Sunshine Is In The House

ShirleyTX

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She was awake and alert when I unpacked her. She is tiny, with a lovely pale golden head and legs. She is two years old. She did not retract when I carried her to her enclosure.

I started her in the water bowl but she soon moved to hide her head.
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ZEROPILOT

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Hello and welcome.
I keep Redfoot. I have for decades. And mine would LOVE to eat those little rocks you have as substrate.
Don't get discouraged if you need to do some tweaking here and there on the enclosure.
On the plus side, I love the terra cotta saucer water bowl.
 

wellington

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I agree, those rocks need to go. They are not appropriate substrate. Please take a read of the careheet and make adjustments.
 

ShirleyTX

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@ZEROPILOT, and @wellington,

Hmmm, did you read the care sheet before you posted your criticism?

Those are not little rocks. That is oyster shell, one of only two recommended substrates for t. kleinmanni. The oyster shell, which is fed to chickens routinely, is edible by the tortoise and is a source of calcium..

Egyptians have weak immune systems because of its extremely arid natural habitat. There are few pathogens in the desert from which they originate. If anything organic is used in the substrate, it is recommended to be a low percentage mixed with inorganic material (such as oyster shell or decomposed granite). The Egyptian care sheet at Garden State Tortoise is a good source, as are the care sheet and many posts in the Egyptian forum here.

I follow both of your posts with interest so I hope we haven't got off to a bad start. I researched a great deal before I built a home for Sunshine. :)
 

wellington

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Hmmm, you didn't mention that in the thread. Did I research for another thread you may have done, no, I have much more too do, sorry. Our first response will always assume it's a bad substrate because that's what we usually get on here, people doing everything wrong. Appreciate our concern, not criticisms. It's only out of concern for the animal that we will point out what we think is wrong. It's not considered criticism on our end, only concerns. Hope you can understand that.
Btw, very glad we were wrong and your one of a few that actually read our caresheets before posting pics of all the wrong stuff.
 

ShirleyTX

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@wellington. Sorry I jumped all over you. There would be no way for you to know if I acquired an Egyptian on a whim, or whether it was a studied decision.

The t. kleinmanni is not a very well known species, do you think? Until I really dove into the Mediterranean species, I knew nothing about them. I don't know how many keepers there are; I notice that the Egyptian forum does not have loads of posts. They have a lot of unique characteristics! I am hoping that I might share some of these characteristics on the forum as time goes by.

In the meantime, perhaps I should put a note when I post a photo about the unusual nature of the substrate-- then the reader wouldn't be distracted by it. And I will certainly take comments as concern rather than criticism. Thanks for caring. :)
 

Salspi

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Nice Job Shirley... perfect substrate for T. Kleinmanni. I just bought another 50 lb bag of the oyster shell. May I ask how deep you went on the substrate? Great looking tort Chris sent you! Congrats!
 

Salspi

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@wellington. Sorry I jumped all over you. There would be no way for you to know if I acquired an Egyptian on a whim, or whether it was a studied decision.

The t. kleinmanni is not a very well known species, do you think? Until I really dove into the Mediterranean species, I knew nothing about them. I don't know how many keepers there are; I notice that the Egyptian forum does not have loads of posts. They have a lot of unique characteristics! I am hoping that I might share some of these characteristics on the forum as time goes by.

In the meantime, perhaps I should put a note when I post a photo about the unusual nature of the substrate-- then the reader wouldn't be distracted by it. And I will certainly take comments as concern rather than criticism. Thanks for caring. :)

You posted in the Egyptian tortoise section.... If you posted in the Redfoot section I could see the confusion. But, even then just looking at the pics tells the reader what species it is. And, if unsure of what species, it’s prob best for that reader to avoid giving recommendations....All of us Kleinmanni keepers know the substrate that you are using. No special notes on your substrate for all future posts are necessary in my opinion. Thank you very much for sharing pics. I’d love to see more pics of that nice enclosure...... I’m sure you are very excited to get sunshine today! Congrats again!
 

wellington

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@wellington. Sorry I jumped all over you. There would be no way for you to know if I acquired an Egyptian on a whim, or whether it was a studied decision.

