Odd behavior?

[maske]

Odd behavior? We got sheldon when he was 4 months old, and he is now 7 months. He does this quite a lot. I tried uploading a video, but it won't let m

 

[maske]

Odd behavior? We got sheldon when he was 4 months old, and he is now 7 months. He does this quite a lot. I tried uploading a video, but it won't let m

Sorry, forgot to say what kind he is. He is a sulcata tortoise.

 

[Megatron's Mom]

You can post a video to YouTube the post the link. If not try and describe what is going on with as much detail as possible.

 

[maske]

Not very good on YouTube. I had my son show me. I did get it on YouTube, but I do not know how to post the link.

 

[Megatron's Mom]

If you copy the link in the address bar from your YouTube video should be good to paste it on here. Just right here in the reply box.

 

[maske]

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Do you mean how his legs are moving? Tortoises don't have a diaphragm so especially in babies their legs can move visibly when breathing.

It is explained better here:

Why do my tortoise's legs move when he's resting?

We hear from Madkins007 that tortoises cannot move their ribcages or diaphragms to breathe, so they 'sag' their limbs in and out. They don't need a lot of air so you don't always notice it. And from Dr. Simon Girling - Turtles and tortoises use their head, neck and limbs as bellows, moving them...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[maske]

Thank you

 

[COmtnLady]

He's awfully dry. How often and for how long do you soak him?

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

As a side note, your enclosure needs some improvements, since young tortoises need to be in a humid environment. @Littleredfootbigredheart has photos on how to achieve that with the enclosure you have.

 

[maske]

He's awfully dry. How often and for how long do you soak him?

Everyday for 30 minutes. I noticed that too. I'm new too tortoises. I also mist the everything inside with warm water 2x a day, but still having hard time keeping it humid enough.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Everyday for 30 minutes. I noticed that too. I'm new too tortoises. I also mist the everything inside with warm water 2x a day, but still having hard time keeping it humid enough.

You need a closed chamber with all the lighting inside to keep the humidity up. There are a few options:

• You could buy a new enclosure
• You could rig your current enclosure with a topper like a greenhouse tent
• You could build your own closed chamber enclosure

Remember that in correct conditions, your sulcata will grow rapidly and need an upgrade soon so you might want to go with something cheap.

 

[COmtnLady]

Welcome to the Forum!

Have you had a chance to look at this yet?

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

And here is a link to the sheet The_Four_Toed_Edward suggested above~

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

_____________________________________________________________________

Thanks for getting back so quickly!

Don't mist. Misters, sprayers, and foggers put droplets into the air. They are far different than humidity. They provide large droplets that are respiratory hazards. To get humidity to hold the percentage your tortoise needs its best to have a couple inches or more of damp coco coir tightly packed intot he bottom of the enclosure, with another couple inches of orchid/fir bark on top. The moisture will evaporate up through the other layers of substrate and, once there is a balance, will keep the humidity just as it needs to be. Any time your humidity begins to drop you simply add some warm water in the corners (allows the water for evaporation to sink down in to the substrate, while keeping the surface that your tortoise walks on fairly dry to avoid fungus developing.

It should be around 82/84F all the time, with 84% humidity, for a baby.

 

[maske]

You need a closed chamber with all the lighting inside to keep the humidity up. There are a few options:

• You could buy a new enclosure
• You could rig your current enclosure with a topper like a greenhouse tent
• You could build your own closed chamber enclosure

Remember that in correct conditions, your sulcata will grow rapidly and need an upgrade soon so you might want to go with something cheap.

Thank you I'm thinking of doing the greenhouse tent. I am not good at raking things up like that. So I need, did you do some research and figure out how I would do it.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Thank you I'm thinking of doing the greenhouse tent. I am not good at raking things up like that. So I need, did you do some research and figure out how I would do it.

I would simply start by measuring the enclosure to see if there are any ready made tents that fit.

Here is some visual inspiration:

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello! Hope you find the visual inspiration thread helpful!

Hopefully you might like these too, this thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better!

Leopard/sulcata starter

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information below on how I’d personally tackle an indoor starter set up for a leopard/sulcata until they’re bigger. Hopefully it helps give people some ideas!” I know it looks like a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is probably most important to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they help!

 

[Daffodil]

I'm new to tortoises, too. My first, a Russian, is only 8 months old, but I wanted to encourage you to do whatever you can to get a closed enclosure!

I started out with a glass tank for reptiles, but it had a screen mesh top. Covered it with foil, but still couldn't maintain correct level of humidity. My tortoise spent almost all day (23 hours?) buried in the substrate. He barely ate. For two months, he didn't gain any weight.

I got a closed enclosure in January and since then it's like I have a completely different tortoise! He spends most of the day out and about. He "puts himself to bed" in his hide at night. He goes over to his food dish multiple times during the day and eats like there's no tomorrow. He never buries himself in the substrate anymore. Since he got the new enclosure, he's gained 6-8 grams/week and he's really grown.

All that to say... it is _so_ worth getting or setting up a closed enclosure!

 

[maske]

Wanted to get some feedback real fast. It will take a few days to get and order everything for greenhouse setup. In the meantime since he is so dry looking and need to help him now. My husband thinks putting plexiglass on top and cutting out perfect circles for light fixtures will help for right now. Thank you everyone.

 

[Megatron's Mom]

Yes that will help.
I'm so glad you found us and now have a good plan in motion.

 

[maske]

Thank you so much