We set the heat mat to what we were told and got a thermometer at either end, atm the hot end is 27 degrees and the cool end is 20 degrees (celcius), so it looks like there is a bit of heat gradience, but the tortoise seems to be spending a lot of time buried under the log, is that because it is too hot? should we turn the heat mat off and see how things go?? we are slightly nervous as we don't want to cause any harm to the tortoise so are doing as the nerdy bloke in the shop told us

he wont get his heat from the heat mat cos they need it from above so id take it out, is the lamp you have a uv light or heat lamp or combination.....dont worry about being confused about things, everyone on here will give great advice

before you touch the heatmat we need to knpow about the lamp. is it just light or is it an ultra violet light ( would have cost you about £30-40) and the model/make if you can

A cool end of 20 is fine. The hot end, under the basking lamp, should be around 30 to 32 degsC so is definitely not too hot. He'll need a little while to settle in and will hide away.

What substrate do you have? And as Tinkerbruce has already asked what is the lamp you are using?

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the lamp is a T-Rex active heat, 100 watt UVB heat lamp, the thermostat is a T-Rex cobrastat connected to the heat mat and set to 75 degrees (f), as suggested by the shop, the substrate is soil and sand, no percentage on the bag, but it looks to be slightly more soil than sand.
We hope we are doing ok

ok well you need to decide whether you are going to keep the viv or return it. if you are gonna keep it, you need to cut a hole in the top to put the lamp closer to the animal. it should be approx 15" away from the top of his shell to make the right basking heat. also, the uvb will not pass through the mesh. Sorry!

you do not need the heat mat AND the uvb basking lamp. their shell is like a solar panel so get rid of the underneath heater UNLESS your house drops to very cold temps of a night (less than 8-10c).

and by the way, you are doing fine! you have one of the best uvb supplies you can get, most people have a tube. the substrate is also good, but it will need a light mist of water 2xdaily to stop it getting dusty. other than the heatmat, the shop hasnt done too much of a bad job. but you could have saved a fortune on the viv!

ali is right the shop havnt done a bad job at all,and the viv my opinion i would take it back,make some excuse the money you save on it will near enough pay for another tort what am i like
your doing everything fine best of luck

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home sweet home

I will unplug the heat mat, but keep it as this place does get a bit chilly in the winter so can use it to top up the heat if needed. Cutting through the mesh is no worries, might even get rid of it all together as unless he/she turns into super tortoise I can't see it excaping though the top. Will keep the viv for the time being but when it gets a bit older and bigger will look into alternative accommadation.
Thanks for all your advice, we are very grateful and no doubt will keep asking for more until we are confident we aren't going to harm/kill the tortoise xx

as tina said, the hot spot should be 30 to 32 c underneath the heat lamp. so adjuct the height until you get it just right. i have the same viv for my baby beaded dragons and i found that taking the plug off the lamp and making a small hole in the wire mesh doesnt do much damage ti it and keeps it looking neat. then use cable ties to attach the wire to the mesh to stop it dropping. a flat slate or paving slab under the heat source will retains ome heat aswell and let himbask happily.

to cover around the sides you could use anything you like. even a strip of sticky back wall paper border can be easily attached and removed. good luck with the weeds for his food, make sure you use nutrobal (or similar) and limestone flour and dont forget to bath him in a little water every few days to keep him hydrated. and try to collect his first poo, put it in a jar and take it to the vet. they can check him for parasites and make sure he is in 100% top condition.