Hi Tammy,
Thanks for starting the new thread and congratulations on welcoming Blue into your home. Horsfields are a great species (but I'm a bit biased because I have Horsfields!). Before I answer your questions, you might want to know an interesting fact about this species -- there is no 'e' in the middle of Horsfield, because the species is named after Thomas Horsfield, a 19th Century naturalist and explorer who discovered them.
Anyway, first of all, here is a link to a care sheet for Horsfields:
https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf
Regarding your set-up. I'm so glad that you have Blue in a table and not a vivarium, so you're off to a good start, and that table will be perfectly fine for him at this size (although when he gets bigger he will need a bigger area). You've put some nice little 'furniture' in there for him to walk around, and they do love those little bendy log thingys to nestle into and climb on.
The first thing I would change is your substrate. Years ago many people used a substrate like this, but it's not natural for them, and sometime if they eat a bit of it there can be sharp points that can irritate their gut. The other problem is that if a bulb blows, and hot pieces of glass fall down into the table (it's rare, but it has happened) then it can start a fire. Also, it's hard to remove areas where he has had a wee because you can't really see it. In the wild tortoises live on a sandy soil, so the best substrate really is a mixture of ordinary screened/sterilised topsoil and children's play sand, and you can buy bags of these at most garden centres, DIY shops, etc. The recommendation is to mix them 50/50, but many people prefer a slightly higher content of topsoil (so maybe 60/40 or 70/30). It can get a bit dusty, so every day or two you can give it a spray to dampen the top a bit, or every two or three days you can just pour some water on it and mix it in well. What you want is a substrate that is just the teeny tiniest bit damp -- not at all wet. It's easy to spot clean because the wee makes a dark area in the substrate that clumps together and is easily removed with an old spoon or something.
It's great that you've bought a digital thermomenter, because then you can hang the probe down from above so that it is in the circle of light from the heat source and at the height of Blue's shell (measuring a temperature anywhere else won't give you an accurate reading). You are right in aiming for 30C under the heat source and 20C at the cool end, and the hot end should be measured directly under the heat source and at the height of his shell.
I do have one question. When you say you have a 100W ceramic heater -- does it give off light too? Ceramic heaters usually look a bit like a light bulb but made of ceramic material so that they give off heat but not light. However, in the last photo you posted, I think I can see light coming out from the hanging dome shade. If it doesn't give off light then you are right to change it. Your fluorescent UVB tube is absolutely fine, but the light from them isn't very bright, and so you want an ordinary bulb or reptile spotlight that gives off heat and light. We used to recommend 100W household spots, but the bulbs they sell now are all low energy and so don't give off enough heat, so the reptile basking bulb that you suggest sounds perfect.
At this time of year you don't need any heat at all at night (and in fact tortoises like a drop in heat at night), as long as it doesn't go below about 15C or so..
And yes, do remove the lid or the partition from the 'sleeping area'. As you've discovered many tortoises tend to like a tight, snug space to sleep and those areas are too big. You could start with just taking the lid off and he might enjoy having a doorway to walk through to get to his other 'room'. Tortoises tend to get bored if they can see from one end of their table the other without interruption, so having rocks, plants, and barriers to walk around keeps them interested.
Will Blue have an outdoor enclosure that he can go to when it's warm (if you can wear a t-shirt outdoors then he can go out)? The UVB from the sun is a far higher quality than what we provide indoors, and it's good for them to be outdoors and explore. Do monitor him though, as Horsfields are a burrowing species and demon climbers as well, and if they aren't being watched, or if their outdoor enclosure isn't secure they can disappear in no time.
Are you giving him regular baths? With a hatchling like Blue I would recommend baths every other day at least when he is indoors (the heat from lamps is very drying and they can dehydrate quickly). Just in warm water, up to his chin (or where the top shell and bottom shell meet) for 15 minutes or so in a container that he can't see out of (like an old washing up bowl), should be fine, and the added advantage is that they usually wee and poo in the bath, so saves cleaning the table.
Sorry for such a long email, but I think you are giving Blue a really lovely home, and please don't hesitate to ask any more questions or let us know if you have any problems.
Nina
