Baby care questions

[Pauli]

Hi! I’ve had My Russian for 3 days now. I decided to use male pronouns and a girlish name just to cover my bases. Terra is about 2.5 inches long and came from a breeder. He comes out of one of his hides if I’m messing around in there and follows the action. Eating is going well. Dandelions are a favorite but he is also eating arugula, mustard, collard and a little kale.

I have a few questions. One is that he seems to not go to his water much, if ever. He is good in the baths and drinks. I spray him often throughout the day as well as any greens I give him. Should I be worried? He is in a 55 gallon tote. The water is in a corner (to make my life easier) and I’m wondering if that may be part of it. I’m willing to move it if this tends to be a thing contributing to issues.

Secondly, I only have about 2.5-3 inches of substrate. Do tiny babies need the full 5ish inches? He primarily goes in his hides to sleep.

Third, besides those of you who have humidifiers, how do you keep the humidity up? Spraying, wetting the soil often, or something else magical that I’d love to learn?

[thank you all for helping each other and is newbies!

ATTACH=full]248624[/ATTACH]

 

[Minority2]

Make sure your tortoise is eating more broad-leaf weeds and flowers than they are eating store-bought greens.

1. Tortoise do a good looking after themselves. They'll drink if they really need to. They won't dehydrate if you regularly soak them daily as a hatchling.
2. I prefer more but that's just me. I encourage burrowing.
3. You can pair your humidifier with a thermostat. Set the appropriate humidity/temperature level and all you have to do is keep the tank filled. For a Russian/Horsefield with lower humidity requirements I personally prefer pouring, misting, and mixing the substrate myself. Once you get a routine down it's quite easy. Less equipment to run that's for sure.

 

[Tom]

You don't need to worry too much about humidity with a russian baby. Just have damp substrate, a humid hide, and soak daily. Try to cover some of the top to hold in some moderate humidity, if needed.

I'd add a little more substrate. They dig down to create their own little micro-climates and they need enough depth to do it. This helps their shells grow smoothly and also keeps them hydrated between daily soaks.

Here is some care info in case you haven't seen it yet:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

 

[Pauli]

I did read those and thank you. I added more substrate. The top is covered except for about 1/5 where the lights are. I appreciate this forum and all the great knowledge people have.