Trumans new house!!

Kara B

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It's a 4x4 raised garden bed with a green house tent on top. It seems to be working great. But wanted to post here for some feedback. Did I miss anything? His temps are 80 degrees everywhere, his basking spot is at around 102 degrees. The humidity is around 77-80%. Night time temps range from 78 to 80 degrees. The MVB that I am using is 125 watt...I am wondering if I should back that off to 100 watt since he's most comfortable in the 96 degree range. Oh and I've had that MVB since October...how long do they last typically? Do I wait until it burns out to replace or should it be replaced regardless after a certain time?

20170128_143018.jpg 20170128_143134.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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I really like those garden bed green houses for indoor tortoises. You can add a few plants for his security and to help diffuse the lighting.
 

Kara B

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We had him in a converted book case but this thing is AMAZING!! I plan on adding some plants today as a matter of fact LOL :) I am just insanely worried about him flipping over when Im not home so I am hesitant to put anything in there...He's lucky he has a hidey hole because for whatever reason he feels he must climb to the top of it and always when I'm at work (35 minutes away)!!!:tort::tort:
 

Pearly

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We had him in a converted book case but this thing is AMAZING!! I plan on adding some plants today as a matter of fact LOL :) I am just insanely worried about him flipping over when Im not home so I am hesitant to put anything in there...He's lucky he has a hidey hole because for whatever reason he feels he must climb to the top of it and always when I'm at work (35 minutes away)!!!:tort::tort:
That was my worry as well with my babies, that's why I had spent so much time trying to find things I could use as "hills" for them to climb on (mine LOVE to climb) with protection of a barrier or railing or something to keep them from falling off. Plants don't pose any tipping/falling danger in fact I think: the more the merrier. They love to hide under some green canopy, or nestle in some bushy greenery when they get bigger and start ruining your terrarium landscape:) I used to plant directly in substrate but this was a pain. If I had to do it over, I'd have my plants in slotted pots like the ones for aquatic plants to contain the bulk of what's around the rootball but not be as bulky as regular pots. I also went with bioactive substrate but it's not for everyone. With your kind of set up sky is a limit! I can't wait to see your photo updates
 

PJay

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What a great enclosure! Did it come as a kit or did you buy the greenhouse cover separately?
 

Souptugo

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That looks fantastic! How did you seal the bottom of the enclosure? Or was it just screwed to the plywood base? I think the MVB lasts 6 months.
 

Kara B

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What a great enclosure! Did it come as a kit or did you buy the greenhouse cover separately?
It's a raised garden kit that I found on Amazon. It comes with 2 4x4 garden beds, which are stack-able, and the canopy comes with it as well. Super easy to put together.
 

Kara B

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That looks fantastic! How did you seal the bottom of the enclosure? Or was it just screwed to the plywood base? I think the MVB lasts 6 months.
We used liquid nail to adhere the plywood to the bottom of the garden bed, then we used silicon caulk for kitchens and bathrooms to seal the inside edge. We also put two full cans of Flex Seal on just the bottom.
 

Souptugo

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We used liquid nail to adhere the plywood to the bottom of the garden bed, then we used silicon caulk for kitchens and bathrooms to seal the inside edge. We also put two full cans of Flex Seal on just the bottom.

Very smart way of sealing it! Thank you for sharing :) That is very mobile as well. Would you consider adding wheels to the bottom for ease of moving/cleaning? Perhaps you can do that at the next substrate change.
 

Kara B

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Very smart way of sealing it! Thank you for sharing :) That is very mobile as well. Would you consider adding wheels to the bottom for ease of moving/cleaning? Perhaps you can do that at the next substrate change.
Actually we did do that. There are four caster wheels under there. It makes it much easier to move around and clean for sure!:):tort:
 

melissah

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We had him in a converted book case but this thing is AMAZING!! I plan on adding some plants today as a matter of fact LOL :) I am just insanely worried about him flipping over when Im not home so I am hesitant to put anything in there...He's lucky he has a hidey hole because for whatever reason he feels he must climb to the top of it and always when I'm at work (35 minutes away)!!!:tort::tort:
My tortoise did the same thing with his log type hide I wa's home thank goodness but fear that he would do it again while I was gone caused me to pull it out. I replaced it with a plastic storage tub, just cut an opening in one end and so far so good.
 

Tort baby momma

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Kara B, I love the set-up and ordered one myself. Can you give me an idea of what watt CHE's you use over the 2 corners for hide spots. And the same for the Sun bulbs over the water and basking corner? Oh and what brand of fogger you use. I think that's all. THANKS!
 

Kara B

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Kara B, I love the set-up and ordered one myself. Can you give me an idea of what watt CHE's you use over the 2 corners for hide spots. And the same for the Sun bulbs over the water and basking corner? Oh and what brand of fogger you use. I think that's all. THANKS!
I use a 100 watt CHE and a 125 watt mercury vapor bulb. I use a humidifier that I found on amazon that I adapted into a fogger since the Zoomed Fogger didn't last very long at all. Bonus, the humidifier was half the cost of the Zoomed fogger!! :)
 

Tort baby momma

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I use a 100 watt CHE and a 125 watt mercury vapor bulb. I use a humidifier that I found on amazon that I adapted into a fogger since the Zoomed Fogger didn't last very long at all. Bonus, the humidifier was half the cost of the Zoomed fogger!! :)
Awesome, THANKS! Can't wait to set it up!!!
 

cmeye11

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Where can these raised bed green houses be purchased? I searched the internet and could not find the exact one in your pictures?
 

Bixi

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Looks pretty decent! How deep is the terrain? They want to burrow. Also, don't be afraid to throw a towel over the top after you mist them to keep the humidity up. My tort had pyramiding issues immediately after I lowered the humidity... They are born in the rainy season... so keep that humidity up!

I would suggest spreading the lights out so that the basking spot doesn't go over 100 degrees. Everyone seems agreed that >100 degrees can hurt a tort. I have been told that (about temperature) previously with regard to my setup, and my Sulcata seems to avoid spots that are ~100 degrees. In the pics your tort is walking around the edges, too. Its probably cooler, there.

If you spread out the heat on one side of the cage and let them have some burrowing/cooler climates on the other side of the cage (with plenty of humidity), then they will probably be more happy.

Good luck!

p.s - Here are some pics of my setup. I have reduced the number of rocks in her terrain since these pics were taken. This is due to the worry that she may ingest them as she grows older. Notice that she has broadly differing temps/terrain in the setup. The cage is also water tight so that I can keep her humidity high in the 1st year or so of her growth. Its definitely not perfect, and I do not claim to be an expert. From what I have gathered this is the way to keep them happy, though. Micro-climates, humid hides, easy soaking, and plenty of depth to burrow seems to be the key. My tort seems to be super healthy, atm! She is ~6 months old.

http://imgur.com/a/jfuOS
http://imgur.com/a/wmnl5
 
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teresaf

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I would raise the cool end temperatures a few degrees you don't want it under 80 degrees. Even a couple degrees matters when it comes to respiratory infections. What are you using to measure temperature and humidity?
 

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