Wannabe owner, new enclosure

[nguindon]

Hello, I'm a new user and a not-yet-tortoise-owner. I plan to pick one up at the Reptile Expo in Mississauga on April 25th.

I have put together an indoor enclosure, it is 42"x19" in size. Here is a picture:


As you can see I have not yet purchased substrate or "furniture". I'll be relying a lot on TestudoGeek's beginner enclosure thread for how to set up the interior. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!

Finally, the reason I put the enclosure together now was to make sure I could get the temperature into the comfort zone before I put a tortoise in there. Right now the cool area is just 69.1F and the basking spot a measly 79.2F. I'm aware these are too low; based on my research I believe the best range would be 75F cool zone and 90F basking spot. The heat lamp I'm using is a 100W infrared nocturnal incandescent... I am thinking about buying a 150W ceramic infrared heater to replace it. If this is still too little heat I could add a 50, 75 or 100W heat lamp beside it. What do you think? Is there a better way to get the ideal temperature?

Thanks!

 

[N2TORTS]

How old and what kind of tortoise? ..

 

[nguindon]

How old and what kind of tortoise? ..

A Hermann's, Greek or Russian Tortoise seems right for me. As for the age I'm not picky - time is not exactly a pressing concern with tortoises! I'd like to adopt because that seems like a nice thing to do, but they are very hard to find. It looks like I'll be buying a young one from the Reptile Expo next week. I talk a bit about my reasoning in my introduction thread I'm open to suggestions if you're aware of other kinds of small, beginner-friendly tortoises.

 

[N2TORTS]

How old and what kind of tortoise? ..

A Hermann's, Greek or Russian Tortoise seems right for me. I talk a bit about my reasoning in my introduction thread I'm open to suggestions if you're aware of other kinds of small, beginner-friendly tortoises.

Heck .. dats an easy one ! ... RED FOOTS ALL THE WAY !
*actually Iam just partial* .Your off to a good start and seem to be doing your research , which is nice and not an " impulse". But for me Honestly I hate to see torts in an " aquarium" type setup . They need space to roam about. You might also consider a tort table ( you can build your own) .. to provide more room and interaction between you and your new friend. And I understand for small torts they need containment, but Moslty * need the fresh air , Sunshine ( artificial lights dont cut it! ) and room to grow.... exspecially during their first developing years. In any case .. * WELCOME TO THE FORUM *
JD~
And although " cute" .. Hatchling torts are much more fragile*

 

[nguindon]

I considered red foots as they're gorgeous, but I was concerned because the recommended space for them was twice or more that for Russians et al.

I also dislike seeing animals (of any kind) in a too-small cage. I have limited space in the finished area of the basement but you'll be happy to hear that I have a long term plan. There is a 6'x6' area in the unfinished part of the basement that I have "earmarked" as a future Tortoise home. It would be superbly easy to modify but getting the right temperatures is very tricky for me right now. A permanent enclosure outdoors for summertime is also possible, but that would have to wait until s/he is bigger AND I have a very good grasp of the right time of the year to bring it out and then back in + weather tolerance. The aquarium* is a much more controllable environment for a newbie like me...

*On the plus side it is a terrarium with grills on the side and top, so it's not quite as stuffy. It also has a small grill along the front (the silver strip) and a sliding glass front door. Not perfect, but better than a glass box I think.

 

[N2TORTS]

I considered red foots as they're gorgeous, but I was concerned because the recommended space for them was twice or more that for Russians et al.

I also dislike seeing animals (of any kind) in a too-small cage. I have limited space in the finished area of the basement but you'll be happy to hear that I have a long term plan. There is a 6'x6' area in the unfinished part of the basement that I have "earmarked" as a future Tortoise home. It would be superbly easy to modify but getting the right temperatures is very tricky for me right now. A permanent enclosure outdoors for summertime is also possible, but that would have to wait until s/he is bigger AND I have a very good grasp of the right time of the year to bring it out and then back in + weather tolerance. The aquarium* is a much more controllable environment for a newbie like me...

