New member and new father

CharSparda

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Hello! One of my friends told me about this forum since I just adopted a new turtle about 3 weeks ago.

Rafael1.png

His name is Raphael and apparently his last owner couldn't take care of him anymore of something weird happened idk so I decided to adopt him and give him a good life insAllah.

He is (arguably) a Gopherus Berlandieri and as soon as I adopted him I bought him a provisional house (it's a small glass terrarium with UVB and heat lights) and added coconut fiber and a bowl of water which he rarely drinks. He's been eating a lot, his favorite food are nopal (mexican cactus), prickly pears and escarole lettuce, among others, but this is mostly the basis.

He doesn't like to stay inside his terrarium so I take him for a ride around my bedroom until he falls asleep and I place him inside again. So far, the Vet has told me he looks healthy, he has no rare issues, but what can you guys tell me? I am a new owner and I'm not sure if I should bathe him, if I should leave him alone, buy him something else...

I'd be glad if you guys can help me! Cheers
 

wellington

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We need better pictures of the enclosure but if it's a terrarium it's likely way too small. Any premade terrarium ls are good for hatchlings only. If he doesn't have enough room to roam around a lot then he will not get the exercise he needs to stay healthy.
We need to know temps day and night and type of lighting and heating you are using.
Also can you make an outdoor enclosure for him?
 

CharSparda

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Mexico City
We need better pictures of the enclosure but if it's a terrarium it's likely way too small. Any premade terrarium ls are good for hatchlings only. If he doesn't have enough room to roam around a lot then he will not get the exercise he needs to stay healthy.
We need to know temps day and night and type of lighting and heating you are using.
Also can you make an outdoor enclosure for him?

Rafael3.pngRafael2.png


Alright so I might need to add a much much bigger terrarium then. That should be no problem.

As for the temperatures, maximum at the evening is about 28-30 celcius (82 - 86 farentheith or whatever the F is called) and 24-25 celcius at night (76-78 F)

Type of lighting is a 10.0 UVB lightbulb for dessert reptiles, and a 75W infrared basking spot for the heat.

As for the outdoor enclosure I'm afraid that's not possible since I live in a flat.
 

CharSparda

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By the way, he's a farm animal, with legal procedure.

Here in Mexico it is legal to hold a Gopherus Berlandieri when you have the legal support. I want to mention this since I know it is illegal in the States (or at least in Texas) to hold a Gopherus Berlandieri.
 

wellington

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He needs a basking spot of 95-100 or he can't digest his food.
His enclosure needs to be the size of a room. Not another terrarium.
If you have a spare room make the whole room his enclosure. Something much better and bigger then what he is in is desperately needed asap.
He needs a large clay saucer he can get into for water. He needs a hide, he needs lots of room to walk. That can't happen in small spaces.
 

CharSparda

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He needs a basking spot of 95-100 or he can't digest his food.
His enclosure needs to be the size of a room. Not another terrarium.
If you have a spare room make the whole room his enclosure. Something much better and bigger then what he is in is desperately needed asap.
He needs a large clay saucer he can get into for water. He needs a hide, he needs lots of room to walk. That can't happen in small spaces.

thank you very much. I have plans on adapting one of my flat rooms just for him but I am yet to live there so for now I guess I’m gonna have to get a very very wide space for him, for a month or two.

I’ll get the clay saucer and the basking spot ASAP, again thanks for your time.
 

Yvonne G

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Hi, and welcome!

You tortoise is likely full grown, and, like Wellington said, needs a lot more space to wander around - a dedicated space for the tortoise, with a heat lamp, plants to eat, water and a couple hiding places. Try to make it as natural as possible for him. And since it's not possible for him to be outside, he'll need a UVB light for strong bones and shell.
 

CharSparda

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Hi, and welcome!

You tortoise is likely full grown, and, like Wellington said, needs a lot more space to wander around - a dedicated space for the tortoise, with a heat lamp, plants to eat, water and a couple hiding places. Try to make it as natural as possible for him. And since it's not possible for him to be outside, he'll need a UVB light for strong bones and shell.

Thank you! Yes I already took him out today to walk around the rooftop while it's still sunny, although the temp is around 72.

