Tortoise and allergy

[Jessikas]

Hi! I got my baby greek tortoise some days ago ❤ And I got him because of allergy to other animals and because I love animals.

Is here other people who have allergies/astma and who has an tortoise..?

I think I react a bit for something with him. Can it be the bedding, food or the tortoise himself?

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome

Post some photos of the enclosure and lighting in this thread and we will see what we can do for both your tortoise and you to be healthy

 

[wellington]

I bet it's the substrate that is giving you a slight reaction.
If your using a store bought substrate like coconut coir, you could try orchid bark instead of vice versa. You could also try plain dirt from your yard.

 

[Jessikas]

Thank you! I will try to change the substrate.

He is not eating much even if he have food all the time, how much should a small one like this eat (about one year old)?! He is also slow and likes to sleep a lot, is it normal?

He have a home with a lamp (uvb, heat and daylight all in same) which is turned on daytime and off in the nights. Some small places where he can hide. Some plants. A small bowl with water where he can drink and take a bath. A small plate with food (salad, pellets, vitamins on it)..

 

[JoesMum]

If he isn’t eating properly or active then chances are the temperatures are wrong.

Please let us see photos of the enclosure and light because it isn’t unusual for pet stores to give outdated care information and sell things that are not actually appropriate to keep a tortoise healthy.

Your baby needs 35-37C/95-100F directly under the basking lamp. This lamp must hang vertically, not be at an angle, and must not be obstructed by a mesh or glazing. It must be on 12 hours a day.

At night your tort needs complete darkness and, because your tort is a baby, the temperature must not drop below 80F/27C

The substrate must be evenly damp from top to bottom and right into the corners (tip water in from a jug and mix with your hands) to create the humidity that your baby needs. This will also settle fibres that could aggravate your asthma.

I recommend you read the TFO care guides and compare them with your setup.

They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Baby Testudo Tortoise Care (written about Russians but applies to Greeks)
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

 

[Jessikas]

I don't know how I can put pictures.

But now I know for sure that the lamp is put wrong (it's not vertical) and it's to cold in the night (about 20 degrees). How can I make it warmer without the lamp on?

I will read the information you gave.

 

[JoesMum]

To raise ambient temperature you need a Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) and a thermostat. This emits heat without light. The thermostat ensures it only cuts in when needed so it can be left to run 24/7.

Don’t trust clamp fixtures for any heat or light holders. They are not secure and the falling lamp could start a fire. Always hang the holder

 

[Jessikas]

To raise ambient temperature you need a Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) and a thermostat. This emits heat without light. The thermostat ensures it only cuts in when needed so it can be left to run 24/7.

Don’t trust clamp fixtures for any heat or light holders. They are not secure and the falling lamp could start a fire. Always hang the holder

Thank you for your answer! They told me in the petshop that I can have the tortoise without any heat in the night
Usually I have about 20-25 degrees in our house but I guess it's to cold then?

 

[JoesMum]

Thank you for your answer! They told me in the petshop that I can have the tortoise without any heat in the night
Usually I have about 20-25 degrees in our house but I guess it's to cold then?

When your tortoise is older, room temperature is fine. Babies need steady warmth and high humidity - see the care sheet I linked to earlier. It’s pretty normal for petshops to be wrong when it comes to tortoises. They generally don’t have anyone who actually keeps them on their staff

It’s easiest to upload photos using the tortoise forum app if you have a smart phone or ipad/android tablet

 

[Via Infinito]

I had eczema for an entire year out of nowehere, until I discovered that I'm either allergic to the coco coir substrate/ or the dust mites in the encolsure!
Was super itchy for months.
The moment I got rid of it, my eczema went away. So there's that to consider.

 

[Jessikas]

I had eczema for an entire year out of nowehere, until I discovered that I'm either allergic to the coco coir substrate/ or the dust mites in the encolsure!
Was super itchy for months.
The moment I got rid of it, my eczema went away. So there's that to consider.

Thank you for the answer! What do you use now?

 

[Via Infinito]

Thank you for the answer! What do you use now?

I do tiles for one side, a huge towel for the other. i can dampen the towel for humidity
But usually this is just his sleeping enclosure
He gets the outdoor enclosure all day.

 

[JoesMum]

I do tiles for one side, a huge towel for the other. i can dampen the towel for humidity
But usually this is just his sleeping enclosure
He gets the outdoor enclosure all day.

This may be what this person does, but I would not recommend it for the health of your tortoise. This is an extreme solution to a personal health problem.