Tortoise Shell

[Roanoke24]

Hello all! I’m a new Sulcata tortoise owner (just under a week), located in central Florida. I was told my baby Roanoke is just about a month old.
I was highly misinformed by a small exotic reptile store in Jacksonville about my tortoises starting enclosure. So what I’m working with is a 36x18x16 open mesh top enclosure. I have cypress mulch substrate, a log hide and sphagnum moss. I bought a hygrometer and I’ve been misting daily and working hard to keep the moisture 70-80% at night, during the day it ranges from 55-70%, I have ordered reptisoil to add below the cypress mulch to facilitate more humidity. And to decrease airflow I’ve just been blocking the exposed areas of mesh with dish towels (far enough from lighting to prevent disaster of course and there is always someone home.) The ambient temp is always 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit. I have a T10 5.0 UVB long bulb that I have removed the mesh from under for direct exposure. And for the heating element I currently have a red light 100w bulb. (also have CHE ordered to replace that.) I have a heat gun that measures the temp directly below it at around 103 degrees Fahrenheit.
I am feeding Roa a variety of Timothy hay, tortoise pellets (moistened), mustard greens, collard greens and turnips greens. Dusting with calcium powder every other day. There is fresh water in the enclosure at all times and he does soak himself, I have also been soaking him every other day. I just took him outside into indirect sunlight in a warm soak for the first time today. I sat in the grass and let him wander in a small area next to me for a few minutes just for a little enrichment.

Here are a couple pictures of the enclosure and my tortoise. If anyone has any other suggestions and or things they would like to point out to make me a better Momma to this baby I would gladly accept. Please also be kind. Thank you!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome! Adorable baby

A few things of note, don’t use any kind of moss, they can cause impaction, sphagnum moss has too acidic a ph. Reptisoil is unfortunately not a good choice either, they’re usually mixed with sand which is an impaction and irritant risk.

You’d be best sticking with coco coir as a base, dampened and firmly packed by hand if you’re wanting to go the dirt route. Then with a layer of the mulch orchid bark on top

Humidity needs to be maintained 80%+ all over 24/7, you’ll constantly struggle with an open top

The best indoor uv to go for is t5 bulbs, Arcadia prot5 12% is probably the best on the market.

Your temps don’t sound too bad but red heat bulbs aren’t appropriate, you want a incandescent floodlight for your basking bulb, and CHE(s) for night heat, they’re a non light emitting heat bulb

For a baby as young as this its recommended to soak them daily, I’d also switch out that water dish, they are a hazard, terracotta saucer sitting flush with the substrate is considered safest, they have grip in the event the tortoise flips themselves

Feel free to check out this thread I made recently on an example of an effective starter set up, hopefully it’ll help

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 this guy until they’re bigger. Hopefully it helps give you some ideas! I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to...

tortoiseforum.org

And here’s a link to their care sheet

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tinyhigg]

Hi, I don't have any expert advice but I can share a bit of my experience. I struggled for almost a year to constantly keep my tort humid... and (s)he needs less humidity than your species.
I recently got an enclosure with a close top and now I realise how easy it is to keep him warm, humid and cozy inside. Get it. Just makes it all easy.
I think you can find some solutions to cover your top if you cannot get another enclosure, like green house tops, plastic and just anything you can put on top to close it.
Love the pics of the wee guy

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello all! I’m a new Sulcata tortoise owner (just under a week), located in central Florida. I was told my baby Roanoke is just about a month old.
I was highly misinformed by a small exotic reptile store in Jacksonville about my tortoises starting enclosure. So what I’m working with is a 36x18x16 open mesh top enclosure. I have cypress mulch substrate, a log hide and sphagnum moss. I bought a hygrometer and I’ve been misting daily and working hard to keep the moisture 70-80% at night, during the day it ranges from 55-70%, I have ordered reptisoil to add below the cypress mulch to facilitate more humidity. And to decrease airflow I’ve just been blocking the exposed areas of mesh with dish towels (far enough from lighting to prevent disaster of course and there is always someone home.) The ambient temp is always 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit. I have a T10 5.0 UVB long bulb that I have removed the mesh from under for direct exposure. And for the heating element I currently have a red light 100w bulb. (also have CHE ordered to replace that.) I have a heat gun that measures the temp directly below it at around 103 degrees Fahrenheit.
I am feeding Roa a variety of Timothy hay, tortoise pellets (moistened), mustard greens, collard greens and turnips greens. Dusting with calcium powder every other day. There is fresh water in the enclosure at all times and he does soak himself, I have also been soaking him every other day. I just took him outside into indirect sunlight in a warm soak for the first time today. I sat in the grass and let him wander in a small area next to me for a few minutes just for a little enrichment.

