hatchling help!

[JAB96]

hiya, new owner to 2 spur thigh hatchlings.

we've had them about 2 weeks now, and they're about 9 weeks old! They seem to spend a lot of time under the lamp and not so much time moving around, is this normal?

also how do you accurately measure basking temps, do you use a probe thermometer to get air temp or heat gun to get surface temp? we have both and get very very different readings from both so don't know which to go by

thanks in advance!

 

[Yvonne G]

Try covering the enclosure to keep the cool air from your house out. The heat gun is probably the more accurate one. No, what you're describing is not normal for baby tortoises. "Normal" is when they stay hiding most of the time. It sounds to me as if they aren't warm enough. I'll send a shout out to @SweetGreekTorts . She's raising a bunch of Greek babies right now.

 

[JAB96]

thanks, although they have never really hid, they put themselves to sleep under the lamp etc and did at the place before we got them. They just seem to eat have a bit of wander and sleep, and spend most of the day there before putting themselves to bed!

okay thanks, the difference can be anywhere up to about 6° or 7° so its not even within the range!

 

[SweetGreekTorts]

I agree with Yvonne about their enclosure possibly being not warm enough, so they stay under their heat lamp.

First thing in the morning after I soak all my Greek hatchlings, they eat some breakfast, bask a little, wander a little, burrow and hide to sleep, eat some more food, etc. None of them spend more than an hour at a time under their basking lamp. The basking temps are around 98 degrees Fahrenheit.

What are the temperature readings in the cooler part of their habitat? During the day my enclosures are about 80 degrees, and get down to about 72 degrees at night.

Do you also have a humid hide? Those are vital for Greek hatchlings to help them grow smoothly. All my enclosures have a humid hide, and other hides (dark and dry), so my babies can choose what they need and regulate temperatures on their terms.