Horsefield advice

[WestoftheWood]

Hi everyone,

I have a young Horsfiled and he is great I adopted him not so long ago and have been trying to make sure he had a great life. I just have a couple of things I was hoping I could get some advice on and double check that I am doing it right.

1. Temperature at night: So I was never told that I need to adjust his temperature at night and as such I haven’t been but I have been doing some reading and it seems that me lowering the temperature at night is something I should do is this correct and if so what should I lower it to? I use a digital thermometer that regulates the temperature to make sure it stays where I set it.
2. Humidity: am I correct in thinking that I should be keeping this around 30-40%?

Thank you in advance and I welcome any advice!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello and welcome!

1. Yes, it's recommended to have a nightime temperature drop for Testudo species. This usually happens naturally - room temperatures are lower at night and basking light is switched off. If you have some ambient heating and a thermostat - you just set it to lowest safe temperature (e.g. 70F for a baby Testudo tortoise).
2. For baby tortoises humidity should be higher: 80-50% across the enclosure. Plus a humid hide where humidity reaches 90+%.

You can use this care sheet as a reference: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/info-for-new-people-please-read-this-first.202363/ (also check out Temperate species care sheet linked at the end of that post for details specific to Horsfields tortoises).

Don't hesitate to ask more questions. And you can share some details and photos of the enclosure - maybe we can suggest some improvements.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello!

Thought I’d add all of these, just go according to his age(if under 3 I’d look into the young one, though I’d be interested to see a photo? Babies care is slightly different to adults, so it’d be important to know, stores often give wrong ages, so a photo would be great)

If your guy is indeed still under 3, he may benefit from a covered enclosure, this thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers below

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes different closed chamber options, some work more efficiently than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

This one here is for adults 3+, I want to preface that I know the recommended adult size is intimidating to some, especially if you’ve been lead into thinking he’ll be fine in a smaller set up(very common) but tortoises long term health really does rely on lots of roaming room. If you’re unable to go that big, don’t worry, there’s a few creative ways to tackle this issue

Housing adult Russian and Hermans indoors

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information an example of an appropriate indoor set up for an older Herman/russian. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure, I understand being from the uk myself, that some climates make it difficult to...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes lots of inspiration for an adult set up both indoors and out! The indoor bit has some good ideas to tackle indoor space whilst still providing the needed roaming room!

Enclosure inspiration

Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is probably most important to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Really hope this all helps! I know it’s a lot to go over sorrybut take all the time you need! They’ll always be folks to help with any further questions! We can break things down bit by bit! Welcome to the forum