Hatchling Losses

sue white

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I think the main reason that hatchling don't make for us newbie's is there are so much info out there,good and bad. How do you know what to believe. I've had mine for 6 weeks and why I haven't killed her is a mystery. I read everything that I could before getting her , I thought I was ready. Boy was I wrong. As of now she is on her 4th enclosure and I finally think I might be understanding the requirements better. Even though she 's healthy now, that ain't saying she won't die yet . But I'm learning
 

sue white

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As afore mentioned, people dropping this site. I believe they're reading just not talking. Come on now, I can't imagine a time that this web hasn't got something great to read. The lack of my washed dishes attest to that. I'd much rather be reading some new idea on care of tortoises than doing them.What are paper plates for anyway?
 

sue white

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Here it is. I've had "FINN" for 9 weeks and she's approx. a little over 4 months old. This is her 4th enclosure I've fixed up for her and so far the best. Even this gives me some problems keeping humidity where it should be on cold night without soaked substrate. I'm new at tortoise's and thank goodness I just happen to have a tough little Redfoot.

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Janelle Green

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Here it is. I've had "FINN" for 9 weeks and she's approx. a little over 4 months old. This is her 4th enclosure I've fixed up for her and so far the best. Even this gives me some problems keeping humidity where it should be on cold night without soaked substrate. I'm new at tortoise's and thank goodness I just happen to have a tough little Redfoot.
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I use humidifiers I live in Colorado it's so dry here and I don't want my substrate wet I only mist the moss in their hide and my humidity is in the 70s always. I lost a baby tortoise a yearling but she came sick there was no heating pack with her while being shipped even great breeders make mistakes I got my money refunded I'm not mad I love the breeder but it was to cold and wet in shipment and she passed away shortly after getting her. Babies are so fragile even a yearling , her brother Casper is doing great! Also tortoises don't like change so they have to get used to it each time your changing it so best to stick with one great enclosure for a bit let the tortoise settle in get to know its new home. Try humidifiers or they even have automatic reptile misters at petsmart and small reptile humidifiers. Like Yvonne said they need their butts kissed so keep spoiling the baby and u should be fine.
 

sue white

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Hated to hear about the one that didn't make it.Even though Finn came through the mail with flying colors I spent the first month with little sleep and every morning expecting to find that I killed her.I still check on her during the night but now only on my bathroom runs.This enclosure is working really good so she'll be in it until next summer when I can build her a big ,permanent one. I have to agree with you about too much change isn't good for them ,though she has never shown stress I still hate to press my luck. Thinking about adding a humidifier to mine.Have to do some research on which on is best and how to set it up
 

cmacusa3

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Hated to hear about the one that didn't make it.Even though Finn came through the mail with flying colors I spent the first month with little sleep and every morning expecting to find that I killed her.I still check on her during the night but now only on my bathroom runs.This enclosure is working really good so she'll be in it until next summer when I can build her a big ,permanent one. I have to agree with you about too much change isn't good for them ,though she has never shown stress I still hate to press my luck. Thinking about adding a humidifier to mine.Have to do some research on which on is best and how to set it up

If you already have good humidity in your closed chamber I would be against the humidifier... lets say the heat source goes out and the humidifier is still running you could run into issues with a sick tort. That's why closed chamber is nice because it holds the humidity. Just my .02 with my experience.
 

sue white

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I never thought of that! Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to re-think this idea
 

Janelle Green

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I never thought of that! Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to re-think this idea
I set my humidifier on a timer it has a timer right on the front and they run within a day depending on the size of them . The reptile ones are small . What's her enclosure like right now ? Is she eating well? Remember to soak once a day for first year .
 

sue white

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I feed and soak every other day. On days I don't soak I will gently spray her down with warm water if I see her out and about. After she eats I soak for 15 minutes. She eats like a pig and poo's like one. She is doing real good and spunky when she's out. She usually wondering around for about an hour a day and then hides the rest. The only change to her enclosure is I added a shelf on each end w/plastic plants on it to give her some hiding places and keeps me from getting the substrate too wet. And since the weather has gotten cold here in IL and I run my house thermostat at 58 degrees in winter, I have put an oil heater in enclosure room (temp in room around 74 degrees).Keeping enclosure heat around 82-84 but sometime get up to 90 degrees for short periods. I keep humidity in enclosure between 60-70 % but this entails keeping a frequent eye on it throughout the day.I was thinking that with a humidifier I might be able to keep more of a contestant humidity. Also it might let me relax a bit and not wear a groove in my floors.What ya think?Can I improve? always looking for information
 

cmacusa3

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@ZEROPILOT @allegraf

what would you advise here?

