darwindoingresearch
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2016
- Messages
- 4
Hello,
I'm a first-timer. This is the first time I've had tortoise (it's pretty new, less than a week, and I haven't named him yet). So based on articles I've read, I'm doing my best to give him a good home. The tortoise is about 7cm, straight carapace length. Healthy. Eats, walks about, tries to climb everything.
1. Enclosure (Temporary)
Right now, I have a plastic tub lined with several layers of newspaper (tub dimensions about 1.5 feet by 2 feet, chosen based on the tortoises current size). I have a heating pad in one corner of the enclosure, and try to keep it warm. Around 32-35 celsius. A cardboard box shut in on all sides for him to hide/sleep. (Box dimension about 7inches by 8inches). I peel back newspapers after every night and dispose. Any old food/faeces is removed as well.
This is only for the night, when I'm sleeping and can't watch over him. Since I work from home (for the most part) I get him out at about eight every morning and place him in a tray of water (submerged till the area where the shells meet). He doesn't particularly like baths, so although he may soak for five or six minutes at a bit, he eventually climbs out and scrambles away. So I keep putting him back in and ensure he gets a good 20-30 minute soak. Some days, he sits in. Usually he defecates around the soak area so I lay down some newspapers/paper towels such that its easier to clean up. For most of the day I let him roam around my verandah (it's netted in, and has a high parapet, and I'm paranoid), among the pots and planters, and he spends a good while basking in the sun(verandah faces east). Although on some days he goes and hides between the pots.
I'm building an enclosure out of wood/fibreboard which has provisions for a hutch, soak tray, digging area and soil, things to climb up and down, and I will plant coriander and various grasses for him to hide in/eat. Also has provisions for a UVA/B tubelight, and a normal Incandescent 100W bulb for heat. This will be placed in the verandah, where he has about eight feet by four feet to roam about, of which the enclosure will be about 3.5 feet by 4 feet, 10 inches high (perhaps a little less depending on how I work out the drainage). I will be able to make a second level for basking in natural sunlight. With ramps connecting. And adequate fencing (I'm really paranoid).
Is the above set-up okay, and please suggest anything extra that would make it a better enclosure?
2. Food
The person who sold me the tortoise had him on a steady diet of lettuce and lady fingers, but I've tried to broaden that by adding coriander, arugula, a leaf of spinach rarely.
That takes care of the greens. However, I am unsure of what else to feed him, to get the full nutrition he requires.
What do I feed him for protein? What do I feed him for calcium? What about the various vitamins?
I'll read some threads to find out more, but some simple suggestions would be really helpful.
I'm not sure if he drinks water during the soak, so I've started using a dropper to give him water every hour or two. He opens up his mouth for it, so I suppose he's thirsty. (Is this level of intervention healthy?)
3. My Hygiene
I always wash my hands with antibacterial soap after handling the tortoise, and I use Sterillium (that antibacterial solution that you find in hospitals). Always use latex disposable gloves when dealing with waste, and ensure that the wash area for the tortoise-related things is different from the home things. I wipe the area where he spends a lot of time with an antibacterial, allow it to dry overnight, and wipe it with water in the morning so that the antibacterial doesn't come in contact with his skin. (I'm so incredibly paranoid)
Any other suggestions in relation to keeping the area infection free would be appreciated.
Thank you.
I'm a first-timer. This is the first time I've had tortoise (it's pretty new, less than a week, and I haven't named him yet). So based on articles I've read, I'm doing my best to give him a good home. The tortoise is about 7cm, straight carapace length. Healthy. Eats, walks about, tries to climb everything.
1. Enclosure (Temporary)
Right now, I have a plastic tub lined with several layers of newspaper (tub dimensions about 1.5 feet by 2 feet, chosen based on the tortoises current size). I have a heating pad in one corner of the enclosure, and try to keep it warm. Around 32-35 celsius. A cardboard box shut in on all sides for him to hide/sleep. (Box dimension about 7inches by 8inches). I peel back newspapers after every night and dispose. Any old food/faeces is removed as well.
This is only for the night, when I'm sleeping and can't watch over him. Since I work from home (for the most part) I get him out at about eight every morning and place him in a tray of water (submerged till the area where the shells meet). He doesn't particularly like baths, so although he may soak for five or six minutes at a bit, he eventually climbs out and scrambles away. So I keep putting him back in and ensure he gets a good 20-30 minute soak. Some days, he sits in. Usually he defecates around the soak area so I lay down some newspapers/paper towels such that its easier to clean up. For most of the day I let him roam around my verandah (it's netted in, and has a high parapet, and I'm paranoid), among the pots and planters, and he spends a good while basking in the sun(verandah faces east). Although on some days he goes and hides between the pots.
I'm building an enclosure out of wood/fibreboard which has provisions for a hutch, soak tray, digging area and soil, things to climb up and down, and I will plant coriander and various grasses for him to hide in/eat. Also has provisions for a UVA/B tubelight, and a normal Incandescent 100W bulb for heat. This will be placed in the verandah, where he has about eight feet by four feet to roam about, of which the enclosure will be about 3.5 feet by 4 feet, 10 inches high (perhaps a little less depending on how I work out the drainage). I will be able to make a second level for basking in natural sunlight. With ramps connecting. And adequate fencing (I'm really paranoid).
Is the above set-up okay, and please suggest anything extra that would make it a better enclosure?
2. Food
The person who sold me the tortoise had him on a steady diet of lettuce and lady fingers, but I've tried to broaden that by adding coriander, arugula, a leaf of spinach rarely.
That takes care of the greens. However, I am unsure of what else to feed him, to get the full nutrition he requires.
What do I feed him for protein? What do I feed him for calcium? What about the various vitamins?
I'll read some threads to find out more, but some simple suggestions would be really helpful.
I'm not sure if he drinks water during the soak, so I've started using a dropper to give him water every hour or two. He opens up his mouth for it, so I suppose he's thirsty. (Is this level of intervention healthy?)
3. My Hygiene
I always wash my hands with antibacterial soap after handling the tortoise, and I use Sterillium (that antibacterial solution that you find in hospitals). Always use latex disposable gloves when dealing with waste, and ensure that the wash area for the tortoise-related things is different from the home things. I wipe the area where he spends a lot of time with an antibacterial, allow it to dry overnight, and wipe it with water in the morning so that the antibacterial doesn't come in contact with his skin. (I'm so incredibly paranoid)
Any other suggestions in relation to keeping the area infection free would be appreciated.
Thank you.