Your Opinion on Temps

[-steph-]

Tut's temps right now are 95 under the headlamp and 75 on the cool side. What do you guys think about this? To hot or just right for a 6 month old Egyptian tortoise?

He got here on Tuesday morning and he's mostly just hid out in his cave. He's livened up a bit after his soaks but generally heads right back to his cave. Also, I'm not sure he has eaten anything yet. The food has been left in there when I left. My boyfriend, who got home befor I did yesterday said he THOUGHT it looked like he had eaten a bit but couldn't be sure because the stuff had dried up by then. I figure he could be a bit disconcerted from the shipping and the change in his surroundings but when should I start to worry?

 

[dolfanjack]

I don't own Egyptians so I can't reply to the tempts he needs, but I do know babies will hide most of the time. It may take some time before he comes out to eat. I wouldn't worry to much yet, but do keep us posted.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Make sure you have a hide near the food, near the basking spot, and a cooler spot. That can help encourage moving from basking to hiding to eating to hiding. If the cave is on the colder side and there isn't a warm hide, many torts will just stay cold as they will choose safety over food or even warmth. When I got my tort he didn't move around at all for the first week because I only had cold hides. Hides can be anything from boxes ad containers to fake or real plants. Sometimes the logs are a bad idea because hatchlings climb them and flip over trying to get down. Not sure what type of cave you have. Change the food 1-2 times a day to keep it fresh, and about the only interaction I'd suggest is 1-2 times a day put the tort in front of the food (but let them go back to hiding if they want). They can take awhile to start eating and to settle in (I'd start to worry by Sunday to give you an idea), but the more hides and the less you mess with them, the better. Also not sure on Egyptian temps. Good luck!

 

[-steph-]

Well, Tut has started eating. Didn't see him do it but I could tell a lot of food was gone when I came home. Also, his beak was green and he had a few pieces of green stuck to his face. We can also tell he is moving around a bit while we are not there. Bits of shavings in the water, a piece of poo, in a different hide, etc.

 

[tortoisenerd]

yay!!