Here are a couple pictures of the enclosure and my tortoise. If anyone has any other suggestions and or things they would like to point out to make me a better Momma to this baby I would gladly accept. Please also be kind. Thank you!

Hello and welcome!
You are doing great at keeping temperatures and improving care.

Some amendments to above comments:
As a quick "band-aid" for resolving humidity issue, you can cover or wrap the mesh with tin foil, precisely cut around lightning and heating fixtures. Please, watch the temperatures closely after "sealing" the enclosure. Instead of misting substrate - pour some water in the corners to moisten lower substrate layers, cypress mulch holds humidity pretty well.

If you have ZooMed Reptisun T5 10.0 lamp, no need to change it (I presume you made a typo in your post). Just make sure it's about 18 inches above substrate. CHE you've ordered will maintain ambient heat in the terrarium and it's a must to use it with a thermostat. However, you will need another heat and light source - a basking lamp. Flood type incandescent lamp (like Arcadia Solar Basking Floodlight) is the best for the job.

You can start planning for a larger indoors enclosure right now. Sulcata babies grow very fast but until they reach size of 10 inches it's not recommended to keep them outdoors full time. Don't buy a new glass tank or table - go with cheaper options as it's only temporary housing. Raised garden bed or portable greenhouse over pond liner or tarp floor are, perhaps, your best bet.

Any questions are welcome!

 

[Roanoke24]

First off thank you so much, and yes you were right I mixed up the numbers on the UV light!
I do have a couple questions… what wattage for the incandescent basking light? Ive read 60w should be good, but I'm unsure. And I also wonder where to place it? I was under the impression one side was supposed to be heated and the other was supposed to be left without in intentional heat source outside of getting ambient heat.
And when you say the CHE needs a thermometer is that like the ones that will turn off and on the bulb when temps are too high/low? I’ve read about that as well.
Also, I do have my baby’s UV light on a timer for 14 hrs a day, should the basking lamp be on the same timer? I’ve read people put them in only for a few hours at the high of the heat during a typical day outdoors.
I see some commenting on the water dish, I have it witnessed the baby navigate it with ease, there is only enough water in it to reach just above his plastron and I have brought it lower and made it more level with the substrate.
Also to clarify the reptisoil I purchased is coco coir, nothing with sand.
I will attach updated pictures of the set up from today and after I add the new substrate and lights when they arrive!

Your feed back and advice is much appreciated! Thanks again!

 

[wellington]

First, the enclosure is too small. The water dish is dangerous and needs to go and be replaced with a clay saucer
Do not use red bulbs, they can make your tortoise eat things it shouldn't
You need a closed chamber enclosure ASAP with temps never lower than 80 day and night. Basking temp 95-100 so yours is too high. Humidity 80% day and night, higher humidity is fine.
If you get him outside several times a week for sun, you don't need uvb inside.
Do not use any moss and hay is better for older ones and orchard hay grass is much better than Timothy. Timothy is too woody.
These changes should be done ASAP as your tortoise already has some slight pyramiding which at that little size, means he was started too dry.
Give daily soaks.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

