Hatchling Questions

[Rachel]

Hi my name is Rachel and I am a first time Tortoise parent! I have a 5 month old Desert Tortoise named Gary and I just Love him! I do have some questions about him that I just can't seem to get answers about.

1. I have noticed that Gary has been peeling a bit around his neck/face and on his back legs. Does anyone know if this is normal or why this is happening?

2. I found your GREAT website about 2 weeks ago and looked at the different enclosures that you guys have posted and I made some changes to Gary’s home. First of all the container I have him in is clear and he could see out of it. I noticed he would always try to get out and would always be walking around the sides. A few of you mentioned that You need to have the view blocked so I taped up white paper all around the outside about 3 in. and in one corner I have a tree shelter that he likes to sleep under sometimes and climb on top to get close to the heat lamp when he gets out of his water. So in that corner I took some contact paper that gives that "fuzzy" look to obstruct his view. All of this was attached to the outside of his container. My question is now that I have done this Gary has calmed down allot and he sleeps under his tree for 85-90% of his day now. Is this normal? I have a heat lamp and a UVB light on him as well. Now that he is sleeping under his tree so much is he getting enough time under the UVB?

3. If you have a great UVB light do you need to still give them access to real day light?

4. How do you guys feel about Calcium powder and what brand do you use?

Thank you so much for any advice or help that you can offer. I want to make sure that Gary lives a LONG and Healthy life.

Rachel

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Yes, young Gopherus agassizii shed and peel a lot more than other species. So that's normal. If you have a good UVB light that's all he'd need. But it would be better if he could have access to normal sun...he might enjoy it more...you could just put a cuttlebone in with him and he will munch on it when his own instincts tells him he needs calcium... Yes, young desert tortoises seem to sleep more than other species. You didn't mention anything about soaking him...are you soaking him everyday? Or at the least every other day? Are you keeping his substrate slightly moist?
Gopherus agassizii are my most favorite species. They are friendly and curious and not shy at all...I just love them! Why don't you post a picture of Gary so we can see how cute he is...it's nice to see you have done your research on him and are trying so hard to make a nice home for him...

 

[Rachel]

Maggie-

Thank you for the fast reply! I keep water in with him everyday...it is a super shallow dish and he loves to soak in it. Do you think this is enough or should I be taking him out every other day and soaking him in a deeper dish? How do you keep the subtrate moist? won't it get moldy? I use reptile bark that I get at pet smart... So do you think he is just sleeping more becuase he feels more relaxed now that the clear sides have been blocked off? What is a Cuttlebone and where can I find it? I will post pics as soon as possible he is super cute and I can't believe how fast he is growing when I got him is was so tinny and now he is as wide as my palm!

Thanks!

Rachel

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I pour water on the substrate and mix it up. If I were you I'd get rid of that substrate and get eco earth, sometimes called bed a beast. Mix that 50/50 with clean play sand. Cuttlebone can be bought at any pet store. It's usually sold to birds to sharpen their beaks. Yes, I think he is more relaxed. But I really would change the substrate. I know it's a lot of trouble to go thru...but he needs some humidity at substrate level so he doesn't pyramid...I think it's way cool that he is soaking himself!

 

[tortoisenerd]

You can find a cuttlebone in the reptile or bird section at pet stores. It's from a cuttlefish, and a natural source of calcium. The ones in the reptile section are usually better as they won't have a built-in bracket to hang in a bird's cage. Sometimes one side will have a hard backing, so just place the soft side up. Some places also sell broken pieces cheaply. Shouldn't be more than about $3 for 2 of them.

As for keeping substrate moist, you wouldn't be able to do that with the reptile bark. Maggie probably has some good suggestions if you want to change the substrate. Bark is sometimes a little too "rocky" for young torts as they can't walk as easily across it.

Baby torts sleep a lot. Maggie is much much more knowledgeable about the species so I'll refer the rest of your questions to her.

I have a russian tort the same age as yours and he's peeling a lot too. It's really cute. Don't pick at it and just let it come off naturally. If you end up deciding to soak him, that can help a bit, or else it will clear up on its own. The thing to look out for is if you see raw skin underneath--that's bad. That's great he goes in the water himself. A lot of torts won't do that, or their owners never see it at least.

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Haha good post timing Maggie!

 

[Yvonne G]

You can look for "Forest Floor" or "Cypress Bed" at Petsmart. These are cypress mulch and it is a much finer substrate for him to walk on. The cypress mulch is easy to keep moist and it doesn't turn sour over time.

Yvonne

 

[Maggie Cummings]

You can find a cuttlebone in the reptile or bird section at pet stores. It's from a cuttlefish, and a natural source of calcium. The ones in the reptile section are usually better as they won't have a built-in bracket to hang in a bird's cage. Sometimes one side will have a hard backing, so just place the soft side up. Some places also sell broken pieces cheaply. Shouldn't be more than about $3 for 2 of them.

As for keeping substrate moist, you wouldn't be able to do that with the reptile bark. Maggie probably has some good suggestions if you want to change the substrate. Bark is sometimes a little too "rocky" for young torts as they can't walk as easily across it.

Baby torts sleep a lot. Maggie is much much more knowledgeable about the species so I'll refer the rest of your questions to her.

I have a russian tort the same age as yours and he's peeling a lot too. It's really cute. Don't pick at it and just let it come off naturally. If you end up deciding to soak him, that can help a bit, or else it will clear up on its own. The thing to look out for is if you see raw skin underneath--that's bad. That's great he goes in the water himself. A lot of torts won't do that, or their owners never see it at least.

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Haha good post timing Maggie!

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WooHoo...we beat her!!!!

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You can look for "Forest Floor" or "Cypress Bed" at Petsmart. These are cypress mulch and it is a much finer substrate for him to walk on. The cypress mulch is easy to keep moist and it doesn't turn sour over time.

Yvonne

I didn't used to like the cypress mulch. But my sister sent me some last year and I really like the way it has held up and it smelled really nice when it was fresh...So that is an option also

 

[Rachel]

Thanks everyone that helps so much! That is funny that not all of them like to soak in water by themselves! Gary just LOVES the water. when he wakes up in the moring that is the first thing he goes for! I take him out every couple of days to pet him, soak him myself and feed him little treats but for the most part he just happy in his little home. I am going to find this new substrate this weekend I'll let you know what Gary thinks of it! Thanks for the help!

 

[Crazy1]

Rachel and Gary, welcome to the forum. I would also love to see pics of Gary and of your enclosure. The advise you gotten from Yvonne, Maggie and Kate is good and sound. Keep up the good work.

 

[Rachel]

Thank you so much everyone! I changed the substrate to the bed a beast and sand 50/50. He LOVES it! and I have also gotten him the cuttlebone and it seemed like he is nibbling on it a little. My next project is to work on updating his enclosure. AS soon as I get that done I will post pics! Thanks!

Rachel & Gary