Avery.s
New Member
hello! my name is Avery, I'm very new to the tortoise world. I felt very prepared for the little tort to arrive after all my research, right until he actually got here. He (we've been saying he for now) is about two months old and named Allo (picture in my profile pic). my list of questions (sorry in advanced) is the following
1. he buries himself quite a lot, which I've read is normal, but my concern is the substrate. it was recommended that we buy a fir bark (reptibark), but right away I could tell it wasn't working for him. its too big for his small feet and isn't good at retaining any humidity, so its really dry. the dryness is causing it to be dusty, so I'm worried that the dust will get in his nose and possibly cause issues. I plan on switching to a coconut coir or a soil asap, but I was just wondering in the mean time.
2. temperatures, I have the temperatures in the table at around 80 overall and 90 in the basking area. This is what has been a frequent recommendation, but he seemed to be panicky trying to get out of the heat even though he has two cooler hiding spots. I've raised the lamp to cool it down, but I've just been worried that I'm letting it get too cold.
3. It was recommended that only dust every few meals with the calcium and vitamins, so I've been doing every other meal or every three if he is eating frequently. (side note, any recommendations on how to keep greens from drying up during the day?)
I think that is all, again I'm so sorry for the length! I definitely was not expecting to be so nervous about everything, so I appreciate anyone taking the time to read this. Thanks again!
1. he buries himself quite a lot, which I've read is normal, but my concern is the substrate. it was recommended that we buy a fir bark (reptibark), but right away I could tell it wasn't working for him. its too big for his small feet and isn't good at retaining any humidity, so its really dry. the dryness is causing it to be dusty, so I'm worried that the dust will get in his nose and possibly cause issues. I plan on switching to a coconut coir or a soil asap, but I was just wondering in the mean time.
2. temperatures, I have the temperatures in the table at around 80 overall and 90 in the basking area. This is what has been a frequent recommendation, but he seemed to be panicky trying to get out of the heat even though he has two cooler hiding spots. I've raised the lamp to cool it down, but I've just been worried that I'm letting it get too cold.
3. It was recommended that only dust every few meals with the calcium and vitamins, so I've been doing every other meal or every three if he is eating frequently. (side note, any recommendations on how to keep greens from drying up during the day?)
I think that is all, again I'm so sorry for the length! I definitely was not expecting to be so nervous about everything, so I appreciate anyone taking the time to read this. Thanks again!