Hatchling Shell peeling?

[DesertGirl]

Thank both for the replies. Very helpful. I've had the Tort for less than 48 hours, yet I'm already quite attached to it.

I did soak her for about 15 minutes yesterday. Will soak daily.

The Tort is drinking, but not eating. I've tried spinach, a small slice of grape, Zoo Med Grassland Tortoise food, and some ice plant (aptenia cordifolia).

My table was a little dry. I sprayed it moderately and soaked the orchid moss. The temperature directly under the ceramic heat lamp is about 100F, and the far side of the table is about 75F. I turn the UVA/UVB light and heater off at night for about 12 hours. The bedding is Eco Earth Loose Reptile Substrate. Any input on the table is appreciated.

Very nice table!

 

[MadisonTortGal]

I made the table myself. It's mostly made from a wood pallet. The liner is a 24" by 36" concrete mixing tub. It's tough. If I didn't have a dog I might have just used the tub on its own.

The aquarium plant went over well. She moved next to it almost immediately.

I love your setup. Mine is very similar. I have a 2’ x 3’ tub with eco earth also. But mine is just on the floor (with light and heat clamped on a shelf above) because I don’t have any other animals that will bother it.

I use live plants in my table. I went to the nursery and bought a spider plant. Then I repotted the spider plant into fresh organic topsoil in a terra-cotta pot and buried the pot in the substrate.

 

[MadisonTortGal]

Get rid of the moss. When the appetite comes back, your tortoise will eat it and it can cause an impaction.

Is this true for all tortoises or just specific kinds? That they will attempt to eat sphagnum moss? I was advised to use spagnum because it holds humidity. My substrate is 4” of a mix of: eco earth, organic topsoil, sphagnum moss, and orchid bark on top of a 2” lava rock drainage layer.

 

[Tom]

Is this true for all tortoises or just specific kinds? That they will attempt to eat sphagnum moss? I was advised to use spagnum because it holds humidity. My substrate is 4” of a mix of: eco earth, organic topsoil, sphagnum moss, and orchid bark on top of a 2” lava rock drainage layer.

All the species I've ever kept try to eat it.

 

[MadisonTortGal]

All the species I've ever kept try to eat it.

Okay! Thank you for the reply. I will look into replacing the top layer of my substrate with plain eco-earth so that there’s not as much moss accessible. I hate the idea of having to rip out the whole substrate and disturb the screen and drainage layer because I *just* recently put it all in there!