*On the plus side it is a terrarium with grills on the side and top, so it's not quite as stuffy. It also has a small grill along the front (the silver strip) and a sliding glass front door. Not perfect, but better than a glass box I think.

*ABSOLUTLY .....! .. and .. you seem to know what ya want! .. and very prepared!. HATS OFF TO YA~ ~
~HAPPY TORT~N
JD~

 

[RussianRookie]

My sister uses one of those ceramic heaters for her Ball Python. theyre nice. your also gonna need a light that puts out UVB.

 

[nguindon]

My sister uses one of those ceramic heaters for her Ball Python. theyre nice. your also gonna need a light that puts out UVB.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I have a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB fluorescent light in the fixture you see there, thanks for pointing that out. It's good to hear that the ceramic heater does a good job, thanks!

 

[RussianRookie]

Lol now that you mention it i can see it. haha

 

[nguindon]

For the temperature... Today or tomorrow I am going to pick up the 150W ceramic AND the repti temp rheostat. If I see that the 150W still struggles to get the temperature high enough I will put my infrared incandescent back besides it. The rheostat should then be able to tweak everything to the appropriate level... right?

 

[nguindon]

Today I purchased a powerful 250W ceramic infrared heat bulb (and appropriately rated lamp) with a rheostat to adjust it. Yet even with the 250W bulb burning at maximum, the basking corner of the tank remains steady at 85F. Am I doing something wrong? I thought this bulb would be overkill, yet it isn't even enough... Here are some pictures of my setup (click for full size):





I'm concerned. 250W is a lot of juice... Or is it? Should I supplement it with another bulb?

 

[JourneyTort]

Today I purchased a powerful 250W ceramic infrared heat bulb (and appropriately rated lamp) with a rheostat to adjust it. Yet even with the 250W bulb burning at maximum, the basking corner of the tank remains steady at 85F. Am I doing something wrong? I thought this bulb would be overkill, yet it isn't even enough... Here are some pictures of my setup (click for full size):





I'm concerned. 250W is a lot of juice... Or is it? Should I supplement it with another bulb?

That does seem pretty big for the temps you are getting. I have a 100 watt MVB and I get the temps required for basking 95 - 100 and also I use a 50 watt red bulb at night and get the recommended night time temps. I noticed that your dome is quite big, I use smaller domes for basking, this would concentrate the light somewhat and maybe this is why you are not getting your basking temps.

One other thing, did you contact someone at the Reptile Expo about a Russian, Greek and or Hermans? The only torts I have seen at the Miss. Reptile Expo are Sulcata, Leopard (first thing in the a.m. or else they are gone) and Red foots. You may be better off contacting a couple of Reptile stores and letting them know what you are looking for and they may be able to get one for you.

Good luck,

 

[nguindon]

[...] I noticed that your dome is quite big, I use smaller domes for basking, this would concentrate the light somewhat and maybe this is why you are not getting your basking temps.

One other thing, did you contact someone at the Reptile Expo about a Russian, Greek and or Hermans? The only torts I have seen at the Miss. Reptile Expo are Sulcata, Leopard (first thing in the a.m. or else they are gone) and Red foots. You may be better off contacting a couple of Reptile stores and letting them know what you are looking for and they may be able to get one for you.

Good luck,

Thanks, the tortoises I'm looking for are obscenely difficult to find in Canada. I've contacted a ton of places, sent out a lot of emails, applied to a bunch of adoption agencies. There are a few now who have given me good signs but they are longer term deals (waiting list, etc.). I'm crossing my fingers for Testudos at the Reptile Expo, I'll be there at 9am sharp even if it's murder to get there at that hour. Anyone who cuts in my line better be prepared to be fed to some hungry looking snakes!!

As for the lights, I have been totally unable to find smaller domes rated for high wattage. Everything I've found has wattage capacity directly tied to dome diameter: 5.5" (60W), 8.5" (150W) and 10" (250W). What are your thoughts on under-tank heating pads?

 

[Skyler Nell]

I'm no expert, but how far is your lamp from the floor?
It seems pretty far to me, so maybe that's why its difficult for you to get the high temps?
just a thought
Good Luck!

