Baby tortoise help

[EmmaMesher]

Hi, I have a new 2 year old tortoise who ive had for a week now. Its been out and about in its vivarium everyday and the last 4 days had very short ventures in an enclosed run in the garden. Ive maintained the heat and lighting, but today it hasnt been out all day, its ok, as ive checked but is this normal?

 

[Fernando]

We would need to know what type of tortoise you have and more detailed info about the diet and the enclosure it lives in. Thanks

 

[EmmaMesher]

Its a Hermann, about the size of my little sons palm, very small. Its in a 2 ft by 1ft viv, this is only temp, i know it needs to be bigger. It has hay and tortoise life (sandy stuff which I got from pet shop)
roughly 3 inchs. It has a 60watt lamp and a 2 ft uvb lamp. Im keeping the temp around 30. It has a small water dish and has been eating dandelions, caggage leafs and cauliflower leafs.

 

[dmmj]

remember young tortoises often hide. In the wild they know they are prey for bigger creatures. It is eating so it probably just needs some time to adjust to it's new home.

 

[EmmaMesher]

Thank you, any advise is great, Its my first tortoise after wanting one for years, my hubby finally said yes. Its adorable, so sweet. Ive done lots of reading but still unsure about the odd thing.

 

[coreyc]

Welcome to the forum can you post some pic's we would like to see him?

 

[Tom]

So the whole enclosure is 30?

There needs to be a thermal gradient so he can choose how warm he wants to be and regulate his own temp. I'd say 30 is good for the warm side of the enclosure, but there ought to be a basking spot of around 35. The "cool" side ought to be around 23-24 and for night time I'd keep it no lower than 21-22 for a little baby. They can tolerate it lower as adults, but I like to be careful with babies.

There is a real risk of impaction with a sand substrate, even if it is mixed with other stuff. It can also irritate their eyes and skin. Unfortunately, lots of products are marketed for animals that just aren't good for them. There are still pictures of rabbits and hamsters on the packages of cedar shavings. That stuff can kill them in a closed space. I would instead use plain soil, coco coir, orchid bark, cypress mulch or something similar that is available in the UK.

Your diet needs some help. Dandelions are great. Cabbage and cauliflower leaves, not so much. Its not that these two items are toxic, its just that they should not be part of the regular diet. Instead look for "Rocket Mix", collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, escarole, endive, cilantro, parsley, carrot tops, chard, bok choy, etc... Lots of variety is good. What's even better than grocery store items is weeds. They are free and you just need to be sure there are no pesticides or chemicals on them. Check out the plant ID section here on the forum and see if any of them look familiar. Other really good things include rose, hibiscus and grape leaves. Mulberry tree leaves. Spineless opuntia cactus. And occasional Mazuri is a great way to round out any possible deficiencies in the diet.

Finally, are you doing any warm water soaks? These can be very beneficial too.

 

[Fernando]

Thanks for the info! Unfortunately I don't know Hermanns. But there are some points you mentioned in your description I can possible suggest a little change.

Is 30 the temp all around the viv? Is there an area where the little tort can bask and get a little warmer? I'm not a fan of sand myself, but there are members here that use it for those tortoises and don't find a problem with it.

How's the weather right now where you live?

It's 2 years old...who did you buy it from? Local pet store?

 

[EmmaMesher]

Ah thank you so much for your help, Ill pop to the reptile shop tommorow and look at some of those bits,

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Yeah, it was from a reptile shop .... is that a bad thing? I have a certificate for it.
It has a heat mat and a basking lamp. I dont have both on at the same time. The mat is more for in the evening just to maintain a warm heat.
But one side is cooler. when the basking lamp is off.
From what I remember I think it had some sort of bark stuff in the viv at the shop.
I did give it a luke warm shallow bath, which it seemed to really enjoy.

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OOHHH sorry, weather here in england is RUBBISH.... wet and cold (no surprise).

 

[Tom]

Don't feel bad about the weather. Its cold, raining and over cast here in "Sunny" Southern California too! At least you guys expect it to be that way over there.

It sounds like you need some good temperature measuring devices. I like digital thermometers with remote probes AND infrared temp guns. Both of those should be available over there and shouldn't be all that expensive. Temps are very important to know with all reptiles and if you are having a problem with inactivity, temperature is a likely cause.

I'd keep those warm water soaks going every other day, at least for a while.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi EmmaMesher:

(Is your name "Emma?")

Welcome to the forum!!

 

[EmmaMesher]

Yes its Emma, I dont normally go on forums, so wasnt very creative! plus user name Emma was taken lol.
Its a lovely forum, Im glad I found it as Im sure Ill be using it alot for my new addition.

 

[dmarcus]

Looks like you have got a lot of help already, so welcome to the forum...

 

[DesertGrandma]

Welcome to the forum. There is so much good information and knowledgable people here. I know you will enjoy it.