Baby Tortoise eating then sleeping

[Mabelmidnight]

I’ve had my baby tortoise for about 2 months already, so they are used to their enclosure by now. They are about 4-5 months old now. I’ve noticed that they used to be pretty active, moving all over their enclosure and eating normally, but now, they are sleeping most of the day and only awake when they are eating their food. They tend to go to one spot right under the basking light and sleep there for the rest of the day, unless I wake them up. They are a lot less active than usual. I am not sure if this is normal behavior because they look healthy just looking at their appearance. I know that baby tortoises sleep more than adults but I’m not sure if they should be more active.

basking spot - 95 F
Warm side - 80 - 87 F
Cool side - 70 - 75 F

 

[Karen(pebbles)]

hi and welcome to the forum, could you possibly post some pics of your set up?

 

[Ink]

Do you have more than one tortoise in the same enclosure?

 

[Mabelmidnight]

Hi, no I don’t, sorry for the confusion, I can’t tell my tortoise’s gender right now. I only have one tortoise in the enclosure

 

[Ink]

No worries, I just read the word 'they' .I agree to post pictures of the enclosure, then an expert will be able to help you more.

 

[Mabelmidnight]

hi and welcome to the forum, could you possibly post some pics of your set up?

hi and welcome to the forum, could you possibly post some pics of your set up?

humidity - 60% - 70%

 

[Karen(pebbles)]

aww your tort is adorable

 

[Ink]

So cute. Babies do hide more, because they are venerable. However just wait for an expert. What light bulbs are you using?

 

[Mabelmidnight]

the link to the heat lamp:

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zoo-med-repti-basking-spot-lamps-100-watts

the link to the heat emitter:

Simple Deluxe 150W Ceramic Heat Emitter Reptile Heat Lamp Bulb No Light Emitting Brooder Coop Heater for Amphibian Pet & Incubating Chicken https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KLZCDQH/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

the link to the UVB lamp:

Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB Mini Compact Fluorescent 13 Watt (4 Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BJG8E7O/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[Maggie3fan]

the link to the heat lamp:

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zoo-med-repti-basking-spot-lamps-100-watts

the link to the heat emitter:

Simple Deluxe 150W Ceramic Heat Emitter Reptile Heat Lamp Bulb No Light Emitting Brooder Coop Heater for Amphibian Pet & Incubating Chicken https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KLZCDQH/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

the link to the UVB lamp:

Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB Mini Compact Fluorescent 13 Watt (4 Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BJG8E7O/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

somebody more expert than I will tell you the UVB light is not a good one...and it seems you have 2 uvb type lights and 2 heat bulbs? To me that baby is bombarded with too much light...he should never get below 85 degrees either. Babies know they are prey, so he 'might' be stressed because there's not enuf cover for him. Babies do sleep a lot...cuz they ARE babies. You need to tweek the enclosure, do something about the lights...is that a dirt substrate? How are you supplying humidity in that open table?

 

[Mabelmidnight]

okay thank you for letting me know. I have one heat emitter and one heat light, just to try to keep the temperature higher so I’m not sure if that is too much. Also I was thinking that they need a lot of UVB, since their natural habitat is under the sun for a lot of the day. Do you have any options for a better UVB light? I have several hiding spots for them if they need shade. Yes, the substrate is a mix of organic top soil and peat moss. Humidity is provided from sphagnum moss and spraying water all over throughout the day. The enclosure is open.

 

[TeamZissou]

Babies DO sleep a lot as was said. During the first year, my Greek hatchling would often go to bed as early as 12 pm and we wouldn't see him until the next morning.

That said, the problem you are seeing is most likely related to the lighting, namely the compact fluorescent UVB bulb as Maggie and others have said. The often produce light in the UVC range which is very damaging to the eyes. Sensing this dangerous light, tortoises will hide to avoid it. Photokeratitis can result with extended use of these lights, which shows up as swollen eyes. UV light from a T5 fluorescent tube works the best.

The spot blub that you have is also not advantageous for your tortoise. They produce light in too concentrated of a spot. More diffuse light is better, from a regular flood-style incandescent bulb from the hardware store.

The moss and soil aren't good as they will be eaten and result in impaction.

Here's a detailed care sheet that will give you the best results. The info is most likely drastically different than the info you've found other places such as pet shops, Facebook etc, but it produces the best results. A closed chamber will allow you to keep the humidity up to prevent pyramiding:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Mabelmidnight]

Thank you so much for the suggestions. I will be switching the UVB bulbs as soon as possible. Would this one be a good option?

REPTI ZOO Reptile 15W 18 Inches UVB T8 Daylight Fluorescent Bulb https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WNGSVFK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Also, I have seen that Mercury vapor bulbs mimic the natural sunlight the best, are those safe too?

As for the substrate, my tortoise has not ingested any of it.

 

[TeamZissou]

T5 bulbs are better than T8 bulbs as they put out more UVB. Look for a 10.0 T5 bulb and matching fixture.