I've tagged a few who could probably give great advice on Reds

I feed and soak every other day. On days I don't soak I will gently spray her down with warm water if I see her out and about. After she eats I soak for 15 minutes. She eats like a pig and poo's like one. She is doing real good and spunky when she's out. She usually wondering around for about an hour a day and then hides the rest. The only change to her enclosure is I added a shelf on each end w/plastic plants on it to give her some hiding places and keeps me from getting the substrate too wet. And since the weather has gotten cold here in IL and I run my house thermostat at 58 degrees in winter, I have put an oil heater in enclosure room (temp in room around 74 degrees).Keeping enclosure heat around 82-84 but sometime get up to 90 degrees for short periods. I keep humidity in enclosure between 60-70 % but this entails keeping a frequent eye on it throughout the day.I was thinking that with a humidifier I might be able to keep more of a contestant humidity. Also it might let me relax a bit and not wear a groove in my floors.What ya think?Can I improve? always looking for information
 

allegraf

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I don't know much about keeping torts inside. I would recommend @Redstrike or @terryo as a better source. He in somewhere in the Northeast and has to deal with the cold and keeping cherryhead redfoots inside. Sorry I can't help more, but I know enough to know when to admit that I know nothing. I feel like John Snow.
 

Redstrike

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I don't know much about keeping torts inside. I would recommend @Redstrike or @terryo as a better source. He in somewhere in the Northeast and has to deal with the cold and keeping cherryhead redfoots inside. Sorry I can't help more, but I know enough to know when to admit that I know nothing. I feel like John Snow.

I run a closed chamber much like Tom and many others have demonstrated on the forum. I piped in a Crane humidifier that is hooked up to a Spyder Robotics (Herpstat 4). This regulates my lighting, humidity, and temperatures (ceramic heat emitters) in the enclosure. I've invested considerable funds in caring for my tortoises indoors because I live in a climate that is not suitable for them outdoors 4-6 months out of the year. I researched this heavily and decided that it was my obligation as a redfoot owner to properly care for them outside their native range. I'm fortunate to have the resources to do so. When weather is good, they are outside daily.

I'm cautious to advise anyone outside of the northeast on how to run their setup because situations, resources, and climates are different. What we know is that redfoots need ~ 70% humidity (though they also encounter stretches of dry air masses in the wild), 80-85ºF ambient temps (I don't exceed ~100ºF at the basking spot), and a varied diet. How people choose to accomplish this is to their creativity and enjoyment. Personally I find that to be one of the most fun aspects of caring for my tortoises.

So I guess what I'm saying is:
1) Provide them with neotropical/tropical conditions: 80-85ºF ambient, plus a basking location and 70-80% humidity
2) Give them plenty of places to hide: overturned flower pots, plants, large pieces of bark, leaf piles, etc.
3) Make sure clean water is accessible 24/7: I like the ceramic plant saucers for this. I swap water every 2-3 days.
4) Provide them 70-80% greens, 10-15% fruit, and 5-10% protein (diet is debatable, I'm open to many other interpretations on this but this is what has worked for me). I accomplish this by providing fruit 1/week and animal proteins randomly within a 1-2 week period. I have a dry erase marker board on my enclosure to keep track. Yes, I have skip days where they don't eat 1-2 times/week. Again, this is what works for me.
5) Spot clean their enclosure to remove un-consumed poop (they get it quicker than I do!)
6) provide them a suitable substrate (bioactive soils, topsoils, hardwood/cypress mulch, etc.)
7) DO YOUR RESEARCH AND CONSIDER YOUR SOURCE(S). Books and articles subject to editorial staff and peer-review contain facts based on science. Though this is subject to change and evolve as our understanding does, it's the best we have. Know the needs of the tortoise before you purchase them, this includes your ability to provide those needs near-indefinitely over time.

