Advice needed. Baby Horsefield tortoise!
Posted: 22 Aug 2021, 22:37
Hi Nina,
Thank you for responding to my other post. I didn't see your message and will use your advice about ticking for notifications going forward
We brought our baby horsefield home on Saturday. Bought from reptile shop. He's beautiful! 30g at the moment. Certificate suggests he hatched in 2020 but I believe the girl serving us gave us the wrong certificate, but that's not my concern.
My concern is his setup.
He is kept in a tortoise table in the kitchen, which is opened up into the conservatory. The conservatory has a proper tiled roof and blinds so doesn't get boiling hot. Although does get cold in the winter. The reptile shop suggested that we use a T5 Pro 24v desert 24% UV tube and a 100w ceramic heater.
The ceramic heater is set for 30° on a thermostat. She said not to switch it off.
I am measuring temp with the cheap circle thermostat, suggested to us, which I do not trust at all. So also using daughters ear thermometer to measure the ground. Not ideal but ordered a digital fridge thermometer with probe now.
Blue (tortoises name) chooses to sleep in a little hide near the heater but buried into a corner away from its heat. It feels cool to touch inside the hide and the corner temp doesn't pick up on my thermometer so must be under 30°.
I worry that he sleeps near the 30° heat he will still get too hot of a night. I've read that ideally he should get cool. So I've turned the thermostat down this evening.
I've set up another hide in the covered, cool, compartment of the table. He does use it but again tonight is sleeping near the warmth.
I need some advice on how to set this all up correctly. I'm thinking of removing the divide for the seperate compartment.
He doesn't bask under the ceramic heater.
My plan is to move the ceramic heater to the opposite end and set to come on if falls below 20°. Left on all the time.
Then purchase a basking lamp with light to go where the ceramic heater currently is. Set at 30° and on for 12 hours a day. ???
Thank you for responding to my other post. I didn't see your message and will use your advice about ticking for notifications going forward
We brought our baby horsefield home on Saturday. Bought from reptile shop. He's beautiful! 30g at the moment. Certificate suggests he hatched in 2020 but I believe the girl serving us gave us the wrong certificate, but that's not my concern.
My concern is his setup.
He is kept in a tortoise table in the kitchen, which is opened up into the conservatory. The conservatory has a proper tiled roof and blinds so doesn't get boiling hot. Although does get cold in the winter. The reptile shop suggested that we use a T5 Pro 24v desert 24% UV tube and a 100w ceramic heater.
The ceramic heater is set for 30° on a thermostat. She said not to switch it off.
I am measuring temp with the cheap circle thermostat, suggested to us, which I do not trust at all. So also using daughters ear thermometer to measure the ground. Not ideal but ordered a digital fridge thermometer with probe now.
Blue (tortoises name) chooses to sleep in a little hide near the heater but buried into a corner away from its heat. It feels cool to touch inside the hide and the corner temp doesn't pick up on my thermometer so must be under 30°.
I worry that he sleeps near the 30° heat he will still get too hot of a night. I've read that ideally he should get cool. So I've turned the thermostat down this evening.
I've set up another hide in the covered, cool, compartment of the table. He does use it but again tonight is sleeping near the warmth.
I need some advice on how to set this all up correctly. I'm thinking of removing the divide for the seperate compartment.
He doesn't bask under the ceramic heater.
My plan is to move the ceramic heater to the opposite end and set to come on if falls below 20°. Left on all the time.
Then purchase a basking lamp with light to go where the ceramic heater currently is. Set at 30° and on for 12 hours a day. ???