White place on head
- Thread starter Lucy'smom56
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Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
I could be wrong, but it looks like an accumulation of dried skin, how’s her soak routine? What kind of humidity does she live in? Perhaps @Tom will have a different opinion
That's pretty normal. Looks like hard water stains. Do you run sprinklers for your tortoise on hot days?
No
I soak her about 15 mins and pour warm water over her as she's soaking from a little cup....about every 3 to 4 days.
BUT, she lives in her own bedroom in a Koi pond liner with no type of lid.
All hatchlings of every species of tortoise need to have high humidity (at least 85%) and warm temps (mid-80s or higher) for the first two to three years of life. The best/only way to accomplish this is to have a closed top on the chamber to keep the heat and humidity inside.
The lower inch or so of substrate needs to be more-than-damp so the humidity can drift up through the several upper/dry inches of substrate without creating a wet surface that your cute tortoise walks on. Using this method is really easy to keep the humidity high (by pouring warm water into the corners only whenever the humidity begins to drop below 84%.)
Are the yellowish long pieces on the substrate straw? Straw and/or hay molds too easily, so doesn't make a good addition to an enclosure. It should be removed.
But it would be a really good idea to have a terracotta saucer of water (a new one, if it has been used for plants there can be chemicals from fertilizer and such that have leached into it). Countersink it down to just a hair above the surface of the substrate, so that your baby can easily walk into and out of it. It should be large enough for your tortoise to be able to easily turn around in, but bigger is better.
Soaking is very good for tortoises! The water should always be lukewarm (95F-ish), soak for about twice or three times as long as you currently are, and soak every day for a hatchling, every other day for a juvenile. The water should only be as deep as where the top and bottom shells come together, which is really shallow for one this young, so watch the temperature closely and don't allow the water to go cold. This usually means refreshing with warm water very frequently. Good long warm soaks will keep your baby healthy. And always put your baby back into its enclosure warm (as opposed to the water having cooled off and rather than doing another round of warming up the water).
Kudos for keeping cuttlebones where the little one can nibble if it wants to. (It really only needs one. I'd save the others for next time.)
What is the gray/blue/greenish thing to the right of the cuttlebone? Is it a stone or something?
That is a great idea for a chamber! Lots of people get headaches trying to come up with something leak-proof. Gold star!
What are you feeding your hatchling?
.
The lower inch or so of substrate needs to be more-than-damp so the humidity can drift up through the several upper/dry inches of substrate without creating a wet surface that your cute tortoise walks on. Using this method is really easy to keep the humidity high (by pouring warm water into the corners only whenever the humidity begins to drop below 84%.)
Are the yellowish long pieces on the substrate straw? Straw and/or hay molds too easily, so doesn't make a good addition to an enclosure. It should be removed.
But it would be a really good idea to have a terracotta saucer of water (a new one, if it has been used for plants there can be chemicals from fertilizer and such that have leached into it). Countersink it down to just a hair above the surface of the substrate, so that your baby can easily walk into and out of it. It should be large enough for your tortoise to be able to easily turn around in, but bigger is better.
Soaking is very good for tortoises! The water should always be lukewarm (95F-ish), soak for about twice or three times as long as you currently are, and soak every day for a hatchling, every other day for a juvenile. The water should only be as deep as where the top and bottom shells come together, which is really shallow for one this young, so watch the temperature closely and don't allow the water to go cold. This usually means refreshing with warm water very frequently. Good long warm soaks will keep your baby healthy. And always put your baby back into its enclosure warm (as opposed to the water having cooled off and rather than doing another round of warming up the water).
Kudos for keeping cuttlebones where the little one can nibble if it wants to. (It really only needs one. I'd save the others for next time.)
What is the gray/blue/greenish thing to the right of the cuttlebone? Is it a stone or something?
That is a great idea for a chamber! Lots of people get headaches trying to come up with something leak-proof. Gold star!
What are you feeding your hatchling?
.
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Woah I’m just realising how small she is, you say in your original post she’s 5 years old? Are you sure about that? She should be fully grown at that age but she looks like she’s a yearling, something isn’t right if she’s this size at 5 years old, because she’s so small she really does need a closed chamber set up with high humidity, I’d have a look a these links when you’re able
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
This housing thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger/undersized tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need)appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers
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 a leopard/sulcata until they’re bigger. Hopefully it helps give people some ideas!” I know it looks like a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered...
tortoiseforum.org
This includes different closed chambers, some work better than others
Visual inspiration
Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...
tortoiseforum.org
Lastly, this one here is good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying
Common keeping errors
Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...
tortoiseforum.org
I hope they can help! I do second the comment about the hay, it doesn’t make for a good substrate for them at this size as it’ll just mould under the humidity she needs
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Yes, the tortoise is very small for its age. If you look carefully at the picture in Post #1, you can see that directly above the tortoise are the thumb and forefinger of a human hand. The tortoise cannot be more than 5" or 6" in length.Woah I’m just realising how small she is, you say in your original post she’s 5 years old? Are you sure about that? She should be fully grown at that age but she looks like she’s a yearling, something isn’t right if she’s this size at 5 years old, because she’s so small she really does need a closed chamber set up with high humidity, I’d have a look a these links when you’re able
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...
This housing thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger/undersized tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need)appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers
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 a leopard/sulcata until they’re bigger. Hopefully it helps give people some ideas!” I know it looks like a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered...
This includes different closed chambers, some work better than others
Visual inspiration
Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...
Lastly, this one here is good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying
Common keeping errors
Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...
I hope they can help! I do second the comment about the hay, it doesn’t make for a good substrate for them at this size as it’ll just mould under the humidity she needs
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Yeah I only just noticed that in the first photo, I’ve seen a few cases like this and the tortoise does still continue to live a seemingly happy life, but it definitely begs the question on what’s gone wrong, wonder if it’s genetics, upbringing or how the breeder started her
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- Nov 17, 2013
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It must be a new tortoise. The OP reported that a heat lamp had fallen on top of the original Lucy and killed the tortoise back in 2020. According to the posts, she buried that tortoise at the beach. It makes perfect sense that a replacement for the original Lucy would now be 5 years old. See below:
Lucy is dead. She's gone!! Her heat light fell on top of her while I was at work. ????
I'm just so heartbroken.
I loved her so much!!!!
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Lucy'smom56
thank you so much. I took her to the beach and buried her by 3 large tortoise figurines in the sand.
Aug 5, 2020 Report
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[IMG alt="Duckster RT"]https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/avatars/s/115/115809.jpg?1708735845[/IMG]
Duckster RT
I just want you to know that you are with ppl here care about you It was an accident and hard I hope you feel better.
Aug 5, 2020 Report
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willsfarm
So so sorry
Aug 6, 2020 Report
It is the same poster. If you click on a member's name it takes you to their home page, then click on "messages" or "postings" and it shows everything that person has posted.
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Yes, it is the same person posting as you said, it's just that she now has a new tortoise with the same name (Lucy) as the dead one.
