New with baby!

[amy&alfie]

Hi,
I've been reading threads on here for a few months now and have got loads of info about how to care for my new baby so thank you to all the members! I've never kept a reptile before let alone a tortoise so it's a whole new world for me! I never knew quite how much joy you could get from being a tortoise mummy but I love my little Alfie to bits!

A bit of info;
he's approximately 5 months old and 60g. I've had him a grand total of 21 days so far. He's in a 4 foot by 2 foot open top tortoise table with a heat spot and a uv strip light. (I changed to two separate lights after trying a combi bulb that was getting wayyyy too hot!) he's now got temps of 34C in the heat spot, 22-24c in the other areas. I turn them off overnight, he gets about 12hrs a day give it take half hour. He has two big hides, two levels, two different logs to climb and hide under (which he loves!), a water dish, a slate for food, a cuttlefish and a little bush to hide under.

I'm in the process of weaning him off the baby salad leaves and food pellets that he was given in the pet shop. He's quite happily not having pellets now so that's progress, I'm also chopping up the food really small so that he has to eat the flowers and weeds that I'm giving him and can't selective eat, he is VERY stubborn with his food but he's slowly warming to rose petals.

Unfortunately baby Alfie has a bad eye at the moment, it developed last Wednesday and after bathing for a few days it got no better so I took him to the vets and he's now on chloramphenicol and improving. He's still very active and eating great and I bath him everyday and this tends to be toilet time but that's healthy too so I'm not overly worried at the moment.

I will post some pics of Alfie and his set up and welcome any advice for new mums ☺️!

Thanks Guys!
Amy x

 

[ZEROPILOT]

How have you been dealing with humidity?

 

[amy&alfie]

I spray the substrate daily, should I be doing something else? I actually asked at the shop if I needed a humidiometer but they said no :/

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I spray the substrate daily, should I be doing something else? I actually asked at the shop if I needed a humidiometer but they said no :/

You won't need a humidifier if you can cover a large portion of the top. Misting something with an open top will do very little ...even if you mist it every ten minutes.

 

[amy&alfie]

Okay thanks, how humid are we talking? What would you cover with to be effective?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, Amy, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and Alfie.
As Zeropilot says, i'm not sure that your humidity is going to be high enough with that set up. You really need to cover the enclosure to keep the humidity in.
What is your substrate? Are those white bits calcium or something. One shouldn't encourage substrate munching.
Coco coir, orchid bark or cypress mulch are better alternatives.
have a look at http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
and http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-end-of-pyramiding.15137/
as well as http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/
just in case you've missed them during your research.
A bigger enclosure will be needed soon as you are probably aware, as this is a very active species and need lots of space to patrol, which is necessary for their well being and to help with digestion.
Glad you've come here to ask advice, I've learned so much since joining here.

 

[amy&alfie]

Thank you! The substrate is a mixed top soil and loam mix that I bought from a reptile shop, it said suitable for tortoises but I've since learned from here that doesn't mean trust them! The white bits are small stones. I will have a think about how best to fix the humidity thank you. I know we are moving this winter out of a house with communal gardens into one with a private garden and I'm very excited about setting up a tortoise paradise for sunny days! He's very active and very friendly I can't believe I've only just got him I should have done it years ago!

 

[amy&alfie]

I was just reading the article about beginner mistakes it's brilliant. I'll give the others a read too thanks Tidgy's dad

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Be careful of little stones and sand.
if a young tort eats them it can cause impaction, which can be dangerous or even fatal.

 

[amy&alfie]

Blimey! How do they get away with selling the stuff!??? I'm engrossed in the humidity/pyramiding thread it's fascinating and Toms baby's are stunning! Thanks again.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum, Amy!! Alfie is just adorable.

 

[Lyn W]

Welcome to the Forum, Amy!! Alfie is just adorable.

Hi and welcome he is beautiful.
Not sure that the red light is a good idea though I think I've read here that it can distort (no pun intended) torts vision and confuse them

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Amy

 

[amy&alfie]

Hi and welcome he is beautiful.
Not sure that the red light is a good idea though I think I've read here that it can distort (no pun intended) torts vision and confuse them

I'll look into in Lynn thank you!

 

[amy&alfie]

Quick question folks... How often do you advise changing substrate?

 

[Lyn W]

Quick question folks... How often do you advise changing substrate?

My guess is that you just empty it all out and refill with a more suitable one - bit if a pain but better safe than sorry.

 

[Lyn W]

My guess is that you just empty it all out and refill with a more suitable one - bit if a pain but better safe than sorry.

Sorry I read your message as how do you change substrate! Tired eyes!! Try doing a search and see what pops up in threads

 

[amy&alfie]

No worries thanks, what kind of mixture is best? I'm gutted haha I thought that bit was one thing I had sorted because it was specifically for tortoises from a reptile shop and he loves digging in it. Never mind, I'm lost in confusing world of tortoise care! Haha really appreciate the help from everyone.

 

[Yvonne G]

You just spot clean daily. I keep one batch of substrate for a whole season. By that time the tortoises go outside. Then I start fresh when the have to come back indoors.

 

[Lyn W]

No worries thanks, what kind of mixture is best? I'm gutted haha I thought that bit was one thing I had sorted because it was specifically for tortoises from a reptile shop and he loves digging in it. Never mind, I'm lost in confusing world of tortoise care! Haha really appreciate the help from everyone.

There is such a lot to learn isn't there? I've had my tort almost a year now and still learning something new every time I log in.

Have a look at the caresheet for your tort under 'species specific' section that may tell you best substrate. I use coco coir and orchid bark and sometimes sterilised topsoil , but my tort is a leopard and older and bigger so that may not be OK for yours. I just search and read and ask as many questions as I need. I'm still a novice but there's lots of experienced folk here to help.