Please help with my new tort!

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I just hope he's not cold and he doesn't hate me. Thanks (for the fourth time) and I will probably be back tomorrow with more questions and photos! I am amazed at how nice and open this tortoise community is!

Don’t worry Im sure he doesn’t hate you, they can be very shy especially when young and in a new environment, try to limit handling just for soak time, you’ll both get used to one another in time😊
His temperature does need raising a bit but if you say the current surface temperature by him was reading 80f that’s not too bad, temp guns are a great way to keep checking the temperatures, you can get them reasonable on Amazon🙂
It’s a wonderful community on here, I only joined late last year for advice on my family’s red foot, the help I’ve received in that time has been remarkable, everyone really cares for the well being of peoples tortoises😊

 

[HenHen1_2]

Don’t worry Im sure he doesn’t hate you, they can be very shy especially when young and in a new environment, try to limit handling just for soak time, you’ll both get used to one another in time😊
His temperature does need raising a bit but if you say the current surface temperature by him was reading 80f that’s not too bad, temp guns are a great way to keep checking the temperatures, you can get them reasonable on Amazon🙂
It’s a wonderful community on here, I only joined late last year for advice on my family’s red foot, the help I’ve received in that time has been remarkable, everyone really cares for the well being of peoples tortoises😊

ok, thanks! He's sleeping peacefully (as far as I can see) and last thing: should I wake him up in the morning?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

ok, thanks! He's sleeping peacefully (as far as I can see) and last thing: should I wake him up in the morning?

He should wake up naturally once his uv light comes on, once you switch to a CHE as your heat source, you’ll want either an led bulb or led strip set on a 12hr timer, plus his uv on a 4hr timer from around noon till 4, they act as his ‘daylight’, they shouldn’t be on round the clock, he needs a day and night cycle, but the CHE needs to stay on 24/7, that only emits heat, no light

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

If his uv is the only day light source currently, keep that on for the 12hrs for now, he’ll wake once that’s on, but once you get the CHE(ideally as soon as possible to get rid of that red lamp), you’ll just be putting the leds onto the 12hr to act as the daylight and the uv onto a separate 4hr timer🙂
Then the CHE set on a thermostat😊(no timer, needs to be kept on 27/4 to provide his constant heat)

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello and welcome!

So far, most important changes have been outlined (CHE with a thermostat instead of heat mat and red lamp, covering the top and changing substratea and getting larger enclosure). Here is my 20 cents:
1. What UVB lamp do you use and how high is it over the substrate?
2. Since the lamp is all along the enclosure, he needs a dense shade area to escape from light. Log hide is nice, but some plants, fern-like or with broad leaves, would be nice (plastic plants should be placed out of reach for him).
3. Since his current tank is small (and, I suppose, isn't tall) the 100W CHE may be too powerful. You may try 60-75W first. Chicken brooder panel might work even better as heat is more evenly distributed.
4. You may put some insulation (like a cheap polystyrene sheets) on three of 4 wall, from the outside. This will help with maintaining heat and prevent lots of condensate building up on the walls (which in turn means higher air humidity).
5. Nothing is wrong with feeding some arugula. Stone formation in tortoises is likely for desert and mediterranean species and related to high protein intake coupled with insufficient hydration and lack of exercise.

 

[HenHen1_2]

thank you Alex. I got him yesterday.

 

[HenHen1_2]

Any other things I should watch out for, things i should be doing, or things to add/get? (for today)

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome!

So far, most important changes have been outlined (CHE with a thermostat instead of heat mat and red lamp, covering the top and changing substratea and getting larger enclosure). Here is my 20 cents:
1. What UVB lamp do you use and how high is it over the substrate?
2. Since the lamp is all along the enclosure, he needs a dense shade area to escape from light. Log hide is nice, but some plants, fern-like or with broad leaves, would be nice (plastic plants should be placed out of reach for him).
3. Since his current tank is small (and, I suppose, isn't tall) the 100W CHE may be too powerful. You may try 60-75W first. Chicken brooder panel might work even better as heat is more evenly distributed.
4. You may put some insulation (like a cheap polystyrene sheets) on three of 4 wall, from the outside. This will help with maintaining heat and prevent lots of condensate building up on the walls (which in turn means higher air humidity).
5. Nothing is wrong with feeding some arugula. Stone formation in tortoises is likely for desert and mediterranean species and related to high protein intake coupled with insufficient hydration and lack of exercise.

Glad you pointed that out about the arugula! It was something I remember reading and it always stuck with me but that’s good to know, I think when most things are fed in excess they can cause the odd issue but as long as you’re mixing it up all shall be well😊

 

[HenHen1_2]

Glad you pointed that out about the arugula! It was something I remember reading and it always stuck with me but that’s good to know, I think when most things are fed in excess they can cause the odd issue but as long as you’re mixing it up all shall be well😊

thank you everyone and see you tomorrow! ( I might get a good picture of him then)

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Any other things I should watch out for, things i should be doing, or things to add/get? (for today)

Daily warm soaks for 20-30 minutes, warm and humid enclosure with lots of space to hide and he will be happy, I guess.

You need a digital thermometer/hygrometer to know temperatures in the enclosure. Anything with a display, from a hardware store will work.

He needs a slate or a terracotta saucer for feeding and another one saucer for drinking and self soaking.

And you can get a cuttlefish bone (white oval thing for the birds) so he could take a bite of calcium from time to time.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Any other things I should watch out for, things i should be doing, or things to add/get? (for today)

I think when it comes to the humidity, because your current set up is on the smaller side, you’ll only need to do small pours of water into the corners, perhaps a light mist if it doesn’t go high enough, just make sure the top layer of substrate isn’t constantly wet and focus on the lower layers being damp, as a species with high humidity requirements, they can be prone to things like shell rot, so always keep an eye out for that

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

As @Alex and the Redfoot pointed out, a 100w CHE might be too powerful for the current enclosure because of the height, so maybe look into his other suggestions for now, but in a 4x2x2 enclosure, a 100w CHE should do the job😊

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Also thinking about it, whilst your temps are on the lower side I’d avoid misting all together and stick to the pours🙂

 

[HenHen1_2]

sorry that I haven't been active for a while, but I have a question

 

[HenHen1_2]

my tortoise has been eating less and less every day and I wonder of he's ok

 

[HenHen1_2]

here is a picture of him from 4 days ago

 

[mojo_1]

here is a picture of him from 4 days ago

Have you made the appropriate changes in lighting, heating and humidity?

 

[HenHen1_2]

not complety but he seems content with everything I am just worried that he is not eating enough

 

[mojo_1]

not complety but he seems content with everything I am just worried that he is not eating enough

His environment needs to be just right. Also there's an adjustment period everytime there's noticeable change.

 

[HenHen1_2]

ok, so this is normal for him to eat less when getting used to his place?