First off thank you so much, and yes you were right I mixed up the numbers on the UV light!
I do have a couple questions… what wattage for the incandescent basking light? Ive read 60w should be good, but I'm unsure. And I also wonder where to place it? I was under the impression one side was supposed to be heated and the other was supposed to be left without in intentional heat source outside of getting ambient heat.
And when you say the CHE needs a thermometer is that like the ones that will turn off and on the bulb when temps are too high/low? I’ve read about that as well.
Also, I do have my baby’s UV light on a timer for 14 hrs a day, should the basking lamp be on the same timer? I’ve read people put them in only for a few hours at the high of the heat during a typical day outdoors.
I see some commenting on the water dish, I have it witnessed the baby navigate it with ease, there is only enough water in it to reach just above his plastron and I have brought it lower and made it more level with the substrate.
Also to clarify the reptisoil I purchased is coco coir, nothing with sand.
I will attach updated pictures of the set up from today and after I add the new substrate and lights when they arrive!

Your feed back and advice is much appreciated! Thanks again!

Ah no worries that uv is fine! For the basking floodlight, people tend to go between 50-75watts, you may need to try a couple to see place that bulb one end of the enclosure and have the uv that end too.

One side does stay warmer due to the basking bulb, they need that 95-100 basking spot directly underneath. Ambient heat is just to make sure the ‘cooler end’ isn’t dropping below 80, with the bigger scale you’ll need to go, a floodlight probably won’t keep the entire enclosure above 80, CHEs will also take care of the night heat(again no lower than 80 anywhere). The CHE needs to be ran on a thermostat not thermometer, you’re correct the thermostat is what will turn the ceramic bulbs on and off as and when needed, they won’t need to be on a timer

For the UV, around 4 hours from noon(or when you notice yours likes to bask) is sufficient, the uv being on the same schedule as the basking and ambient lighting is an old fashioned rule that has stuck with a lot of keepers, fact is no tortoise is blasted with over 12hours of uv in the wild, uv rays peak for a few hours a day, therefore it’s fine to mimic this in captivity and save your bulb life

The basking and any ambient lighting can be on a 12hour timer.

With the water dish, it’s not just about the water being a drowning hazard, the sides are far to high, they will get more adventurous and possibly try to climb them, if they fall back and flip, the bowl lacks traction for them to right themselves. There’s been horror stories. I’d definitely switch it out, especially for a baby.

Coco coir is a fine choice

Hopefully if you check out those two links I posted they’ll help give you an idea for an upgrade

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

It seems in some pictures that there is a dent on the left side of his shell (looking from the front). Is that right?

 

[Roanoke24]

Yes that’s correct, he had this when I purchased him on 8/3. I noticed this after doing some research and wondered what this could be as well…

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I don't have experience with hatchlings. What do you think could cause this dent? @wellington @Tom @Yvonne G

 

[wellington]

I don't have any experience with dents like that. My best guess would be hatchling and being housed in to dry conditions before you got him.
Get the changes needed done to give him the best chance.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

When hatchlings are straight out of the egg they might have some dents like that and will smooth out with correct care. It seems like in this case the breeder didn't provide the correct care, but there are other reasons for a dent like this. Is the shell pliable or soft like a sponge? What age and weight Roa is?

 

[Tom]

Hello all! I’m a new Sulcata tortoise owner (just under a week), located in central Florida. I was told my baby Roanoke is just about a month old.
I was highly misinformed by a small exotic reptile store in Jacksonville about my tortoises starting enclosure. So what I’m working with is a 36x18x16 open mesh top enclosure. I have cypress mulch substrate, a log hide and sphagnum moss. I bought a hygrometer and I’ve been misting daily and working hard to keep the moisture 70-80% at night, during the day it ranges from 55-70%, I have ordered reptisoil to add below the cypress mulch to facilitate more humidity. And to decrease airflow I’ve just been blocking the exposed areas of mesh with dish towels (far enough from lighting to prevent disaster of course and there is always someone home.) The ambient temp is always 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit. I have a T10 5.0 UVB long bulb that I have removed the mesh from under for direct exposure. And for the heating element I currently have a red light 100w bulb. (also have CHE ordered to replace that.) I have a heat gun that measures the temp directly below it at around 103 degrees Fahrenheit.
I am feeding Roa a variety of Timothy hay, tortoise pellets (moistened), mustard greens, collard greens and turnips greens. Dusting with calcium powder every other day. There is fresh water in the enclosure at all times and he does soak himself, I have also been soaking him every other day. I just took him outside into indirect sunlight in a warm soak for the first time today. I sat in the grass and let him wander in a small area next to me for a few minutes just for a little enrichment.

