baby Russian Tortoise not active?

EE torts

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i got my hatchling russian tortoise 4 weeks ago he has never been very active he only spends at the most 1hr out of a burrow to eat some food and then goes back to a burrow for the rest of the day. is he sick what should i do?
 

Minority2

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1. Where is the "burrow" located and the temperature and humidity level of that particular spot?
2. How many times do you feed your tortoise per day?
3. What are the temperature and humidity levels of the four different zones? Basking, warm side, cool side, and overnight low.
 

EE torts

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1. Where is the "burrow" located and the temperature and humidity level of that particular spot?
2. How many times do you feed your tortoise per day?
3. What are the temperature and humidity levels of the four different zones? Basking, warm side, cool side, and overnight low.
Hello! his burrow is located right next to the basking spot the temp there is probably 100f 50-60⁒ humidity.
i feed him once a day i leave it out all day because he does not finish it i usually throw out half the food because he does not finish it.
basking 100-111f usually 111f, warm side/middle is 80f, cool side 75f, overnight low is usually 68-72. thank you!
 

Minority2

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Does your tortoise regularly poop? Do you see it during soakings and or during spot cleanings?

I saw a picture of your enclosure. Mesh screens can filter a good portion of the UVB away from tortoises. You may need to cut sections of the mesh out so that the UVB light can properly do it's job.

I see two lamp fixtures and one small tube fixture. Which of the lamp fixtures is for basking and which is the additional UVB? A single long strip uvb fixture (3-4 ft) will cover more area than what you're currently using now and it will do so at a lower wattage requirement. You might want to also consider building a top for that table so you can reach higher warm and cool side heat and humidity levels.

How are you measuring the temperature and humidity levels? The small liquid gauge reader you have in the picture may not be as accurate as ones that are used to monitor indoor and outdoor weather changes.

Fix the mesh/UVB issue. Lower basking temp to 95-105F, that's more than enough. Raise cool (80F) and warm side (85-90F) temperatures by 5. Try to reach 70-80% humidity level by regularly pouring water and mixing the substrate. Be sure to keep up with daily soakings.
 

EE torts

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Does your tortoise regularly poop? Do you see it during soakings and or during spot cleanings?

I saw a picture of your enclosure. Mesh screens can filter a good portion of the UVB away from tortoises. You may need to cut sections of the mesh out so that the UVB light can properly do it's job.

I see two lamp fixtures and one small tube fixture. Which of the lamp fixtures is for basking and which is the additional UVB? A single long strip uvb fixture (3-4 ft) will cover more area than what you're currently using now and it will do so at a lower wattage requirement. You might want to also consider building a top for that table so you can reach higher warm and cool side heat and humidity levels.

How are you measuring the temperature and humidity levels? The small liquid gauge reader you have in the picture may not be as accurate as ones that are used to monitor indoor and outdoor weather changes.

Fix the mesh/UVB issue. Lower basking temp to 95-105F, that's more than enough. Raise cool (80F) and warm side (85-90F) temperatures by 5. Try to reach 70-80% humidity level by regularly pouring water and mixing the substrate. Be sure to keep up with daily soakings.
yes he poops every day, okay the fixture says it goes on screen lids?
the too lamps the bigger one our too provide heat for the basking spot the smaller just for general light. the tube light is uvb/uva i think just that might be okay because he just stays on that side i bought a 4 foot tube fixture but could not find a uvb tube to come in time so i bought a 18". should i buy the 4foot one (even tho i just returned it) and i can return the 18" fixture i have? i have the inferred temp gun and the humidity gauge you see in the picture. i do daily soak. thank you!
 

Minority2

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A metal screen mesh will physically block out UVB. This means a good percentage (20-25%) of the UVB will be blocked out by the medium diameter mesh screens. I suggested cutting out the mesh section for your enclosure because it looks like you're using a finer mesh. The percentage of blocked UVB would likely be much higher. Some people may disagree. I do it because it's a good way to rest your fixtures on top of a "covered/close chamber style" lid.

I would use the 4 foot strip UVB fixture. The 4 ft fixture would still get plenty of usage in a new enclosure when your tortoise outgrows your current 5 x 3 ft enclosure. The 18 inch wouldn't.

Strongly consider investing in a hygrometer with a good probe. The tiny generic pet-branded models are notorious unreliable.

I wouldn't worry too much if your tortoise is regularly voiding his or her (Too young to sex) bowels. Keeping monitoring your tortoise. Slightly raised warm/cool side temperatures will not cause young tortoises any harm.
 

EE torts

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thank you so much! so if i got everything right i should do the following? : drop basking spot temps to 95-105, buy 4ft UVB/UVA, remove the lid for the enclosure, raise humidity to 70-80⁒
 

JoesMum

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thank you so much! so if i got everything right i should do the following? : drop basking spot temps to 95-105, buy 4ft UVB/UVA, remove the lid for the enclosure, raise humidity to 70-80⁒
Your baby needs humidity. You cannot achieve this without a solid roof of some sort that creates a closed chamber.

Remove the mesh and find something to cover the top that goes over or round the lights (small gaps won't matter)
 

Minority2

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thank you so much! so if i got everything right i should do the following? : drop basking spot temps to 95-105, buy 4ft UVB/UVA, remove the lid for the enclosure, raise humidity to 70-80⁒

You can continue to use the mesh lid. Just cover the sections that aren't being occupied by the lighting fixtures with aluminum foil or plastic film. You'll need to switch to a lower wattage basking bulb for a closed chamber setup. A 40-45 watt incandescent flood bulb should be enough for a 5 x 3 ft enclosure. Play around with the lighting positions to obtain the best result.

Here is a good example of someone using plastic film:
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/tweaks-on-my-closed-chamber.70057/
 

EE torts

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You can continue to use the mesh lid. Just cover the sections that aren't being occupied by the lighting fixtures with aluminum foil or plastic film. You'll need to switch to a lower wattage basking bulb for a closed chamber setup. A 40-45 watt incandescent flood bulb should be enough for a 5 x 3 ft enclosure. Play around with the lighting positions to obtain the best result.

Here is a good example of someone using plastic film:
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/tweaks-on-my-closed-chamber.70057/
okay! so basically i put the foil on cut out wholes for the lights and cut out a whole of the mesh for the uvb/uva light? also what is plastic film
 

EE torts

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also i kinda want to get a tank so when i put the foil on i can still see him because is the tortoise table i have i wont be able to see him yes i know they dont understand glass but i will put something around the bottom so would the exo terra 24x24x18 be good?
 

TechnoCheese

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also i kinda want to get a tank so when i put the foil on i can still see him because is the tortoise table i have i wont be able to see him yes i know they dont understand glass but i will put something around the bottom so would the exo terra 24x24x18 be good?

No, that’s much too small. Assuming your tort is a hatchling, that enclosure would only last a few months.

Definitely don’t waste your money on another tank. Just oily glass or plexiglass on a portion of the table.
 

EE torts

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No, that’s much too small. Assuming your tort is a hatchling, that enclosure would only last a few months.

Definitely don’t waste your money on another tank. Just oily glass or plexiglass on a portion of the table.
oh okay! thank you:)
 

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