My First Tortoise!

Intricate

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So I finally caved and got myself my first tortoise. Considering I work at an exotic vet office I just had to get one :p

I picked this little guy up from ATC. He still doesn't have a name yet though.

Here's a picture of him! He's a babcocki leopard.
 

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wellington

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Well, you decided on a great species. Okay, they are all great, but this kind holds a special spot with me:D. Please be sure to read Toms threads below in my post for raising that cutie healthy and smooth.
 

sherminator

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What a beauty!! They have a great personality once it shows itself :) Tom's thread saved me and my tort!! Highly recommend it!
 

Darwin_T

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That's awesome! Best of luck you and your tort[SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH AND SMILING EYES][SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH AND SMILING EYES]
 

TommyZ

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Congrats on the new lil one! Enjoy it well and best of luck to you.
 

Intricate

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Thanks! I'm still thinking of names for the little bugger.. I've only had him for about 30 hours.
Some I was thinking:
Tread (like tire tread)
Fender
Shell Shock
Hemi
GT
 

BeeBee*BeeLeaves

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Someone is a car person. Cool-cool-cool. Love the baby. Fun-ness. They are a neat species, with their shells always such a surprise kaleidoscope developing. Just remember to keep baby hot and humid for healthy and happy, and a good variety of foods! Congrats! : )
 

Elohi

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Oooo very nice! Congrats!
You're going to LOVE having a leopard. I swoon over my three several times a day. Their personalities are very cool.
 

Intricate

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Thanks! Tom's post is definitely helpful!
I have him in a cement tub right now with UVB and heat lamps on one side and a cool side on the other.
I do have a hide on both sides, and the one on the heated side is where I have been misting and keeping it humid. I read about that on TortoiseYard I think.

I am a car person, however it is mostly due to my husband. He is a tire salesman and is always around vehicles. So my trick is I name my animals something that he likes :p
Example: My dogs name is Bentley (the vehicle) and also Maverick (another vehicle)... I rescued three cotton tails a while back and named them pirelli, hankook, and michellin.
I also had two geckos names Ducati and Carbon (motorcycles)
So yes, I must stick with a car theme haha.


Also, I bought some seeds from ATC so I'm working on growing a few things (So far so good) but I'm going to have to go across to my neighbors and cut some of his grass for him :p


I appreciate all the advice. I'm already loving the little guy!
 

wellington

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I like your kind of thinking with the names:D. Just a heads up, the whole enclosure having a high humidity works better then just a humid hide area. Keep temps no lower then 80 and put a cover over most or all of the enclosure, pour warm water into the corners and over the substrate, cut holes for the lights and heat and it will help to bump up the humidity in the whole enclosure.
 

Intricate

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After reading up more, I'm thinking about changing up my set up for my little guy.

I currently have him in a cement tub (as some of you may know this tub has no type of covering and is about 6 1/2 inches deep. I have him on rabbit pellets (tom says thats a no no).
After having my tort in there for 1 full day I've realized I just can't keep the humidity at the recommended percentage.

So.. I've come up with an idea and would like some input on it..
I plan on going out and getting a tub from home depot, like a storage container that has a lid on it and is wide and no too deep (about 7-8 inches). Am I able to keep the lid that goes with that tub on it as long I make sure to punch in plenty of air holes? Also, I have my lights nailed to a piece of wood that sits curently on top of the cement tub. I was thinking about cutting large enough holes in the storage tub lid and resting the wood with the lights already attached on top of the tub so there is nothing between the lights on the bottom of his enclosure. Also, I would trade out the rabbit pellets for coir all over the bottom and cypress mulch (near the heated side) to keep humidity in the enclosure high.
Would this work?

Also, if it would, would I be able to plant grass seeds in there so he constantly has access to something to graze on? I bought Blue Grass seed from Arizona Tortoise Compound, which is where I got my handsome little Tort.

I apologize if my explanation of my idea doesn't give a great image.. it looks good in my head but I'm not sure if its the recommended option as I want to make sure I can keep the little dude's shell completely smooth.
 

Elohi

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Intricate said:
After reading up more, I'm thinking about changing up my set up for my little guy.

I currently have him in a cement tub (as some of you may know this tub has no type of covering and is about 6 1/2 inches deep. I have him on rabbit pellets (tom says thats a no no).
After having my tort in there for 1 full day I've realized I just can't keep the humidity at the recommended percentage.

So.. I've come up with an idea and would like some input on it..
I plan on going out and getting a tub from home depot, like a storage container that has a lid on it and is wide and no too deep (about 7-8 inches). Am I able to keep the lid that goes with that tub on it as long I make sure to punch in plenty of air holes? Also, I have my lights nailed to a piece of wood that sits curently on top of the cement tub. I was thinking about cutting large enough holes in the storage tub lid and resting the wood with the lights already attached on top of the tub so there is nothing between the lights on the bottom of his enclosure. Also, I would trade out the rabbit pellets for coir all over the bottom and cypress mulch (near the heated side) to keep humidity in the enclosure high.
Would this work?

Also, if it would, would I be able to plant grass seeds in there so he constantly has access to something to graze on? I bought Blue Grass seed from Arizona Tortoise Compound, which is where I got my handsome little Tort.

I apologize if my explanation of my idea doesn't give a great image.. it looks good in my head but I'm not sure if its the recommended option as I want to make sure I can keep the little dude's shell completely smooth.

ImageUploadedByTortForum1386350967.347138.jpg
Big totes do work. I'm using a 54 gallon Rubbermaid with a plexiglass top. I used a drimmel to cut out holes for the domes. I also bought an Accurite gage from Home Depot to measure the humidity and temp. I am using a sphagnum peat moss and coconut coir mixture for substrate. I also have orchid bark around the water dish. The idea was to keep substrate out of the water. It slows it down but I have a tort who bulldozes all over the place all day long so I have to change the water multiple times a day because she turns it to mud LOL
 
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