Here are a couple pictures of the enclosure and my tortoise. If anyone has any other suggestions and or things they would like to point out to make me a better Momma to this baby I would gladly accept. Please also be kind. Thank you!

You've gotten all good advice from the previous posters. We want to help, and to help we have to tell you what is wrong so that you can fix it. You've gotten all the usual wrong advice. Nearly every sentence above has some wrong care in it. We don't want to discourage you or make you feel bad, but we have to point out what is wrong, and especially the dangerous parts. Much of this you already know, but I want to point it out one by one for clarity. All of this is intended to help you and your tortoise, and my tone is one of kindness and helpfulness:

1. No moss. It can cause impactions.
2. The cypress mulch is fine. No need to change. Coco coir is safe to use, but I find it too messy for baby sulcatas. I prefer orchid bark, aka: Repti-bark.
3. You need a closed chamber. Towels on top allow air flow. Use foil, and replace the enclosure with something much large and with a solid top ASAP. Heating and lighting need to be contained inside.
4. You didn't mix up the numbers on the UV tube. You bought a 5.0. Those don't make enough UV. You need the 10.0.
5. Humidity needs to be over 80% day and night.
6. Don't use soil for housing a tortoise.
7. No colored bulbs, but you already know this.
8. Hay is for large adults, not tiny babies. Hay is much too coarse and dry for a tiny baby. I don't even begin to introduce hay until they are around 12 inches. When that time comes, Timothy hay is too stemmy. Orchard grass hay or Bermuda hay is better.
9. Those greens are all okay once in a while but not as staples. Favor endive or escarole if you must use store bought greens and add in the correct amendments.
10. What kind of pellets?
11. Soak him every day, and replace that bowl immediately. He's very likely to flip over and drown in that one.
12. Loose outside is a recipe for disaster. Make an enclosure and include plenty of deep shade. A little it of outside time is good, but the tortoise needs to be contained in a tortoise enclosure of one sort or another.

I can imagine you aren't feeling to great about all this right now, but take a deep breath and let's move on. Sulcatas are tough little buggers, and you are catching all of this early, so everything should turn out just fine.

Take a few minutes and read through each of these two threads at least twice. The first read through is a little mind blowing. You'll understand and retain a lot more in the second and subsequent readings. Almost all of these details are explained thoroughly in these threads. Questions are welcome. Please feel free to ask why or how about any of this.

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

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Roanoke24]

You've gotten all good advice from the previous posters. We want to help, and to help we have to tell you what is wrong so that you can fix it. You've gotten all the usual wrong advice. Nearly every sentence above has some wrong care in it. We don't want to discourage you or make you feel bad, but we have to point out what is wrong, and especially the dangerous parts. Much of this you already know, but I want to point it out one by one for clarity. All of this is intended to help you and your tortoise, and my tone is one of kindness and helpfulness:

1. No moss. It can cause impactions.
2. The cypress mulch is fine. No need to change. Coco coir is safe to use, but I find it too messy for baby sulcatas. I prefer orchid bark, aka: Repti-bark.
3. You need a closed chamber. Towels on top allow air flow. Use foil, and replace the enclosure with something much large and with a solid top ASAP. Heating and lighting need to be contained inside.
4. You didn't mix up the numbers on the UV tube. You bought a 5.0. Those don't make enough UV. You need the 10.0.
5. Humidity needs to be over 80% day and night.
6. Don't use soil for housing a tortoise.
7. No colored bulbs, but you already know this.
8. Hay is for large adults, not tiny babies. Hay is much too coarse and dry for a tiny baby. I don't even begin to introduce hay until they are around 12 inches. When that time comes, Timothy hay is too stemmy. Orchard grass hay or Bermuda hay is better.
9. Those greens are all okay once in a while but not as staples. Favor endive or escarole if you must use store bought greens and add in the correct amendments.
10. What kind of pellets?
11. Soak him every day, and replace that bowl immediately. He's very likely to flip over and drown in that one.
12. Loose outside is a recipe for disaster. Make an enclosure and include plenty of deep shade. A little it of outside time is good, but the tortoise needs to be contained in a tortoise enclosure of one sort or another.

