Earthworms

[rest7773]

Can I leave earthworms in my star tortoise enclosure as they oxidizer the soil and eat the leftover matter and will also keep the soil fertile...it been raining and earthworms were seen in their enclosure???

 

[Tom]

If you are talking about an outdoor enclosure, I don't know how you'd remove the earthworms anyway.

The earthworms will not harm your tortoise in any way, even if the tortoise eats one now and then. You can leave them.

 

[rest7773]

I don't knw how BT the earthworms managed to get into indoor enclosure which is in the window...

Thank for for helping

 

[Gillian M]

Please post pics of your tortoise.

 

[rest7773]

Flash and pika

 

[Nicole M]

Flash and pika

Gorgeous little tortoises! You must be a proud parent. A few things, though:

Is that a picture of them in their enclosure? Where are the earthworms? I only see stones, but I'm assuming you have potting soil (or some other substrate the torts can burrow into) somewhere in there... In which case you can just dump it out outside and put fresh soil in. If this is an fully indoor enclosure and you didn't put any substrate in from outdoors, it's possible that they rode in soil from a bag. Happens all the time.

It would help if you posted a photo of the whole enclosure. I would also suggest separating the them as soon as possible. Tortoises do not do well in pairs. They're solitary, territorial animals. Even if you get away with it for a little bit while they're hatchlings, eventually one will begin to bully the other, which can lead to many problems (sometimes even fatal, especially if it happens while they're both still delicate hatchlings). You also don't know the sex of either tortoise at this point, and while male and female tortoises can both be territorial bullies, males are more prone to abusing both females and other male tortoises.

In short: either have one tortoise alone in an enclosure, or have a few (4+) so that one or two tortoises don't bear the brunt of the bullying. That said, I would only recommend that a somewhat advanced keeper do the latter, as they will be able to recognize the signs of aggression more quickly.

Also, what are they eating on? It looks like styrofoam in the photo... If it is, I wouldn't advise using that. They could easily pinch a piece off and swallow it, which could cause impaction and/or other complications.

 

[rest7773]

This is their temporary enclosure...the one I am talking Abt is in the balcony...it's big and can't be kept inside and it's raining like hell here...so I have transferred them in this temporary basket....their original enclosure has organic top soil...coco coir and a lot of rocks...this one is full of stones. Their og enclosure is 5 ft by 3 ft and I am a bit scared to keep them in it Coz the rains and wind.

 

[rest7773]

I Giff then petunia hibiscus prickly pear cat grass beramuda grass okra coleus..etc and I use terracotta dish for both water and food dish..

 

[Nicole M]

This is their temporary enclosure...the one I am talking Abt is in the balcony...it's big and can't be kept inside and it's raining like hell here...so I have transferred them in this temporary basket....their original enclosure has organic top soil...coco coir and a lot of rocks...this one is full of stones. Their og enclosure is 5 ft by 3 ft and I am a bit scared to keep them in it Coz the rains and wind.

These guys look pretty small, and babies thrive more indoors (with occasional, supervised forays into the great outdoors in an enclosure like a kiddie pool). A photo would help, but the outdoor enclosure you've describes sounds fine for a couple of hours during the day when weather is favorable, but not as their main enclosure. Babies need a *lot* of warmth and humidity, and you can't provide them that outdoors. Likewise, you can't provide them that in this indoor enclosure you've put together, either... They need moist substrate to keep up the humidity and allow them to burrow and regulate their body temperature. They will also need a warm and cool end to their enclosure, with a humid hiding place in the warm end. Moreover, the enclosure itself isn't able to keep up the humidity that babies need. You should look into setting up a closed chamber enclosure for them. What kind of lighting/heating do you have for them?

I'm very glad you've found the forum. I know it's helped me IMMENSELY! Having all kinds of tortoise keepers to talk to--all with different experience levels and locations--is an invaluable tool that I'm very grateful for, and I hope you'll use it to your advantage.

Please refer to the following links, because I think they'll help you a lot.

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

How to Raise a Healthy Sulcata or Leopard: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index....ealthy-Sulcata-Or-Leopard,-Version-2.0.78361/

Closed Chambers: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Closed-"Chambers".32333/

 

[rest7773]

You r really helpful ma'am...I will try best to provide the best for my torts...thank you once again for helping me.