Alarming behavior in hatchling

Tom

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Tomorrow when I soak them I will take some pictures for all of you that said never see a baby tortoise scratch their face.
I've seen tortoises scratch their faces. I'm just saying that mine don't do this on a regular basis. They only scratch if their is something like food or substrate stuck to their face.
 

kazjimmy

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I've seen tortoises scratch their faces. I'm just saying that mine don't do this on a regular basis. They only scratch if their is something like food or substrate stuck to their face.

I used a wrong word “a lot”. I spent hours watch from my spy camera with my new hatchling. They do scratch their face while eating and soaking to clean up their face, 20-30 times per day. To me It’s a normal behavior. If they keep scratch their face like itchy, then it’s a problem.
 

SweetKaykes

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Again baby tortoise scratch their face a lot. If yours never did, I don’t wanna debate with you. One of the mistake new owner did is soak the baby while they sleep. You can wake up your tortoise and soak them but you do not soak them while they still asleep. It’s a common sense no need to argue.
I don’t soak him when he’s already asleep. Of course I woke him up first. And I understand what you’re saying about sometimes you need to let them be, but I do not treat my tort like a puppy. Really the only interaction I have with him is when I soak him and feed him.
 

kazjimmy

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I don’t soak him when he’s already asleep. Of course I woke him up first. And I understand what you’re saying about sometimes you need to let them be, but I do not treat my tort like a puppy. Really the only interaction I have with him is when I soak him and feed him.

Good to know here are my hatchling from other breeder

IMG_0009.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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This is what I’m thinking. Since changing the light he has only done it a couple times. Not nearly as often as before.
We've had a lot of nay sayers when we bad mouth the compact fluorescent lights. Your story is one more testimonial on the 'get rid of 'em' side! Glad he 's getting better!
 

TammyJ

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Sweetkaykes, you followed the correct advice from some of our most experienced tortoise keepers here. Welcome, stick around and all the best!
 

SweetKaykes

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We've had a lot of nay sayers when we bad mouth the compact fluorescent lights. Your story is one more testimonial on the 'get rid of 'em' side! Glad he 's getting better!
Absolutely. And I honestly would’ve never known without this forum. He is so much happier without the coil bulbs. Never again.
 

SweetKaykes

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Sweetkaykes, you followed the correct advice from some of our most experienced tortoise keepers here. Welcome, stick around and all the best!

Thank you! I really don’t know what I would do without this forum. I will be coming here for all my questions from now on.
 

drew54

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Thank you! I really don’t know what I would do without this forum. I will be coming here for all my questions from now on.

I would suggest also measuring your little dinosaur weekly for a while to make sure he/she gains weight normally. And soak a min of twice a day for hydration for 30min.
 

SweetKaykes

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I would suggest also measuring your little dinosaur weekly for a while to make sure he/she gains weight normally. And soak a min of twice a day for hydration for 30min.

This is a great idea. I definitely will start weighing him every week.
 

drew54

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Well that's good lol I got into troubled one day because I had ordered a bunch of sulcata food seed mix that I can plant until next summer. I had done it after I had took my meds and I don't remember anything, but nyx has a huge amount of seed mix for next year though! I also, know nothing about growing weeds and grasses.
 

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