Alright i'll plant something in order to give him available food all the time, he tends to eat a lot... thank you again!
 

jeff kushner

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WTTC....

It's tough when you have the passion and not the space but it sounds like you will put in the effort for your little guy.

The folks here have the best talent here over any website but sometimes forget the "why"......your guy needs 85F/30C to digest his food. He will eat in lower temps but apparently it won't digest until he gets warmer temps. I'd suggest that if he's going to be a free-runner, you take one for the team and sacrifice a corner of the bathroom floor for him. Usually tile, it will hold heat from a mounted sun/che's light's & you'd know his needs are covered and it's out of the way for you, but you are better to listen to others, they know more than I do.....that's just what I did before.

My Clemson(Sulc) free-ranged for many years and was a cool part of the house...not the best of solutions...and not popular with many, for very good reasons too......but it's what I did. Sometimes, we roll with life and simply try to enjoy it and the folks and things around us. GF's all loved him, kids all loved him and he blended well with guests<lol>.

Finally, your guy is a BEAST! Really a good looking guy, clear sharp eyes...nice. Take a read through the care sheets in each section....I promise you will learn new stuff.

Good luck and enjoy....
 

CharSparda

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Location (City and/or State)
Mexico City
WTTC....

It's tough when you have the passion and not the space but it sounds like you will put in the effort for your little guy.

The folks here have the best talent here over any website but sometimes forget the "why"......your guy needs 85F/30C to digest his food. He will eat in lower temps but apparently it won't digest until he gets warmer temps. I'd suggest that if he's going to be a free-runner, you take one for the team and sacrifice a corner of the bathroom floor for him. Usually tile, it will hold heat from a mounted sun/che's light's & you'd know his needs are covered and it's out of the way for you, but you are better to listen to others, they know more than I do.....that's just what I did before.

My Clemson(Sulc) free-ranged for many years and was a cool part of the house...not the best of solutions...and not popular with many, for very good reasons too......but it's what I did. Sometimes, we roll with life and simply try to enjoy it and the folks and things around us. GF's all loved him, kids all loved him and he blended well with guests<lol>.

Finally, your guy is a BEAST! Really a good looking guy, clear sharp eyes...nice. Take a read through the care sheets in each section....I promise you will learn new stuff.

Good luck and enjoy....

i didn’t know about the tile, now that you mention that I have three bathrooms in my house, I might give him one although it’s not a wide space. Right now I’m planning on giving him the best life he can have with many UVB lamps around the place so he can get to walk as much as he wants to. He truly likes to walk a lot and he’s not as slow as I initially thought.

however sometimes I wonder if he’s feeling alright because he seems a bit lazy lately, not sure if he just trusts me more when I come closer, plus he isn’t eating as much as he did when he arrived. Hopefully it’s just my imagination and my lack of experience taking care of tortoises.

thank you your compliments! Whenever people compliments my cats or now my tortoise it feels like winning a Grammy or an Oscar for me. I agree, he’s really handsome.
 

Lyn W

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Hi and welcome,
My tort lives in an adapted bathroom, he has an insulated dog kennel for his hide which I heat with a reptile radiator ( a type of ceramic heater), In the room he has uvb from a T5 HO tube and a flood basking bulb (both Arcadia).During the winter there is also heat from a room radiator.
He has free access to the garden during the summer so the uvb tube is only used during prolonged periods of cloudy days.
Hard floors are bad for tort legs so the floor is covered with a thick rubber mat , I originally used the interlocking rubber mates but the pee would soak through.
I hope you soon manage to give him more of his own space which he needs for digestion and bone health.
 

jeff kushner

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Yeah Lyn, I think a lot more people repurpose bathrooms for turtles and tortoise's than admit it><LOL> Clemson free-ranged it and used the little bathroom as his "nest". Since the room was only a 1/2 bath, it was small enough that I could keep the temps much higher than the rest of my home without much economic impact on my electricity bill.

Char...you mention that your guy seems to be "slowing down".....is your house air conditioned?

just the 1st thought for why....

PS apologies to Wellington, he had indeed explained the "why". Apparently, my reading comp wasn't proof quality....lol
 

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