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thank you for the helpful information. He does have an inside home as well, we live in northern Florida so it’s always warm and humid, he just started going outside in the last month. I’ve never taken him (or her) to the vet but I was mostly concerned because on the side of his neck it’s a little cut, but it looks like it’s healing fine.Vets usually do more harm than good. I wouldn't take the tortoise to a vet if it is eating and behaving normally. If you go anyway, do not let them inject your tortoise with anything. No "vitamin shots" and no Baytril injections. Both of these are clear signs of a vet that does not know tortoises.
Also, outside all day is not good for babies. Give this a read for better care info:
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
Those could very possibly be ant bites. They should heal OK, but you should check the area of his enclosure to make sure there aren't ants building a nest somewhere in it. A few hours with fire ants attacking them will kill most baby tortoises. This can be a serious problem in FL and GA among other of the the southernmost states. At St. Catherine's Island, GA (a breeding facility run by the Bronx Zoo for many years), the baby tortoises were kept in large tubs which were put up on tables when they were placed outside to keep ants away from them. All four legs of the tables were placed into containers of some liquid that the ants would not cross. This kept them from climbing the legs of the tables to get to the young tortoises or their food.
This is definitely what I was wondering! We do have ants really bad around here! I have seen them in the substrate for sure but not like swarms of them. I guess I will have to try and elevate the box like you said! Thank you!
Yes, you could buy an inexpensive table with folding legs at Walmart and put your tortoise box on top of that when you put it outside. Then put each leg into a can or a container filled with something the ants cannot or will not cross. I know they won't cross talcum powder, so maybe you could fill the containers with that. They also don't like chalk. Not sure if an inch or two vegetable oil would do it or not.