I can imagine you aren't feeling to great about all this right now, but take a deep breath and let's move on. Sulcatas are tough little buggers, and you are catching all of this early, so everything should turn out just fine.

Take a few minutes and read through each of these two threads at least twice. The first read through is a little mind blowing. You'll understand and retain a lot more in the second and subsequent readings. Almost all of these details are explained thoroughly in these threads. Questions are welcome. Please feel free to ask why or how about any of this.

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

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you for your reply, during my disappointing realization of being so poorly misinformed I did a lot of google searching and came across this forum and have seen your posts referenced many times. Here’s what I have done so far to rectify my current mistakes and I’ll reference the list you made for me above:
1. Sphagnum moss gone
2. The cypress mulch with Coco coir is moistened as a base is what I’ll be doing until I run out then I’ll switch out to something like Orchard bark
3. As for the enclosed tank I am going to transfer everything to an indoor greenhouse set up. I have to purchase the green house cover and I plan to build a base. I will hang my lighting from there. This may take me another week, but it will get done.
4. You are right I flipped the lighting fixture over today and it is a 5.0, but I have started taking my baby outdoors for direct and indirect sunlight in a safe container with access to shade for around 45 mins a day, this includes soak time as well.
5. Since changing the substrate I have had a consistent humidity read greater than 80%, up to 89% in fact. It’s possible that the hygrometer is not reading correctly… but up until I changed the substrate combo and moistened it all the readings were much lower and fluctuated through the day
6. No soil, the coco coir i purchased was just advertised as “repti-soil”
7. No colored bulbs, but you already know this- yes when the CHE I ordered arrives I will do away with the red bulb but until then I have no other way to heat the enclosure unfortunately.
8. The hay will be put away for later years I guess lol I have Bermuda grass naturally in my yard, so I’ll just pull up handfuls. No pesticides or anything is put into it. I’ve been here for over 2 years and it was all newly planted back then.
9. I’ll do some looking around for Endive and Escarole.
10. I’m going to attached a photo of the pellets. They are zoo med grassland tortoise pellets and I moisten them to allow them to become soft and edible for the little one.
11. Soaking is being done daily now. 30-45 mins and while another bowl is on order the change I made was to change that to the food bowl, this way it won’t be a drowning hazard and I packed substrate all around it to make it essentially ground level (this is a temporary fix, I have ordered a clay bowl)
12. It was only him walking around at the base of our back patio with my sitting with my legs surrounding him outside for MAYBE 10 minutes. I have read about how easy it is to loose these guys and after all this trouble I refuse to let that happen. Today I improvised my daughter’s water table, washed it out well and placed some grass inside with an area of shallow water appropriate for the baby. I’m going to try to get the UV naturally as I live in Florida and even in the current hurricane season we’ve got plenty of great weather and sun that will do the baby well.

As for long term, when…as in when it is appropriate to start housing outside. What do you recommend? I watch Kamp Kenan on YT and maybe he’s one of the ones you don’t agree with, but he has his Sulcatas with wood fencing deep into the ground and a shed that is heated and can be closed during colder weather snaps.
You’re correct in saying I need to learn to farm etc. I thought that immediately reading a lot that I should just grow my own food! I have a ton of succulents that thrive well without much maintenance at all. I plan to get some spineless prickly pears and aloe and grow them organically without toxic soil.

Your experience, time and dedication is admirable and I absolutely appreciate you.
Thank you so much!

 

[Roanoke24]

When hatchlings are straight out of the egg they might have some dents like that and will smooth out with correct care. It seems like in this case the breeder didn't provide the correct care, but there are other reasons for a dent like this. Is the shell pliable or soft like a sponge? What age and weight Roa is?

