i have a habistat(which turns off the heat if it gets to hot) for my tortoises do where do you think i should put it in the middle near the hot end or the cool end

What is the habistat thermometer in.........a viv or an open-topped?

You must have a normal basking bulb ran through your thermostat I assume (combineds can't be controlled by them as the mercury needs to cool down before it will come back on).

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Phoebe

Keeping: Hermanns and Whitei's

i have a buld and there in a viv

Med torts are far better of in an open-topped enclosure.....viv's get too hot and humidity builds up which is bad for them, it can cause respiratory problems. Torts also need a cooler area and this is very hard to achieve in a viv.

Why not have a look at Tortoises and Tortoise Trust Web - Start Page and see if you can adapt your viv so it's better for your torts?

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Phoebe

Keeping: Hermanns and Whitei's

do you thin if i used a peice of wood would instead of glass so that i would leave 7incs open for circulation?

Yes, if you take the glass doors off altogether and place a piece of wood across the front so the tort can't climb out, you will get better air circulation for the meantime.

Why not go back in some of the threads and look at others indoor/outdoor enclosures? You'll get some great ideas.

How long have you had your tortoise? How does he seem? Is he active and eating or a bit sleepy?

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Phoebe

Keeping: Hermanns and Whitei's

i got them 2 spur thighs on sat for my b day ive wanted a tortoise since i was ten there active then they seem to knacker themselves out there eating and like going in there water dish ive ben doing loads of reading on them, also there seems to be a mix on what temp the cool side should be and what time the hot side should be what temps do you do and i was thinking of attaching a peice of wood to the roof of the tank to pervent too much heat from the red heat bulb over to the cool side any advice would be great what tortoises do you have?

Hi Rob,

I keep my tortoises outside, they have an insulated, heated cold frame attached to their enclosure to retreat to when they need to warm up or get sick of the rain. I don't let the temperature in the cold frame go above 30c and as long as it doesn't go down to below 10c in your house, the cool side temperature isn't really that important as long as they have somewhere to warm up. But try and aim for your cool side to be at least 10c cooler than the hot side. Its a common misconception that tortoises need to be warm all the time.....this isn't the case, in fact, if you have ever been to Spain you will know that it often gets quite chilly on a night (lack of clouds to keep the heat in) so it's very natural for a tortoise. Letting them go cool and allow access to heat when they want it also helps them regulate their gut flora, if kept warm all the time the natural bacteria in their guts would gallop. Upset tummies and diahorrea ain't good in torts.
Try and get your torts outside in a safe, predator and escape proof enclosure as much as you can. Natural sunshine is vital for tortoises to produce calcium for their bones and shell as calcium deficiency will result in metabolic bone disease (a bit like arthritis in humans).
If you bought the viv with the torts, you could take it back to the shop and ask for a refund before you start hacking it to bits. If not then try taking the whole roof off and use that to put in place of the glass doors. Give your torts and really deep substrate to raise the height so they aren't in darkness, suspend the light over the top ( an 'L' shape wooden bracket would work well) at approx 12 inches from the tortoises and that could be a makeshift enclosure until you get sorted. But, please, if it's a brand new viv, don't do this, ask for a refund.

I often see brilliant indoor enclosures in Ikeas bargain basement..........wooden wardrobes with missing doors for £20, turn it on it's back, fill it with substate and you have a big indoor enclosure.
Indoor rabbit cages work well too and are light enough that you can carry them outdoors during the day, they also have the added advantage of a wire cage over the top to protect your torts from predators.

Hope some of this helps and please read the links I gave you earlier, the info on these sites will really help you

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Phoebe

Keeping: Hermanns and Whitei's