New baby spur-thighed tortoise owner, advice needed :)

LibbyJade

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Nov 21, 2021
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Hello! We brought home our 4 month old spur-thighed tortoise on Friday. She’s called zippy and we absolutely adore her already. We have never owned a tortoise before and have spent months researching before finally making the decision to get one. I would just like a bit of advice as I really want to make sure she’s the happiest and well looked after.
She lives in a big tortoise table, with her heat and uv light one end and the hideaway is the other end. Friday night she settled in really well and took herself off to her hideaway when she was ready for bed. Saturday morning we woke up about 8am and she woke up when she heard us come in and made her way out of her hideaway. We turned her lamp on, she ate well and had a good roam around her new home. She fell asleep early evening under her lamp and stayed asleep until we went to bed. I turned her lamp off and gently moved her into her hideaway for the night. This morning (Sunday morning) she didn’t wake up when we came into the room. We turned her lamp on and decided to leave her to see if she would wake herself. We went out for the morning and returned mid afternoon (3pm) and she was still fast asleep. This worried me a little as she had woken herself up yesterday. So I gently moved her under the lamp and she woke up. After she was warm and awake she ate well, had a bath and did a poo and had a good roam round again. She fell asleep under the lamp late tonight and rather than move her back into her hideaway we’ve just left her where she is and turned her lamp off.
Im just really not sure if she’s supposed to know the routine herself? Should she know to take herself to the cool end of the table at night time? And should we wake her in the morning? If she sleeps in the cool end in the hideaway, she won’t feel when we turn the lamp on in the morning? I just don’t know if she’s supposed to be able to wake herself up and know when to go to bed? Sorry if this all sounds really silly I just worry we’re not doing it right. Will she eventually know to wake in the morning and move herself under the lamp or will we always have to wake her up? Does anyone have a routine for their baby tortoises? Thanks in advance and sorry for such a long post ?‍♀️?
 

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Maggie3fan

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Hi and welcome...To me it looks like the "cool" end might be a little too cool...also remember Zippy is a baby and normally would sleep a lot. I'm thinking you might try raising the temperatures in the tort table but another person will have to be specific on exact temps. I believe you need to get Zippy up about the same time every morning...turn the light (sun) on and give her a few minutes to get up if she doesn't come out, you take her out give her a good soak, then put her in front of the food and you leave. Do the same thing the same time every day and that teaches her what to do. She should play and sleep thru out the day and in the evening give her another meal...lights out after she's thru eating...
 

wellington

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She needs a closed chamber with some humidity. Open tables really aren't good for babies.
The whole enclosure should be warm during the day.
75-80 all over
95-100 basking
All heat and lights off at night as long as it doesn't get colder then 60.
Also hay/straw is not a good substrate. Coconut coir or orchid bark.
Post more pics of enclosure and we can give ideas of what else need improving and how to enclose it.
 
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