i have measured them and there both 10cm.
New Leopard tortoise owner 2015!
- Thread starter David Harmon
- Start date
They are much than they look on the sofa but still look longer than 10cm on your hand, camera angles are very deceiving.
I have to go now but carry on reading to make sure you get it right - there isn't much room for error with temps etc with babies is there and you have lots of food for thought here.
I'm sure some more experienced keepers will jump in soon with their advice so look out for their posts.
Last edited:
the
they fit in the palm of my hand there not big just the camera made them look big, can i ask then if i use the coco coir do i still need to spray with water?
they fit in the palm of my hand there not big just the camera made them look big, can i ask then if i use the coco coir do i still need to spray with water?
Hi David, and welcome to the Forum!
Hi Thank you, now am stressed more about the buggers ha!!
You need to buy a temperature gun - which is invaluable - and a humidity metre so you can keep an eye on it and add more moisture when necessary.
You have to soak the coco coir blocks to make them expand and then use it.
I have a digital temperature gauge at the basking area, the middle and the food area, i am using a humidity metre but unsure which part i should keep it? ok so ill order the coco coir block and just use that with the soil, is that correct? i do appreciate all the help you and others are giving. also which place is best to order the coco coir from or can you just get local like B&Q?
I apologize I missed the other picture, I was viewing your post on my phone (iphone4) and always have issues with viewing pictures on the forum.
Definitely ditch the pellets, they are just not suitable at all for tortoises. Something that can hold moisture: peat moss, orchid bark, cypress mulch are better options. I'm not sure exactly what you have in the UK, but even backyard dirt (assuming it's not treated with fertilizers or pesticides), is much better than pellets. With two tortoises I would recommend something bigger than your current set-up. It's difficult to recommend an appropriate enclosure size, but bigger is always better, and with 2 + tortoises, it is always good to make preparations in case they need to be separated.
By no benefit, I'm talking about creating an enclosed chamber and maintaining high humidity (80%+) throughout the enclosure as opposed to offering a variant throughout the enclosure in something that might be more practical for tortoises the size that you have. An outdoor habitat is what I would recommend for you, but a vivarium, such as what you have (but bigger), would be more suitable in my opinion. Offer a humid hide and living plants if you can to give them the humidity variations and make sure they are well hydrated and they will continue to grow as smooth as they already are.
dont apologise please.
I will ditch the pellets first thing and get coco coir or orchid bark but do i need to spray with water daily? the current set up is only a temp till i build a bigger open top table but the current vivarium is 4ft, can i ask what you mean via a humid hide? and which plants would you recommend? Do you have any pictures of your set up/tortoises?. also i bath them everyday for roughly 20mins in lukewarm water.
I will ditch the pellets first thing and get coco coir or orchid bark but do i need to spray with water daily? the current set up is only a temp till i build a bigger open top table but the current vivarium is 4ft, can i ask what you mean via a humid hide? and which plants would you recommend? Do you have any pictures of your set up/tortoises?. also i bath them everyday for roughly 20mins in lukewarm water.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2013
- Messages
- 10,877
Hello David 
Hello, David and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and all your tortoises.
Soaking 15 to 20 minutes a day is good.
Don't spray on the water, it evaporates too quickly, pour the water into the substrate at the corners and mix it in if necessary.
A humid hide is a shelter for the tortoise, which is kept extra moist, his artificial burrow, if you like.
The enclosures section has lots of examples of these. Some people use sphagnum moss, or the like, to retain moisture in the hide and give the torts something to burrow into that is soft and pleasant for them.
Soaking 15 to 20 minutes a day is good.
Don't spray on the water, it evaporates too quickly, pour the water into the substrate at the corners and mix it in if necessary.
A humid hide is a shelter for the tortoise, which is kept extra moist, his artificial burrow, if you like.
The enclosures section has lots of examples of these. Some people use sphagnum moss, or the like, to retain moisture in the hide and give the torts something to burrow into that is soft and pleasant for them.
Hello Tidgy,
thanks for the information, i soak them every day and also have the water dish but have change it due to peoples information and better experience. i have two hides but there plant pots which they seem to love as always in them when its there bedtime but there lazy as in they won't move till midday, am unsure if this is natural as my hermanns are always on the go and causing havoc.
With the new mixture i mix it with water then once a day to increase the humidity?
And thanks grandpa turtle!
thanks for the information, i soak them every day and also have the water dish but have change it due to peoples information and better experience. i have two hides but there plant pots which they seem to love as always in them when its there bedtime but there lazy as in they won't move till midday, am unsure if this is natural as my hermanns are always on the go and causing havoc.
With the new mixture i mix it with water then once a day to increase the humidity?
And thanks grandpa turtle!
How often you need to dump water in the substrate varies due to local conditions. You you may only need to do it twice a week. Or you may have to do it more often, especially in summer
Just make sure you don't let the water go cold! Keep topping it up to maintain the warm water.
thanks Lyn you have been a great help, there currently in the garden chilling out as its a little cloudy in liverpool today but warm.
You're doing better than us down south. It's been tipping down all morning. Jump start under the basking lamp in the kennel for Joe today
Just a question and it will sound stupid but with my hermanns i only use a habistat temperature with a ceramic bulb which is the basking spot of 92F, now the stupid question do i need another heat source or just the one? sorry silly i know.
Usually the basking lamp heat is enough to provide heat for the outlying areas. If you use a temperature gun to measure temperatures around the enclosure, you will know how you are doing. They're inexpensive from hardware stores and Amazon.
