My angulate

CarolM

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The humidity is low, depending on the weather here, mostly 40-60% humidity. I'm not keeping him in a humid environment even tho I know it's recommended on the forum. He does have a basking light at 33°C and then a cooler side of 22-24°C with an ambient temp of 26°C

He sleeps under the basking lamp, but he can get quite hot to the touch, is that good or bad?
Personally I would worry that he will get too hot under the basking light, but then I am a bit paranoid about the heat and basking temps lately due to my recent experience. I would also worry that it would desiccate the shell. @Sterant any thoughts?
 

TortillaTheTortioise

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Personally I would worry that he will get too hot under the basking light, but then I am a bit paranoid about the heat and basking temps lately due to my recent experience. I would also worry that it would desiccate the shell. @Sterant any thoughts?
What was your recent experience? I also worry about his shell, I've tried putting olive oil on it at night and wiping it off in the morning every week
 

CarolM

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What was your recent experience? I also worry about his shell, I've tried putting olive oil on it at night and wiping it off in the morning every week
One of my little ones was sick, and I left him where it was warmer, it became too hot in the area that he was and as a consequence he died. That is not to say that that will happen with your little one, but just watch your temps. And make sure that under the basking lamp it cannot get too hot. If you think about the little ones in the wild, they tend to burrow under sand and leaves and bushes. They would be getting the heat from the sun but at the same time they will also get the humidity and or protection from being under some cover, and as such their shells would not desiccate. Which is why I prefer having humidity in my enclosure. Maybe for yours even though you have decided to not have a high humid enclosure you could still create a humid hide near the basking are where you little one can retreat into.
 

TortillaTheTortioise

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One of my little ones was sick, and I left him where it was warmer, it became too hot in the area that he was and as a consequence he died. That is not to say that that will happen with your little one, but just watch your temps. And make sure that under the basking lamp it cannot get too hot. If you think about the little ones in the wild, they tend to burrow under sand and leaves and bushes. They would be getting the heat from the sun but at the same time they will also get the humidity and or protection from being under some cover, and as such their shells would not desiccate. Which is why I prefer having humidity in my enclosure. Maybe for yours even though you have decided to not have a high humid enclosure you could still create a humid hide near the basking are where you little one can retreat into.

He has a burrow underneath the light which is underneath a ice plant, I wanted to put Coco coir and mist it underneath him but on another thread yvonne noticed he has the beginning of plastron rot, I'm not even sure how he got it because nothings wet in his enclosure so I'm not sure if I should put that underneath him.
 

CarolM

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He has a burrow underneath the light which is underneath a ice plant, I wanted to put Coco coir and mist it underneath him but on another thread yvonne noticed he has the beginning of plastron rot, I'm not even sure how he got it because nothings wet in his enclosure so I'm not sure if I should put that underneath him.
Can you post a picture of the rot?
 

CarolM

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I remember something like that on I think it was Rue. I was trying to find a picture for you. As soon as I do I will post it for you.

There is no harm in putting the cream on, but if I remember correctly Kang and Rue both had something like that, but it was not rot. You can see in the pic below (Kang's plastron) these eventually either faded or turned into patterns. HOWEVER to be on the safe side,put the cream on as advised. Just in case.

Tupload_2019-5-21_13-3-12.png
 

Sterant

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Personally I would worry that he will get too hot under the basking light, but then I am a bit paranoid about the heat and basking temps lately due to my recent experience. I would also worry that it would desiccate the shell. @Sterant any thoughts?
I think that using a basking lamp, on a baby, is a bad idea. Especially if they are not in a humid, closed chamber.....but even then it is problematic. Basking lamps are desiccating, and a big risk if the tortoise flips under it (or flips somewhere else and works its way under the lamp trying to right itself).

If you have a fluorescent 6500k and a fluorescent UV bulb set at the right height, that provides a very large, warm enough, basking area that is much safer and does not generate hot spots on the shell. My babies will go in and out of the UV area during the day, but mine are all in humid chambers.....radiata and angulata.

I must preface this all by saying that my enclosures are in a heated room, so I don't have to worry about heating the enclosure and I am only dealing with radiata and angulata right now.

@Tom will tell you that for leopard and sulcata, the basking lamp produces better results within a humid chamber. He can expand on that.

Right now, I am raising a baby angulate in a very humid enclosure, with no basking bulb and it is growing perfectly. I just run the fluorescent bulbs and provide plenty of areas where it can get completely out of the light (hides).

Read this:
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/baskinghealth.html

Dan
 

TortillaTheTortioise

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Just thought to mention why I keep him in dry conditions, mostly because I know they thrive in Sedgefield which is dry with low humidity and has high to moderate Rainfall. I follow Sedgefields weather and climate. I'm sure they can do perfect in humidity, but I'm just following a climate I know they thrive in in the wild
 

TortillaTheTortioise

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The Angulate tortoise is the one commonly seen in Sedgefield. It is medium sized and the males grow larger than the females. There are 5 claws on the front feet and four on the two back feet. The chin shield below the head is a unique feature of the South African species. All other species have a pair of widened gular shields. The males are territorial and court females in the Spring. The females lay 2-6 eggs that usually hatch after the first winter rains.

tortoise.png

Angulate tortoises are protected by the Nature Conservation Ordinance No. 19 of 1974 ( amended in 2000). Therefore they may not be collected or transported from the place where they are found. It is illegal to pick them up and put them in your car or take them to your garden.

