Does this look right?

[Jami]

Hi there,

Dover, my new hatchling, is in a 20g long critter cage. He seems to love hanging out in his basking spot, and tromping around his enclosure, and burrowing. But I feel like our schedule is backwards, and I also need to know if I need to make the coco coir more moist in the mornings.

The first pic shows how it looks in the morning after he soaks. You can see how the dry coco is around his bask spot. Which is his favorite hang out a lot. The second pic is what it looks like about 5 hours later. By the rocks I stirred it up a little to show how it is underneath, though that is a bit cooler, about in the middle of his enclosure. The third pic is of him eating. On my tablet I can make the pics bigger- zoom in. If you can too, could you look at his eyes and tell me if you think he is good, hydration-wise?

After eating he basked a bit then peed. It was totally clear. I just happened to be trying to get pics of him so I saw it. I'm going to have to leave him for longer periods on Monday & Wednesday so I need to know what you think. Also, about 20 min after eating he walked around, basked a bit, and put himself in his hut and borrowed. Do you think he's down for the night?

Thanks everyone, I know I asked a lot of questions! What else would you expect of me?

 

[wellington]

Do you have a water dish in there? He should have access to water 24/7 to drink or self soak should he want too.

 

[Jami]

Do you have a water dish in there? He should have access to water 24/7 to drink or self soak should he want too.

I have to get a new one. The ones I have are not working. I soaked him half an hour at about 10 this morning. Today while I was gone he did not have one. I was worried about the ones I have and refuse to take the chance. I spritzed his food and the area around him. I put some water down for him on one of the other tiles and he wanted no part of it. Yesterday when I did that he drank. He will have one I'm comfortable with by Sunday so I can test him out with it. It will go where you see the rocks. Further beyond that is a spider plant with moss around it. I'm thinking of moving that to the middle of the enclosure along the edge to offer more to him there. Thanks!

 

[Flipper]

My little tort tucks herself in for the night anywhere between 2-4pm.

I would like to suggest more plants or other things to break up the enclosure

 

[Jami]

My little tort tucks herself in for the night anywhere between 2-4pm.

I would like to suggest more plants or other things to break up the enclosure

Thanks. I'm working on that too. I've not been happy with plants I've found so I'm growing some I have that have been fertilized in organic soil and I'm going to take some out of my yard and wash and soak them. The pics are not quite half the enclosure. There is a spider plant with a mound of moss and more rocks beyond the ones you see. If I rinse the yard plants and also soak in vinegar water will that kill any bugs I can't see? I don't want to give him bugs. Thanks again...

 

[Jami]

My little tort tucks herself in for the night anywhere between 2-4pm.

I would like to suggest more plants or other things to break up the enclosure

Hi. Question...do you turn out her lights when she tucks in at 2 or 4? Or do you wait a bit? Thanks

 

[lismar79]

I leave my lights on a timer. They turn on at 7am & off at 10 pm. Since your enclosure is glass I would rec taping a row of paper about half way up on the outside so he can't see out. It would help hime fell more safe. I did this with my baby and she started hiding less. A really small plant saucer, terra cotta, works fantastic for a water dish. Easy for them to get in and out of, less flip haz. Just sink it right in so its level. Ddo you have a way to measure humitity? That will tell you how much water to mix in. I dump and spray more around my lights but leave the rock dry...but that's what works for me.

Enjoy your lil one too between all the worring

 

[Jami]

I leave my lights on a timer. They turn on at 7am & off at 10 pm. Since your enclosure is glass I would rec taping a row of paper about half way up on the outside so he can't see out. It would help hime fell more safe. I did this with my baby and she started hiding less. A really small plant saucer, terra cotta, works fantastic for a water dish. Easy for them to get in and out of, less flip haz. Just sink it right in so its level. Ddo you have a way to measure humitity? That will tell you how much water to mix in. I dump and spray more around my lights but leave the rock dry...but that's what works for me.

Enjoy your lil one too between all the worring

Thank you so much! The smaller saucers seemed deeper but maybe it's an optical illusion. I don't know. I'll get a bunch tomorrow and sort it out. I have cardboard all the way around the enclosure and some dark green paper slipped in the side and end corners he likes to go to.

When you planted the plants from your yard did you just rinse in tap water or did you do anything else to them? Did you plant them right into the substrate or into a pot? Thanks for answering...

 

[lismar79]

Mine are in pots, I did not rinse the roots and I filled with organic topsoil. I have not had an issue with bugs from this yet... lots of hostas in my enclosures

 

[Jami]

Mine are in pots, I did not rinse the roots and I filled with organic topsoil. I have not had an issue with bugs from this yet... lots of hostas in my enclosures

Ok. Thanks. I've been worried about getting him buggy. But so far we've been ok with the spider plant.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

My little tort tucks herself in for the night anywhere between 2-4pm.

I would like to suggest more plants or other things to break up the enclosure

I wish! My tort stays up until 7-8! Tromping about until the lights go off