 

[JourneyTort]

I don't think you are going to have much luck at the Mississauga expo finding anything other than Sulcata, Red Foot or Leopard.

My friend just told me last week that there is a Greek Tort in a pet shop in London, maybe it would be worth your while checking that out (if it is indeed a Greek). I didn't see pics of it.

There is also a Russian tort for sale in Richmond Hill area.

Good luck,

 

[RClaire]

Hey,
I've got a hermanns and they are lovely tortoises, very friendly and such interesting behaviour- definately recommended, especially if your new to tortoises. I've only had mine for four months so i'm still pretty new to all this but apparently torotoise tables are the better option, I'm looking to build one soon but for now shes in a vivarium where temps range from 30-35 degrees celcius and cool end being 23 - just make sure there is deffinately a cooler part of the enclosure for tortoise to move to if overheated. keep us posted as to when u get ur new tort.

 

[nguindon]

Thanks RClaire I'll be setting off some fireworks here when I get my tort!

 

[-ryan-]

Today I purchased a powerful 250W ceramic infrared heat bulb (and appropriately rated lamp) with a rheostat to adjust it. Yet even with the 250W bulb burning at maximum, the basking corner of the tank remains steady at 85F. Am I doing something wrong? I thought this bulb would be overkill, yet it isn't even enough... Here are some pictures of my setup (click for full size):





I'm concerned. 250W is a lot of juice... Or is it? Should I supplement it with another bulb?

I use 45 watt bulbs for all of my tortoises, but they are much closer to the animals. I can get temperatures over 120f or so (surface temperatures) with a simple 45 watt flood bulb that you can pick up for $5 or less. Also, with a low wattage bulb the enclosure won't dry out as quickly. The trick is just finding a safe way to mount the light close to the animals.

 

[webskipper]

Ok so that enclosure is screeened on 3 sides? How big? Looks ok to keep babies for a year.

Ace the serpent background and the screen cover. No way Torts are scaling glass.

I'd skip the IR and use a full spectrum incandescent like a GE Reveal. Depending on the distance away you'll wan to get both the 100W and 75W. I switched out my 100W for a 75W when the heat returned to AZ.

The Desert 10.0 fluorescent full length lamp will illuminate the cage and grow some seedlings.

Yeah, the Mediterranean Torts are a great bunch to select from. It all depends on your space and tastes. A least they won't get to become the size of your ottoman.

The cypress mulch ground cover is a good material to help maintain the moisture that the baby Torts require. hard to maintain humidity in an open box. Shower the mulch (whatever type you chose) like every 2 days.

I use a half gallon juice container and drilled a billion 1/16th holes in the cap to make a simple recyclable spray bottle.

 

[nguindon]

Ok so that enclosure is screeened on 3 sides? How big? Looks ok to keep babies for a year.

42" x 19" for one tortoise. I'll be building a larger enclosure over the next few weeks.

Ace the serpent background and the screen cover. No way Torts are scaling glass.

The background is gone, but I need to keep the top because I'm worried my cat might try to jump in sometime. I'm be really surprised if he did but... I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I'd skip the IR and use a full spectrum incandescent like a GE Reveal. Depending on the distance away you'll wan to get both the 100W and 75W. I switched out my 100W for a 75W when the heat returned to AZ.

The Desert 10.0 fluorescent full length lamp will illuminate the cage and grow some seedlings.

I'm having a lot of trouble keeping the temperature up. The roof is kind of high and the temperature is between 70F and 85F... Despite a 250W bulb burning bright. What do you think of undertank heaters?

Yeah, the Mediterranean Torts are a great bunch to select from. It all depends on your space and tastes. A least they won't get to become the size of your ottoman.

The cypress mulch ground cover is a good material to help maintain the moisture that the baby Torts require. hard to maintain humidity in an open box. Shower the mulch (whatever type you chose) like every 2 days.

I use a half gallon juice container and drilled a billion 1/16th holes in the cap to make a simple recyclable spray bottle.

Good advice, thank you