Tortoise Do-Over

[jackl79]

Approximately 9 months ago my Greek Tortoise hatchling died from what I think to be Metabolic Bone Disease. His shell went soft and he totally stopped eating. I chalked it up to insufficient UVB lighting and lack of humidity. I kept him in a 40 gal breeder on Reptibark with a water dish and a log hide stuffed with moss. I fed him a diet of baby kale and spinach (until I learned it was bad for him). Anyways, I plan on getting another Greek hatchling but I want to do it all right this time.

I plan on building a tortoise table approximately 42"x18"x6". I am going to use Reptibark again with the log hide filled with moss and a water dish. But I am hoping to grow some sort of food source in the enclosure for he/she to nibble on whenever need be. I was hoping to plant a small grass and maybe some succulents that could double as food and decor so any recommendations would be helpful. I also was wondering if there is an affordable UVB flood light on the market because I feel my strip light is too weak. If I were to find a UVB flood light would I still need a heat lamp? Also what do you recommend as the staple diet?

Thanks so much!

 

[KaitlinKeefe_]

hey and welcome! I'm sorry to hear about your loss hatchlings are harder to care for for sure!

@Kristoff has a beautiful Greek I believe maybe he can give you some advice?

 

[KaitlinKeefe_]

or @tigy'sdad

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Have you read our greek care sheet? Its a sticky on top of their species specific. The care sheet will answer your questions and if theres additional stuff you need help with we will be more than happy to help.
Let me know if you're able to find it.

 

[JoesMum]

You should read these before you spend too much money

Greek care sheet
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-testudo-graeca-care-sheet-overview.87146/

And if you're planning on getting a baby, this one
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

 

[Lyn W]

Mercury vapour bulbs (MVBs) are a popular option. They give heat, light and uvb in one bulb. I use the Arcadia D3 bulbs 150w or 80w Mini D3 here in the UK they coast about £39 - 42. I use it in a ceramic holder with a wide dome (approx. £25). At night I use a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) run through a thermostat so that it turns on and off as temps rise and fall. This just gives heat as torts need darkness to sleep. That is also in a wide dome holder and cost about £79 in total.
If you hang the MVB rather than use the clamp you can adjust the temp by raising or lowering and it is safe to hang it rather than use the clamps which have been known to fail and cause fires.

 

[JoesMum]

If you hang the MVB rather than use the clamp you can adjust the temp by raising or lowering and it is safe to hang it rather than use the clamps which have been known to fail and cause fires.

The basking bulb/MVB must hang vertically to get the optimum temperature underneath it. Temperatures cannot be relied if the bulb is at an angle in any way. It's hard to avoid an angle with a clamp.

 

[jackl79]

The basking bulb/MVB must hang vertically to get the optimum temperature underneath it. Temperatures cannot be relied if the bulb is at an angle in any way. It's hard to avoid an angle with a clamp.

How do you recommend going about hanging them? Also I plan on keeping it in my room with a window rather than when I previously kept my other tort in the basement. My only predicament is that I like to keep the over head fan on in my room on for the majority of the year. Will this be too much a hinderance?

 

[JoesMum]

You can buy lamp stands like this (They come in 3 different sizes; I think I have the medium)

Or you can build your own using timber.

 

[Lyn W]

You can buy lamp stands to hang lights from or make your own, have a look at the enclosures thread for some great ideas.
Are you using an open table or a viv for this tort? Open tables and cages allow heat and humidity to escape but look at the caresheet to see if it recommends one more than the other.

 

[Yvonne G]

If you cover the habitat, like it tells you in the links provided above, the ceiling fan won't be an issue.

 

[jackl79]

If you cover the habitat, like it tells you in the links provided above, the ceiling fan won't be an issue.

What I'm wondering is if I have to cover the entire thing or if having a covered section could work. The options listed in the above link aren't the most visually appealing.

 

[JoesMum]

What I'm wondering is if I have to cover the entire thing or if having a covered section could work. The options listed in the above link aren't the most visually appealing.

The answer to that is 'it depends'.

It depends on the humidity of your home, the exact combination of things in your enclosure and the climate in which you live. No two places are the same.

You need a digital probe type hygrometer and then you need to experiment until you hit the right humidity. Some people will need more than others.

This is about the health of your tort and not the visual appeal of your enclosure unfortunately. It's up to you to work out what will give your tort what it needs and how to get it looking reasonably tidy.

 

[Gillian M]

Welcome to the forum.

Very sorry about the loss of your tort. Hope things go for the better. Ask any question and please read the care sheets mentioned by someone in this thread, and do not forget to post pictures of your tort and his/her enclosure.

Good luck! And keep us updated.

 

[jackl79]

Thank you for all the help! Does anyone have suggestions for live edible plants and where I could get them organic??