How active should my tortoise be?

[MrsB94]

I’ve had my little tort for nearly two weeks now and this week he/she doesn’t seem as active. He/she is a 2024 hatchling certificate does not give a date exactly just paper sorted around August.
He/she eats well, poops and pee everyday in her daily soak in the mornings but otherwise does not go near water

Temp is 32c basking end and 25 cooler end
I have t5 uvb and floodlight 75w basking bulb
Substrate is coco coir.

She seems to soak in the mornings eat have a little roam around and then sleep under the lamp then a little while later she will wonder around eat and sleep again and do that a few times a day then about half 6 in the evening she will bury her self down abit into the substrate and sleep till her lights come on in the morning again. Is this normal activity or is he/she less active than should be?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Sounds a relatively typical baby routine to methink the only thing I’d consider is a cover for your enclosure if you don’t have one, to keep humidity higher whilst a baby, I can see some pyramiding, higher humidity will help with smoother growth moving forward

Hopefully you might find some cover options in here, it’ll help retain heat easier too

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

 

[MrsB94]

Sounds a relatively typical baby routine to methink the only thing I’d consider is a cover for your enclosure if you don’t have one, to keep humidity higher whilst a baby, I can see some pyramiding, higher humidity will help with smoother growth moving forward

Hopefully you might find some cover options in here, it’ll help retain heat easier too

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

Il look into getting a cover I do have one side covered with plexiglass at the moment and the humidity is 70% does it need to be higher?
the shell hasn’t changed since I got him/her so could this have started before hand in the reptile store I got from or does it happen very quickly?

 

[MrsB94]

Sounds a relatively typical baby routine to methink the only thing I’d consider is a cover for your enclosure if you don’t have one, to keep humidity higher whilst a baby, I can see some pyramiding, higher humidity will help with smoother growth moving forward

Hopefully you might find some cover options in here, it’ll help retain heat easier too

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

Would you say this bad pyramiding?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Il look into getting a cover I do have one side covered with plexiglass at the moment and the humidity is 70% does it need to be higher?
the shell hasn’t changed since I got him/her so could this have started before hand in the reptile store I got from or does it happen very quickly?

Just a little bit ideally yeah, 70 isn’t too bad thoughhow long have you had him? This likely started before you got him

Would you say this bad pyramiding?

because baby is still so young, it hasn’t been given a long enough chance to get super bad, if allowed to continue it might start looking more severe, but if growth smooths out a bit moving forward, you’ll hardly notice it once he’s fully grown

 

[MrsB94]

Just a little bit ideally yeah, 70 isn’t too bad thoughhow long have you had him? This likely started before you got him

because baby is still so young, it hasn’t been given a long enough chance to get super bad, if allowed to continue it might start looking more severe, but if growth smooths out a bit moving forward, you’ll hardly notice it once he’s fully grown

I’ve had him nearly two weeks will be two weeks this Sunday, hopefully his growth smooths out and it won’t look so bad! Thank you for your advice

Poor little baby was very dry when I got him so the daily soaks have gone down a treat I’m sure he thinks his at the spa with his legs all out just chilling. The reptile shop I got him from also sold me wrong lighting and heat to so I’m not surprised at all.

 

[Sarah2020]

Tortoise hate change so they takes ages to settle in. Provide the best set up diet, soaks, heat, light , routine. They sleep a lot potentially around 16 hours.
I recommend keeping a weekly weight log to check weight gain and loss. There is pyramiding which will not change but you want new growth to be smooth. Adding a cuttlefish into the enclosure helps provide calcium for strong beak, bone, shell and claw growth. Enjoy your new shelled warrior.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I’ve had him nearly two weeks will be two weeks this Sunday, hopefully his growth smooths out and it won’t look so bad! Thank you for your advice

Poor little baby was very dry when I got him so the daily soaks have gone down a treat I’m sure he thinks his at the spa with his legs all out just chilling. The reptile shop I got him from also sold me wrong lighting and heat to so I’m not surprised at all.

The pyramiding the the photo definitely won’t have happened in just the two weeks you’ve had him. I’m sure you’ll get whatever tweaks needed moving forward, he’s already receiving much better care from you

 

[MrsB94]

Tortoise hate change so they takes ages to settle in. Provide the best set up diet, soaks, heat, light , routine. They sleep a lot potentially around 16 hours.
I recommend keeping a weekly weight log to check weight gain and loss. There is pyramiding which will not change but you want new growth to be smooth. Adding a cuttlefish into the enclosure helps provide calcium for strong beak, bone, shell and claw growth. Enjoy your new shelled warrior.

I’ve weighed him on Mondays so last week he was 82g this week he was 84g so only 2g difference, he has a cuttlefish in there which so far he has only used as a something to stand on mostly looking like his on a surf board he has daily soaks for about half and hour which he always poops and pees which both look fine, I’ve swapped things out like the reptile shop sold me a mercury Vapor bulb and that was it so I’ve swapped for the t5 Arcadia 12% kit and a Arcadia floodlight heat bulb, he seems to just wonder for a while eat and then sleep and then at around half 6/7 pm burrows down a little and sleeps till the lights come on again in the morning.
I’m hoping I’m doing everything right and the pyramiding doesn’t get worse!!

Thank you for your advice!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I’ve weighed him on Mondays so last week he was 82g this week he was 84g so only 2g difference, he has a cuttlefish in there which so far he has only used as a something to stand on mostly looking like his on a surf board he has daily soaks for about half and hour which he always poops and pees which both look fine, I’ve swapped things out like the reptile shop sold me a mercury Vapor bulb and that was it so I’ve swapped for the t5 Arcadia 12% kit and a Arcadia floodlight heat bulb, he seems to just wonder for a while eat and then sleep and then at around half 6/7 pm burrows down a little and sleeps till the lights come on again in the morning.
I’m hoping I’m doing everything right and the pyramiding doesn’t get worse!!

Thank you for your advice!

Gains are good to see for a growing babyyou made some good changes, babies can sleep more than adults, it’s a tiring life being so cute

 

[Sarah2020]

I’ve weighed him on Mondays so last week he was 82g this week he was 84g so only 2g difference, he has a cuttlefish in there which so far he has only used as a something to stand on mostly looking like his on a surf board he has daily soaks for about half and hour which he always poops and pees which both look fine, I’ve swapped things out like the reptile shop sold me a mercury Vapor bulb and that was it so I’ve swapped for the t5 Arcadia 12% kit and a Arcadia floodlight heat bulb, he seems to just wonder for a while eat and then sleep and then at around half 6/7 pm burrows down a little and sleeps till the lights come on again in the morning.
I’m hoping I’m doing everything right and the pyramiding doesn’t get worse!!

Thank you for your advice!

Sounds good, agree the cuttlefish gets trodden but suddenly you will see beak marks really worth having it. Changes sound good. It is trial and error and will settle down every tort is different but with good set up they will thrive. If you have a garden consider an outside enclosure for days like today. Needs planning and a good location, but lovely to have for secure basking.

 

[MrsB94]

Gains are good to see for a growing babyyou made some good changes, babies can sleep more than adults, it’s a tiring life being

They are indeed very cute!!

 

[MrsB94]

Sounds good, agree the cuttlefish gets trodden but suddenly you will see beak marks really worth having it. Changes sound good. It is trial and error and will settle down every tort is different but with good set up they will thrive. If you have a garden consider an outside enclosure for days like today. Needs planning and a good location, but lovely to have for secure basking.

Yes I will be setting up a good garden enclosure this is something me and my husband have been trying to work out ready for some warm summer days!