Mercury vapor bulbs excessively dry out the shell and cause pyramiding. They are also inconsistent at UVB production and need to be replaced often.

The substrate may not be a problem yet, but over time it will stick to the food and could become a problem. Fine grade orchid bark (fir bark or ZooMed Reptibark) is the safest choice.

 

[TisMary]

Thank you so much for the suggestions. I will be switching the UVB bulbs as soon as possible. Would this one be a good option?

REPTI ZOO Reptile 15W 18 Inches UVB T8 Daylight Fluorescent Bulb https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WNGSVFK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Also, I have seen that Mercury vapor bulbs mimic the natural sunlight the best, are those safe too?

As for the substrate, my tortoise has not ingested any of it.

Hi @Mabelmidnight - all good questions! In general, for flourescent lights, I recommend you go with T5HO (smaller, new technology) fluorescent bulbs instead of T8 (larger, old tech). The difference being the diameter of the bulb and the amount of light emitted. Take a look at this short article: Difference between T5, T8, T12 Tubes.



Also, go with flood lights vs. spot lights as @TeamZissou recommends. Check out my post here which goes into more detail on the lights I have and where I've come out on lighting options for plant, heat, and UVB.

I have found a few other tools that I highly recommend so you know exactly what your temps, UVB, and humidity are. You may already have something you use for temp and humidity, but here's what I use (from the For-What-It's-Worth department!)

I like these Mini Hygrometer Thermometer with Cable Probe, 5-Pack because they have temperature and humidity readings in one handy dandy window, plus a probe that you can put right down at tort level (I take my readings while he's sleeping or soaking - he doesn't have an opportunity to chaw on the wires).

Also, a handheld infrared thermometer (aka "temp gun") for spot checking the temp of for example, a basking rock. I like this one Etekcity Infrared Thermometer 774 Temperature Gun. It's not meant for checking temps of humans, but I found it really handy for checking other things, like the temperature of topsoil baking in my oven!

Finally, a UVB meter Solarmeter® Model 6.5 UV Index Meter - they're expensive, but it's the only way I know of to get an accurate reading on the all important UVB levels you're actually getting down at critter height. BTW, I started out with the Repti-Sun 10.0 bulb you show above and had to back it off to a 5.0 because of the readings I was getting with this meter. Solarmeter also makes a "reptile" model of this meter (Model 6.5R). The spec sheets for both models are identical so I bought the plain old vanilla model cuz at the time, it was cheaper. The picture of the lizard on the "R" model is nice ?, and the Ferguson info is handy, but it's not something you can't read up on elsewhere, and they are definitely not worth paying more for!

What kind of tort? Did I miss that?

 

[Mabelmidnight]

thank you so much for the recommendations and tips! Definitely going to be replacing bulbs and purchasing the temp gun. My tortoise is a Hermann’s tortoise
Also, what are your thoughts on the substrate choice because I have seen many choices and I chose top soil and peat moss, but do you think that is the best option?

 

[TaylorTortoise]

beautiful hermanns!
I have one too. Where is yours from?

 

[TisMary]

thank you so much for the recommendations and tips! Definitely going to be replacing bulbs and purchasing the temp gun. My tortoise is a Hermann’s tortoise
Also, what are your thoughts on the substrate choice because I have seen many choices and I chose top soil and peat moss, but do you think that is the best option?

I use a combination of 1 part top soil, 1 part coconut coir, and 1/3 part white sand. I dug the topsoil from my yard (about 200 pounds of it!) and baked it in my oven. Did the same with the sand. I use coir bricks by ZooMed Eco Earth® Coconut Fiber Substrate. I didn't bake the coir; figured it should be good to go right out of the package. I could have used peat moss instead of coir - just a matter of personal preference.

My mention of sand in substrate will likely spark the religious wars ?, but I follow @HermanniChris' care sheet and don't see a problem if done properly. I have a large tile that he eats on and I'm very careful to remove any bits of food that get dragged onto the substrate (usually stuck to the bottom of a foot - images of toilet paper stuck to a shoe!)

I have a 20 gallon tub of baked topsoil and 5 gallons of baked sand sitting in my front hall, ready to go so that I have enough to replace the whole lot in the dead of winter if I have to (the coir bricks I can soak at the time). I call it "Just-in-Time Substrate"! ?

 

[Mabelmidnight]

Thank you so much yours is also so cute! I got mine on MorphMarket through a pretty reputable seller called “The Reptile Shop”. They are located in California and they sell all sorts of reptiles, not just tortoises. How about you, where did you get your tort?

 

[TaylorTortoise]

Thank you so much yours is also so cute! I got mine on MorphMarket through a pretty reputable seller called “The Reptile Shop”. They are located in California and they sell all sorts of reptiles, not just tortoises. How about you, where did you get your tort?

I got mine through garden state tortoise. Chris leone! You mentioned him in your post above.