Hey guys! My names Andy and in two days a childhood dream is about to become a reality!

[Orcsloot]

Looks really neat!

You may use a large shallow terracotta saucer as a pool/water dish. Same for the food dish, so he doesn't eat too much substrate with food.

At this age he should be outside from 15 minutes to one hour. And extend this time as he grows.

yeah my logic with the food scattered is to have a kind of enrichment to the enclosure to motivate exploration and peak curiosity in cherub mcwigglesworth the third. but his fav food and bulk i have on a clay terra lid in hopes it wears beak growth as well as provide a cleaner meal without the coco fibers.

that being said i read online coco coir is safe to ingest and that and cypress mulch is all i use but please lmk if im wrong if so ill start keeping them hidden but on plants or on stone etc. my end goal is to create a medditeraian vibe like his kind frequent minus the substrate illl stick to coco coir or orchid bark, cypress mulch.

every soak i try to get him exposed to direct sunlight so hes getting 15min+ daily rn but im super nervous to just let him run free we have birds and other wild life and god knows whats on that ground so its gonna be controlled enviorments i select everything he steps on it gets tort proofed some like to let theres roam i just cant imagine if something happened though. but i also see how bad he wants to just roam man so its tough..

Your excitement reminds me of when I got my Tortoise two years ago🥰 At that time I even wake up at like 4am in the morning to see if his temperature is right haha

haha yeah i lost count how many times ive ran back and forth to check temps and humidity and to just have a peak at the fella xD i maybe misted his enclosure more than i shouldve trying to keep 60%+ consistent humidity lol i really just love seeing his cute little face! id be lying if i didnt say im not losing sleep over just imagining all the plans i have for the fellas 20ft x 20ft outside and future 4ft x 8ft enclosure inside i also wake up every morning eager to get to his table to get him in a warm soak to start the day

he actually got super active today to it was so fun to watch him explore i wanna constantly be changing his scenery up a bit adding to it moving stuff etc to keep him curious he totally responds to the changes in what id percieve as a positive thing. i hope im right and not stressing him out but hes not sleeping all day anymore hes actually movin and being just full of life its epic!

alll and alll i never thought something so simple and smal like a tortoise could have such a huge positive mental impact on my life im genuinely happier just being around this little dude i love him to death lol and ive only had him like 2 days xD

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Yes, I understand the purpose of hiding food around. And foraging activity can be beneficial.

Coco coir and cypress mulch are safe to swallow. But they are not digested, just pass through easily. You may find really small slate pieces or terracotta plates to keep food clean of substrate.

You are right, that he should not roam free even outdoors - you need escape-proof and predator-proof space outside. Either covered with wielded wire or something like a chicken coop cage (you can look through Tom's posts, there are some photos of how his hatchling enclosures look like).

To keep humidity high enough you need not to moisten substrate surface, but to pour some water to wet lower layers. This helps to keep humidity high for a week or more (in a closed chamber, of course). Also, once in a while (e.g. montly) you may do a substrate turn-over mixing lower and top layers.

As for the changes in the enclosure - tortoises don't really like changing things. They are very good at mapping territory so moving things around can be stressful, not exciting. Small changes from time to time are fine, though.

 

[TammyJ]

Cherub Mc Wigglesworth. Wow. That's love in a name, all right!

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Oh okay I gotcha, Tom your a wealth of knowledge man thank you! What do you personally recommend to start growing if I was to start a garden up?

And what would you recommend I leave in the tank if any and how tall of a potted plant? Can they climb in it? Or find a way to eat that dirt somehow?

If I use the Scott’s in a little pot and introduce in the enclosure is there risk of infestation or parasites from the soil?

I’ve read things about centipedes taking over sometimes in that top soil or generally any soil cause like 5 mentions anything pretty much goes with that soil glass, clippings, parasite eggs, etc

Sorry for overloading you I truly just want the best all my life I’ve wanted a tortoise man and want to spend the rest of my life sharing my life with one to so want nothing but the best for my little buddy!

Hey, there. It's not a problem, Welcome to TFO. With all your questions, there are a LOT of very smart Tort Folks here that want the best for ALL torts. Your starting off on a good foot, keep reading and asking questions, were all here for you and