The t. kleinmanni is not a very well known species, do you think? Until I really dove into the Mediterranean species, I knew nothing about them. I don't know how many keepers there are; I notice that the Egyptian forum does not have loads of posts. They have a lot of unique characteristics! I am hoping that I might share some of these characteristics on the forum as time goes by.

In the meantime, perhaps I should put a note when I post a photo about the unusual nature of the substrate-- then the reader wouldn't be distracted by it. And I will certainly take comments as concern rather than criticism. Thanks for caring. :)
Don't worry about it, you were very nice about it, not like most are. The note about the substrate wouldn't be a bad idea though. We aren't used too seeing many using it. Just the last month can I say I have seen a couple post about it and one probably was yours, so that leaves one other and that's probably Salspi.
Always keep in mind that any suggestions from any member is always out of concern. We don't want to have to read the death or even sick threads, too sad.
Thanks for understanding and it is a beautiful tort.
 

ShirleyTX

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@Salspi. I'm not sure yet if I have the substrate depth at a good level. The enclosure is about 2' x 6'; I used 100 lbs of shell. At the shallowest, it is just under 1". I built up a hill in the middle where it is about 2.5 or 3". I'm concerned about her need to burrow. Does yours burrow? I know in the wild they burrow under grass clumps to cool off. In the hide in the warm end (an overturned clay pot), I put a little timothy hay inside thinking it might feel more like a burrow for her.

I know a few keepers cut some coco coir into the shells, but I'm scared of anything organic - mold, fungus, etc. I'm going to watch that hay really closely.

I'm going to post pics of the enclosure soon - with a disclaimer at the top, LOL.

She's been hiding, not moving much, since this morning. Do you think I should be worried? Chris said to let her be for a few days. He told me last night I was overthinking things -- guilty as charged LOL.

PS Tell me about your kleinmannis, how many & age & sex. Thank you for being so supportive!
 
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Salspi

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I have the exact depth that you described. Most of it is an inch deep. Some hilly stuff for excercise is also in there. I think my highest spot is like 3”. I’m also unsure about optimal depth. I don’t think they do much burrowing? Especially, since I’m using 100% oyster shell. It’s not like they can scrape and find a more humid layer. I’m open for suggestions and advice for sure.

I would listen to Chris above anyone. He’s been awesome to me as far as answering my questions and concerns. He is incredibly busy right now with hatching season as u know. I agree with you 100% about using stuff like coco coir. I don’t even use spag moss or hay. I made humid hides to avoid any use of those things. I’m not taking chances with these sensitive tiny animals. Check out the DIY Humid Hide thread I posted. I think it’s the cleanest way to do it.
 
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ShirleyTX

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Chris says I’m overthinking again, let her hide!

I’m going to read your humid hide post right away. THANK YOU!!!
 

daniellenc

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I have a redfoot so different species but it took him a few weeks to settle in, form a routine, and eat well. I worried myself silly lol. Now he’s a year and I worry he’s to fat.
 

ShirleyTX

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@daniellenc, I swear it's like having a new baby in the house. I go look at her every few minutes. And I honestly did rub her back a couple times to be sure she is still breathing. Dork, I am.
 

Longhorns1187

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Congrats! Awesome looking tortoise. We're getting a little Egyptian from Chris soon. We're using the exact same substrate (Manna Pro) from Tractor Supply. It took about 100 lbs to do our 6x2 enclosure to our liking.
 

ShirleyTX

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@Longhorns1187, Yes, 100 pounds for mine as well! I hope you will be active in this forum. These "tiny tanks", as Chris calls them, are not so well known and I would like to share as much experience as possible. Thanks for the post :).
 

Longhorns1187

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@Longhorns1187, Yes, 100 pounds for mine as well! I hope you will be active in this forum. These "tiny tanks", as Chris calls them, are not so well known and I would like to share as much experience as possible. Thanks for the post :).
I could not agree more. Lots of the older "care sheets" I found had lots of conflicting information. Glad that Chris put out such a comprehensive one on his site and in the Reptiles magazine article.

Definitely will be more active in the forum, especially once our little one arrives. In the meantime, we'll have to live vicariously through your posts and pics [emoji4].
 

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