First Soaking & tort age?!?

[Amajoy]

So day two with Dezzi and I gave him his first soak outside in the lovely Arizona weather. He slept a long time I ended up waking him up for his soak this morning at 9:30. Do you have to wake your torts up or is this not a good idea? Once awake he seemed enjoy the soak, drank several long gulps of water which is a great sign. After his soak I measured and weighed him. I also called the shop where I got him to find out his age. They said they had some in there that were roughly 4 mos. and some that were yearlings 11-12 mos. I chose one of the bigger ones but in seeing other photos on this forum of 11 month olds I highly doubt this one is that old. Thoughts?






45 grams...

 

[Amajoy]

I LOVE how unique all the leopard tortoises are. Dezzi has a mark dead center that looks like a raccoons face to me.

 

[kirsty Johnston]

So day two with Dezzi and I gave him his first soak outside in the lovely Arizona weather. He slept a long time I ended up waking him up for his soak this morning at 9:30. Do you have to wake your torts up or is this not a good idea? Once awake he seemed enjoy the soak, drank several long gulps of water which is a great sign. After his soak I measured and weighed him. I also called the shop where I got him to find out his age. They said they had some in there that were roughly 4 mos. and some that were yearlings 11-12 mos. I chose one of the bigger ones but in seeing other photos on this forum of 11 month olds I highly doubt this one is that old. Thoughts?


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45 grams...

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Wow he's gorgeous! Congratulations
My tort wakes himself up usually around 7am. Where is dezzi currently being kept? If it's too hot he may dig himself in to try and cool himself down however hatchlings do spend a lot of time sleeping and providing he is eating, drinking and pooping I wouldn't be overly concerned - particularly when he's still adjusting to his new surroundings. It will probably take a month or so before you see his personality come through.

 

[Amajoy]

Thank you! He's currently being kept in a 20 gal. Long terrarium. The shop I got him from sold me a 50 watt he bulb cause that's all they had. I am thinking I may need to swap this out, I don't think it's hot enough for him. I am going to get another temp/humidity gauge to put on the other side. Yesterday it was a bit hotter then the current temp in this photo

 

[kirsty Johnston]

Thank you! He's currently being kept in a 20 gal. Long terrarium. The shop I got him from sold me a 50 watt he bulb cause that's all they had. I am thinking I may need to swap this out, I don't think it's hot enough for him. I am going to get another temp/humidity gauge to put on the other side. Yesterday it was a bit hotter then the current temp in this photo

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some bits of advice - pets shops are never usually in a good place to offer advice about tortoises, in my experience I have never heard a pet shop giving good advice which is pretty sad really
Is the bulb coiled? If so remove it immediately as they have been known to cause eye problems and even lead to blindness in tortoises. Presumably the light offers uva and ubv also?
What substrate is that your using?
I'm really sorry because I know it probably cost you a lot of money and the pet shop told you to buy it but the glass on the enclosure can confuse torts. I have read many times about tortoises banging their heads off the glass which isn't good for them and the minimum size for enclosure should be 3 by 6 foot.
Finally torts diet should mainly be eating weeds and flowers as opposed to the mixed veg you have in your picture. There is a really good website called the tortoise table (you can find it on google) which tells you which weeds and flowers are safe to feed. You should also use a good vitamin and mineral supplement a couple of times a week.

If you haven't done so already check out the care sheets on this forum. They are really helpful

Sorry for throwing all this at you - appreciate its a lot of information but want to help the little guy have the best life possible

 

[Amajoy]

It's not a coiled bulb. They did try to sell me a uvb coiled bulb but it didn't fit into the domes they had and I wanted the longer one anyways. He got a variety of food as I didn't know what he was eating before.

There is a small pelleted food (hasn't touched it so far):



Also natural grassland tortoise food and I added some fresh carrots, cilantro leaves, and peas. I will be going to the store today for some goodies. I live in a condo with a large patio and garden out there but I don't have weeds or grass to feed him. I was going to buy a seed mix to grow some stuff for him.

 

[Amajoy]

Oh and I am using Eco Earth and some sphagnum moss around the water dish that I am spraying with water for humidity.

 

[Careym13]

Welcome to TFO!! Please read this care sheet if you haven't already: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/. Please read this link as well: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

I'm going to add to the advice you have already been given. None of it is meant to make you feel bad, only to help you become an even better tortoise owner and to help your tort live a long and healthy life. Your Leopard is adorable and you will find tons of good info and helpful members here so please ask lots of questions

Leopards should not eat vegetables like peas and carrots. In the care sheet is a section about diet. You need to find a way to get weeds for your tort, that should make up the bulk of his diet. You can go pick them from a place where there are no pesticides/chemicals or order seeds online and grow them on your balcony. I used to live in an apartment with my torts so I'll be happy to help you find ways to make the best of your outdoor space.

The water dish in the enclosure looks pretty deep, take that out and use a terra cotter saucer instead so your baby does accidentally flip over in the water and drown (it happens more than you might think).

What are you using for night heat? Is that bulb a basking bulb, a spot bulb or a UVA/UVB bulb?

Your little hide box is cute

Unfortunately that enclosure is way too small, even for a baby tortoise.

Your tort needs access to real sunshine several times a week. What are your plans for an outside enclosure?

The temp/humidity gauge you have is not known to be accurate. The kind with a probe and digital display are much more accurate.

You'll need to use a closed chamber style enclosure in order to maintain the high level of humidity that your tort needs. See this thread for more info: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/

There are four temps inside the enclosure that should be monitored: cool side, warm side, basking temp and night temp. You can find the correct temps in the care sheet. The most important thing right now though is that you keep the humidity high and never let the temperature drop below 80F anywhere, anytime in the enclosure.

 

[Amajoy]

Thank you for all the info. I have read lots of care sheets and they say they can have peas and carrots. This not what I plan on giving on a daily basis but he seems to enjoy it and hasn't touched the grassland diet. This is the first time I am feeding him (just got him yesterday) with the exception of a romaine leaf last night. I will be buying some greens today as he seems to love leafy greens too.

The heat bulb is a sun glo 50 watt bulb. And I have a strip light fixture with a 24" 17 watt UVB bulb. They are both on all the time. Another mixed opinion I have gotten are whether or not to leave the UVB on all the time.