The shell feels pliable not soft like a sponge. As far as I’ve been told Roa is around a month old, just about 3 inches from Gular to anal plastron and just weighed in at 62 grams

 

[Tom]

As for long term, when…as in when it is appropriate to start housing outside. What do you recommend?

My general rule of thumb for babies is an hour of access to sunshine per inch of tortoise. The sunning enclosure needs to have full shade in some parts so the baby doesn't cook in the sun. If you can get the baby in the sun two or three times per week, you really don't "need" the indoor UV, but there is no harm in running it anyway. The indoor UV only needs to run for 2 or 3 hours mid day whether you are getting outdoor time or not.

And don't worry about it if the baby hides in the shade the whole time during outside time. Outdoor UV refracts even into the shade, and the tortoise knows when it needs UV, so it will get in the sun if it needs it, or hide in the shade if it doesn't.

Further, all tortoises tend to avoid mid day sun during hot weather, and that is when UV is super high. Once you get your own UV meter and start playing with it, you will see there there is no UV in the morning or in the evening in direct full sun. UV slowly starts to build as the morning wears on, peaks mid day, and then tapers back to zero in the evening. Tortoises tend to bask in the morning to warm up, but most people don't know the there is no UV in the morning sun. Warmth for sure, but no UV. When I first got my meter, I opened the package at 4:00pm, took it outside and pointed it directly at the warm sun. No clouds, just straight at the sun, and the reading was 0.0. Tried it again the next morning around 8:30 am, same thing. 0.0. Just out of curiosity I tried it one more time around 10am and got a low reading. Hmmm.... More at 10:30, much more at 11, and high UV at 12:30pm. Dropping down at 2:30, low by 3:30, and back to zero again by 4:30pm. I had no idea. This is why it makes no sense to run UV tubes 12 hours a day making high UV levels the whole time. There is nowhere in the world where that happens outside in the wild. Our indoor enclosure need to look bright and "sunny" all day, but we don't need high levels of UV all day for 12 hours.

Once a sulcata reaches about 5 or 6 inches, I will leave them outside all day in nice weather, and have them sleep indoors. At about 8-10 inches, I move them outside in springtime to a large enclosure with a heated shelter for night time.

I watch Kamp Kenan on YT and maybe he’s one of the ones you don’t agree with, but he has his Sulcatas with wood fencing deep into the ground and a shed that is heated and can be closed during colder weather snaps.

I've met him and he is a nice person. Unfortunately, he learned all the old wrong info, and talks to a lot of the people still doing things the old wrong way. He means well, but doesn't know any better. He sets a terrible example of how to do things and makes many mistakes. Not a good source for tortoise care info.

7. No colored bulbs, but you already know this- yes when the CHE I ordered arrives I will do away with the red bulb but until then I have no other way to heat the enclosure unfortunately.
8. The hay will be put away for later years I guess lol I have Bermuda grass naturally in my yard, so I’ll just pull up handfuls. No pesticides or anything is put into it. I’ve been here for over 2 years and it was all newly planted back then.
9. I’ll do some looking around for Endive and Escarole.
10. I’m going to attached a photo of the pellets. They are zoo med grassland tortoise pellets and I moisten them to allow them to become soft and edible for the little one.

-Set the CHE on a thermostat.
-Fresh grass is great for sulcatas, but babies need tender, young, freshly sprouted grasses. Old mature Bermuda will be an excellent food source when the tortoise is bigger.
-ZooMed pellets are a great food supplement, but it tales a long time to get a tortoise introduced to them and eating them well. Start with just a tiny broken off piece of one pellet and soak it. Then thoroughly mix that tiny amount of ZooMed pellet with the day's chopped up greens. Very gradually, add more of the pellet. It can take months.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

The shell feels pliable not soft like a sponge. As far as I’ve been told Roa is around a month old, just about 3 inches from Gular to anal plastron and just weighed in at 62 grams

Okay, then it's all well. At that age the shell is still pliable, but a sponge like feeling is a sign of health problems.