not great but I didn't know I was getting him.

Okay, you need to cover the enclosure, a pop up greenhouse house works good for covering. I will post a pic
The light needs to go, it's not a good kind and can cause pyramiding. Get a incandescent FLOOD bulb for basking that reaches temps of 95-100 under it and a tube flourescent for uvb. Pour warm water into the substrate stir it up and get a guage to read humidity and get the humidity to 80% and get a ceramic heat emitter for any needed heat so the enclosure never goes below 80 day and night.

 

[wellington]

Changes are needed ASAP as he is already quite pyramided for his size.

 

[LittleLove]

Changes are needed ASAP as he is already quite pyramided for his size.

View attachment 377753

Thank you so much I am going to order the things in the next couple of days.

 

[LittleLove]

Changes are needed ASAP as he is already quite pyramided for his size.

View attachment 377753

I think it's the glare of the light because he is smooth

 

[LittleLove]

I think it's the glare of the light because he is smooth

Is this the kind of lamp I need to order

 

[LittleLove]

Changes are needed ASAP as he is already quite pyramided for his size.

View attachment 377753

I wanted to make sure Fred isn't pyramiding. Here is a picture of him could you please look at it and let me know. Thanks Wellington

Changes are needed ASAP as he is already quite pyramided for his size.

View attachment 377753

 

[Tom]

I think it's the glare of the light because he is smooth

He is pyramiding. Most breeders don't start this species correctly. They do it much too dry. Its not too far along, so you can stop it if you act quickly and get him into the right conditions. You need a closed chamber.

You need a "flood" type regular incandescent bulb. Not a spot, not a halogen, not a mercury vapor. These are made and sold by a brand called Arcadia, and they have gotten difficult to find,

Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
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. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.htmlA good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

 

[LittleLove]

Thanks Tom, you have been very helpful. I appreciate it.

 

[LittleLove]

He is pyramiding. Most breeders don't start this species correctly. They do it much too dry. Its not too far along, so you can stop it if you act quickly and get him into the right conditions. You need a closed chamber.

You need a "flood" type regular incandescent bulb. Not a spot, not a halogen, not a mercury vapor. These are made and sold by a brand called Arcadia, and they have gotten difficult to find,

Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
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. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.htmlA good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

Tom is this the kind of bulb

 

[Tom]

Tom is this the kind of bulb

That is a halogen. Right brand, but wrong type of bulb.