I own and regularly reference:
Mike Pingleton's the Redfoot Manual - great book for anyone caring for redfoots.
Vinke & Vetter South American Tortoises (Chelonian library #3)

For websites I go here and to Tortoiselibrary.com

If you live in a neotropical/tropical environment, like FL, then most of what I outlined can be accomplished outdoors. @allegraf @CharlieM and @cdmay, @ZEROPILOT would be experts on such discussion. I'm sure I've left out at least 6 others that could also provide immense insight on this subject.
 
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Redstrike

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ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1479909358.196136.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1479909377.771426.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1479909401.047664.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1479909422.319649.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1479909451.273470.jpg

Photos of my setup. I'll be changing that gross water (2 days old) today and add more hides since they're inside for the winter. They regularly climb on top of the humid tote.
 

sue white

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what a neat setup thanks for the information This is really helpful First book I got was Mike Pingleton's .Great book. His book is useful because when written he lived 40 miles from me in Illinois so I can use as reference for RF care in my area. But there is still so much to learn. I want to be the best caregiver for her that I can. As far as knowing the needs of the tortoise before you purchase is great advise and cannot be stress enough.It appalls me to see people that make remarks that show nothing but a moment decision to get one. I fear for the poor tortoise these people get. But for a person new to tortoise's, do we ever know enough before we purchase. I thought I did. Before I bought my Finn I read and researched for a year until I felt ready. And have to admit that even though so far I think am doing pretty good and because she's tuff, I still wasn't ready for the reality of it. Are any newbie tortoise owners? We learn as we go along with help from people like you and others who have been there before us so we might dodge the bullets. Experience is the best learning tool and I thank all of ya for the help that is freely giving to us newbies.
 

Kaliman1962

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The question is too vague. There are far too many variables here to answer this question with any degree of accuracy.

One big variable is the source of the baby. If you buy a baby sulcata from me, Lance, Austin, or any number of breeders here who take the time and effort to start them right, 100% of them are going to survive and thrive unless the new owner does something terribly wrong. I sent 3 babies to a well known, long established and experienced member here and the babies were somehow left in a tub in the sun and all three died of excessive heat. Very sad, but anyone can make a mistake. I don't hold it against the person. All the other babies that I've been able to keep track of survived and thrived. Look at Dean's "Bond Girls" threads. Same for Lance. I get tons of PMs from members having trouble with new babies. I've never once got a single PM from anyone having trouble with one of Lance's babies.

On the other hand, if a person gets a baby from one of the many sources that have tons of bad reviews here, or at a reptile show, or from a breeder that starts them on dry substrate with once a week soaks and keeps them outside all day, I would estimate the odds of survival at less than 50/50. If you add in the bad advice that people get from these same sources, meaning people that don't find us and follow our hydration tips, I think the ratio gets even worse.

Also a lot of people simply leave the forum because they either don't believe what they are being told, or because they don't want to spend the time or money to do it right. Some of them want to engage in dangerous practices like letting their tortoise roam loose on the floor and they feel brow-beaten when a bunch of us try to explain how dangerous the practice is in an effort to discourage them. Some people are just so sensitive that every sentence seems and insult to them.
Tom,
do you breed cherry heads?
thank you
 

Kaliman1962

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what a neat setup thanks for the information This is really helpful First book I got was Mike Pingleton's .Great book. His book is useful because when written he lived 40 miles from me in Illinois so I can use as reference for RF care in my area. But there is still so much to learn. I want to be the best caregiver for her that I can. As far as knowing the needs of the tortoise before you purchase is great advise and cannot be stress enough.It appalls me to see people that make remarks that show nothing but a moment decision to get one. I fear for the poor tortoise these people get. But for a person new to tortoise's, do we ever know enough before we purchase. I thought I did. Before I bought my Finn I read and researched for a year until I felt ready. And have to admit that even though so far I think am doing pretty good and because she's tuff, I still wasn't ready for the reality of it. Are any newbie tortoise owners? We learn as we go along with help from people like you and others who have been there before us so we might dodge the bullets. Experience is the best learning tool and I thank all of ya for the help that is freely giving to us newbies.
i'm in illinois too, northern subs
 

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