Red-footed tortoise question

Question

all we have is a 250 watt heat lamp would it be okay to hang that about 2 feet away from the soil in his pen or will that be too hot? I'm new at this so i really don't know much about it. And should his hut be under the lamp or in between the water and the heat?

Answer 1

HOUSING RED-FOOTS INDOORS - The most common form of indoor accommodation for small or medium sized red-foot Tortoises consists of a “turtle table’  To all appearances this looks like a bookshelf unit flipped onto its back. A reasonable size for a hatchling is 2 feet by 3 feet as the animal grows the size of this habitat should be increased.   For an adult red-foot tortoise the indoor accommodation should be at least 6 feet by 4 feet Into the bottom of this “turtle table” holes can be cut to allow for the sinking of food , water and eventually nesting containers flush with the surface for easier animal access.



The water area of the habitat should be large enough to allow the tortoise to soak in it if it wishes - it must also be shallow enough to protect from drowning. Cypress mulch is the indoor  substrate of choice for this species due to it's humidity retention characteristics which in turn leads to good scute and skin health.



In one corner of the environment a  100W spot lamp should be positioned to provide artificial basking facilities. This should be positioned to provide a basking spot of 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) or so in that section of the habitat.  The habitat should also be equipped with a full spectrum fluorescent light to provide for UVB. A UVB source is necessary for Vitamin D3 syntheses (needed in calcium metabolism)  If preferred to this lighting arrangement a Mercury vapor bulb may be used that fulfills all requirements. There should be a hide box located in the corner away from the basking spot to allow the animal a cool dim retreat.