Although not considered endangered, local populations may be threatened by land clearing for development or collection for the pet trade. A good many have been drowned in the floods in recent years. Hatchlings are opportunistically caught and impaled on thorns by fiscal shrikes and the Pied Crow population also targets them. Domestic dogs kill tortoises and they get run over by motorists so they face several threats to their survival locally and their defenders are right to be concerned about Sedgefield’s population.

They are an appropriate Slow Town symbol for us and that should encourage us to consciously take measures to protect the species whilst letting them remain the wild creatures they are, and free as they’re meant to be. They are common in many gardens and unoccupied plots especially on the Island - a residential suburb of Sedgefield.

Sedgefield has a Tortoise Rescue Squad of Island Conservancy volunteers. A building contractor can contact one of them,
Sedgefield Island Conservancy on Tel: 044-343 2448
48 hours before clearing a plot for development so that a team can be assembled to comb the area and remove any residing tortoises to a safe location. They can also be contacted about any tortoise needing help.
 

TortillaTheTortioise

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I forgot that yesterday Tortilla turned 2 months old! If u guys haven't seen my post on bubbly nose yet, tortilla seems to have some type of RI/RNS but he is recovering well. It's also the start of winter today so I've made some enclosure adjustments to keep in heat, as I will be overwintering him. We are starting off the winter cold, it's 15°C and it's afternoon already, but I've added a bowl with hot water on the cooler side without the lamp and added on a plastic lid with holes, so it's very toasty throughout his enclosure IMG_20190601_081653.jpg IMG_20190601_082125.jpg
 

TortillaTheTortioise

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Tortilla is doing great, I've recently made him a big 60×40cm box with different types of weeds and succulents (blue stone crop, 3 different types of sow thistle, cat ear and a bunch of other) I'm growing them in water with bone meal so I'm hoping this keeps then alive. If I grow them in soil even with lots of water they die.

I also just got some juvenile and baby snails (see juvenile cage below) and I read on a snail forum u can feed the eggs to tortoises, would tortilla be able to eat the eggs? I have a lot of snails, so I'm expecting a lot of eggs. They are the Italian white snail and mostly the Cornu aspersum snails. IMG_20190610_112720.jpg IMG_20190612_101123.jpg IMG_20190618_115048.jpg IMG_20190618_145036.jpg
 

TortillaTheTortioise

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It seems I have not made a update on my tortoise or been on this forum for a while, have been dealing with mental health issues and such.

Tortilla has been doing very well, his growing smoothly with no signs of pyramiding. I believe he is about 8 months now, he does seem a bit small still but he has no signs of health issues but maybe he is just a slow grower, he seems to look like one of the smaller versions of the angulate tortoise than the ones with the red belly or from the islands.

I did have an issue a few months ago when I introduced him to a humid environment he got RNS and lost appetite but after a month I changed him back to open top and he went back to normal a few weeks later so idk why he doesn't tolerate the humid conditions I even uped the temps but still made no difference. But his doing well in a large indoor and outdoor open top enclosure.

I'll get get some new pictures later on when he comes inside :)
 

TortillaTheTortioise

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IMG_20191209_181901.jpg IMG_20191209_181754.jpg IMG_20191209_181920.jpg


I have a question for anyone who owns an angulate, is 6cm small for a 8 month old angulate? He still seems so small but he eats normally and is on a good varied diet of weeds, succulents, fresh veg and fruit, grasses, salads, fibre herb mix and soaked pellets.
 
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Sterant

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I can get actual lengths and weights when I get home later but my CB baby is 8 months old and is bigger than that. I'm not suggesting either one of us has an issue - just the facts!
 

Sterant

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Though if I could make a suggestion - I would get rid of all of the Christmas decorations, the red bowl and the purple cloth stuff. I guarantee your tortoise tries to eat some of that and eventually he might ingest some of it. Tortoises also love red food items so.....
 

TortillaTheTortioise

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Though if I could make a suggestion - I would get rid of all of the Christmas decorations, the red bowl and the purple cloth stuff. I guarantee your tortoise tries to eat some of that and eventually he might ingest some of it. Tortoises also love red food items so.....
he doesn't try to eat anything in his cage even the edible plants, his a very picky eater but I have thought about that but I haven't seen him try anything, his actually asleep in the purple thing at the moment, that's become his new favourite sleeping place, the material is stiff and not chewable I made sure :)

On the growing side, he seems to have overall good health so I don't know why he is growing so slow. I'm kind of worried because he still seems so small for his age and I don't know what more to do
 

TortillaTheTortioise

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I have recorded my tortoises weight up until his current age of 8 months old.

I have realised I have not measured him correctly during the last few posts so the weight and actual length was off in the above posts

Dates of 2019

6 April - 2.5 cm and 8 grams(hatching weight was low)

11 December(current) - 6.1 cm and 52 grams

Grown 3,6 cm and 44 grams in 8 months

So that's 5,5 grams per month

I'll update his weight and length every month to see his growth progress
 
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