Picking horsfield up on saturday

[MacyC05]

Hi, I'm picking up my horsfield baby on Saturday and I'm just wondering what tips you guys have and what size and weight I could expect from a 10-11 week old? Thanks

 

[Yossarian]

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise | Tortoise Forum

Get everything set up in advance, this is the care sheet to follow. Read it and come back with questions. Also it might be worth telling us how you are planning on caring for it currently? You should have everything ready for it when you pick it up. There are some really good breeders here who can help you get this guy started off right.

 

[MacyC05]

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise | Tortoise Forum

Get everything set up in advance, this is the care sheet to follow. Read it and come back with questions. Also it might be worth telling us how you are planning on caring for it currently? You should have everything ready for it when you pick it up. There are some really good breeders here who can help you get this guy started off right.

Hi, I'm planning on:
Keeping it in a 4 x 2ft tortoise table until it gets a little bigger
Top soil as substrate
Humid hide which will be a large glass jar with sphagnum moss near the basking lamp
Basking lamp
12% t5 uv lighting strip
Cuttlefish
Slate to eat off
Plant pot saucer for water
Plant pot for normal hide
Deep substrate for digging/hiding
Feeding mainly weeds with some veg
Spraying table with water daily
Churning water in topsoil once a week
Handling regularly
Having a heat mat connected to side incase it gets too cold at night (only will be turned on if that happens)
Basking lamp on during the day
Having edible plants
Using tortoise table app to check weeds
Taking outside during warm weather under constant supervision
Spot cleaning
Thermostat plug
Thermometer
hygrometer
I'm sure I'm missing something but can't think what ? Thanks

 

[Yossarian]

Hi, I'm planning on:
Keeping it in a 4 x 2ft tortoise table until it gets a little bigger
Top soil as substrate
Humid hide which will be a large glass jar with sphagnum moss near the basking lamp
Basking lamp
12% t5 uv lighting strip
Cuttlefish
Slate to eat off
Plant pot saucer for water
Plant pot for normal hide
Deep substrate for digging/hiding
Feeding mainly weeds with some veg
Spraying table with water daily
Churning water in topsoil once a week
Handling regularly
Having a heat mat connected to side incase it gets too cold at night (only will be turned on if that happens)
Basking lamp on during the day
Having edible plants
Using tortoise table app to check weeds
Taking outside during warm weather under constant supervision
Spot cleaning
Thermostat plug
Thermometer
hygrometer
I'm sure I'm missing something but can't think what ? Thanks

This is why I asked to be honest. There are some errors in this list. If you read the care sheet, it outlines them pretty clearly. Ill run through them quickly though.

No top soil. No Sphagnum moss. Top soil is bad for a number of reasons, mainly you dont know what is in it, could be something toxic, could be a screw, etc. . . Sphagnum moss is an impaction risk, they cant digest it properly and most torts do eat some of their substrate so dont use it. The three suitable options for substrate are Coco Coir, Fine Orchid bark, or Cypress Mulch, or a mixture of them. All three hold a lot of moisture, dont get moldy and you can be 100% sure what is in the mix.

An open table is a mistake for a tort as young as yours, for the first few years of its life it will need an closed enclosure to maintain sufficient humidity levels. For its earliest months it may be best to house it differently though. Im not 100% on what to do with the small babies but Ill ask for some help from someone that does.

Heat mats a firm no, they can kill torts, CHE instead (ceramic heat emitter).

Regular handling is also not great, being handled is probably stressfull to most torts, keep it to a minimum. There is more to it, but honestly it is in the care sheet I posted.

@Tom Can you give some guidance on what the OP should expect from an 11-12 week hatchling and how best to house it for its first months?

 

[MacyC05]

This is why I asked to be honest. There are some errors in this list. If you read the care sheet, it outlines them pretty clearly. Ill run through them quickly though.

No top soil. No Sphagnum moss. Top soil is bad for a number of reasons, mainly you dont know what is in it, could be something toxic, could be a screw, etc. . . Sphagnum moss is an impaction risk, they cant digest it properly and most torts do eat some of their substrate so dont use it. The three suitable options for substrate are Coco Coir, Fine Orchid bark, or Cypress Mulch, or a mixture of them. All three hold a lot of moisture, dont get moldy and you can be 100% sure what is in the mix.

An open table is a mistake for a tort as young as yours, for the first few years of its life it will need an closed enclosure to maintain sufficient humidity levels. For its earliest months it may be best to house it differently though. Im not 100% on what to do with the small babies but Ill ask for some help from someone that does.

Heat mats a firm no, they can kill torts, CHE instead (ceramic heat emitter).

Regular handling is also not great, being handled is probably stressfull to most torts, keep it to a minimum. There is more to it, but honestly it is in the care sheet I posted.

@Tom Can you give some guidance on what the OP should expect from an 11-12 week hatchling and how best to house it for its first months?

OK great, thanks. I'll take this advice on board as I was going to order everything tonight on overnight shipping. Thanks for the info. I only mentioned the heat mat as I already have it but definitely won't be using it now. Thanks so much, looking for criticism as its my first tortoise.

 

[Tom]

Hi, I'm planning on:
Keeping it in a 4 x 2ft tortoise table until it gets a little bigger
Top soil as substrate
Humid hide which will be a large glass jar with sphagnum moss near the basking lamp
Basking lamp
Spraying table with water daily
Churning water in topsoil once a week
Handling regularly
Having a heat mat connected to side incase it gets too cold at night (only will be turned on if that happens)
Taking outside during warm weather under constant supervision

Yossarian already explained most of the issue, but I left the problem points in the above quote.

Its easier to maintain the correct temps and humidity in a closed chamber. 2x4 is a good size to start with. Open tables can sometimes work if the room is warm enough. Closed chamber work better.

Be sure to use the right type of basking lamp. Regular incandescent flood bulb. No spots, no MVBs. No colored bulbs. No halogens.

Spraying the substrate does very little, but it won't hurt anything.

You may need to churn in water more often. Every enclosure is different. You have to go by feel.

Regular handling will usually desensitize them, but watch for behavior that indicates a problem. Lack of appetite, lack of basking, hiding all the time would be indicators that its too much too soon. Give him a week or two to settle in before starting limited handling. Start sow and gradually add more time when you see that his behavior is still good.

See the care sheet for additional ambient heat sources. No heat mats.

The tortoise should never be loose outside. No amount of supervision will prevent disaster. You will lose it for sure eventually. Make a secure, safe, outdoor enclosure for outside time.