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Thanks, I'm going to order the mineral supplement recommended above. Yes, the tortoise is kept under a MVB, with temps usually between 90-100 F under the light, and 70ish on the cool end. No light or heat at night, whole tank stays around 70 F.

Thank you all, I guess the sand mix experiment was a failure, haha. I've seen quite a few posters on this forum recommend sand, but I guess it won't work for me if my tortoise is going to eat it. I had her on coco coir before, I'll go back to that. Would it be safe to mix in just the organic...

Hello all, it's been a while since I've posted but I'm having a new problem with my 2 year old marginated tortoise Pixel. I got a new, larger enclosure for her and put in a substrate of mixed organic gardening soil and play sand. When I put her on it she immediately started to eat it, ignoring...

Hello all. I've had my marginated tortoise, Pixel, for over a year now. She's over three inches and growing smoothly. I had a humid hide in her enclosure for a year, but recently took it out. The humidity in her enclosure generally stays above 50%, higher if I spray it down. My question is how...

I went ahead and ordered one of these on Amazon. Hopefully this will help, thanks!

Unfortunately changing the substrate or putting it outside isn't really an option right now. It's very damp because I spray it all the time, but that's to keep the humidity up for my tortoise. I thought a dry substrate was bad. I have 4-6 inches of topsoil with cypress mulch on top. The mulch...

So I have a bit of a bug problem in my enclosure. I first noticed it after I added the topsoil, before I even got my tortoise. Now there's more and more gnats all the time. They've spread from buzzing around her food and lights to buzzing around the plants in my windowsill. I know I can't spray...

I just recently became a marginated tortoise owner. =) Here's a pic of my little Pixel, fast asleep in her water bowl: This scared me when I walked it on it, but she was just snoozin'. Her head is above the water.

Hello and welcome! You have a very cute baby tortoise. There's a lot you can do to help your baby thrive. First and foremost, listen to the great experienced tortoise keepers on this site. They know what they're talking about. Most of the specifics will be covered in the caresheet which has been...

Beautiful enclosure! Love your tortoise's name. Mine is a Pixel too. :-)

I second everything said. I recently started my first tortoise off in an open topped Rubbermaid bin, but I quickly realized I couldn't get the get the humidity above 40%, so I've started covering the top. Aluminum foil works well for this over the lamps. Also pour/spray water into the substrate...

Thanks! I'll probably set it down to 12 hrs though. No need to run the lamp if she's just buried herself in her hide.

Ok, I see what you're saying. Just to make sure though, there's no harm in keeping the MVB on right? It's just unnecessary?

I have a CHE for heat over her hide. I got the 14 hr thing from this forum. It seems to be recommended to keep the tortoise from trying to hibernate in the winter. Do you think I should cut down on the time though?

So my baby marginated spends a lot of time sleeping in her humid hide. Usually in for the night around 5 o clock. I have my basking light (MVB) on a timer set to stay on 14 hours, 6-8. Should I leave it on the whole time, or can I turn it off after she is in her hide?

I just ordered some of this. (Shipping did seem a bit high, but I understand the reasoning.) My question is, can I grow this inside in winter. I have a pot in a sunny window all ready to go, just not sure if they will sprout now or should I wait till spring? Also, if I sprinkle some in my...

Thanks everyone! I'm glad to know the "shrugging" and all day basking is normal. I soak her everyday for about 20 min. She doesn't really like it, spends the whole time trying to get out. I think she'll probably eat more as the weather improves too; I've read that tortoises slow down in the...

I only let her have a small nibble, but the cuteness levels were kind of addicting:

I have a few questions about some behavior I've observed in my baby marginated. Just want to check and make sure everything is normal. First, I've noticed a shoulder bobbing motion she does a lot. It almost looks like she's shrugging, mostly she does this while she's resting. Is this a normal...