Hot Wet Sam
New Member
Hello,
My wife and I have been prepping our backyard (in southern California) to get a tortoise for some time. We recently completed it, but a few nights ago my wife surprised me with this little guy:
http://i.imgur.com/l1UFkXj.jpg
http://imgur.com/liz79qO
http://i.imgur.com/D5b9Pnb.jpg
I believe he is a California Desert Tortoise (please correct me if you think otherwise). I've done tons of research on being a tortoise owner, but I was not expecting a hatchling. I've been researching non-stop to make sure I treat him/her right and provide a good home, but I had a few questions.
First is about pyramiding. I've been reading about possible causes and how to prevent it. It seems humidity is believed to be a large factor in preventing it. However, everything I read regarding this is usually regarding other types of tortoises. Should a desert tortoise also have humidity in its environment?
Here is his habitat: http://i.imgur.com/YRSvglT.jpg
I've read that the coil UVB lights are questionable, so I've already got a replacement UVB bar light and thermometer on the way from Amazon. His substrate is a blend of top soil/play sand. I leveled out his water tray with some stones so he doesn't need to climb to get in the water. The blue walls are angled out to prevent him from flipping himself. He seems to enjoy roaming around, but he gets so dirty and gets the soil/sand on his face a lot. I see him sometimes trying to rub it off with his front legs. When he wades through the water and then back into the soil, he gets a lot of soil in the crevices of his legs. I worry that he might irritate his skin/eyes since he's so young. Am I just being an overprotective daddy? This is just what we put together over the weekend, but look forward to adding to/making changes to his home. Any ideas/suggestions that I should consider?
My wife and I have been prepping our backyard (in southern California) to get a tortoise for some time. We recently completed it, but a few nights ago my wife surprised me with this little guy:
http://i.imgur.com/l1UFkXj.jpg
http://imgur.com/liz79qO
http://i.imgur.com/D5b9Pnb.jpg
I believe he is a California Desert Tortoise (please correct me if you think otherwise). I've done tons of research on being a tortoise owner, but I was not expecting a hatchling. I've been researching non-stop to make sure I treat him/her right and provide a good home, but I had a few questions.
First is about pyramiding. I've been reading about possible causes and how to prevent it. It seems humidity is believed to be a large factor in preventing it. However, everything I read regarding this is usually regarding other types of tortoises. Should a desert tortoise also have humidity in its environment?
Here is his habitat: http://i.imgur.com/YRSvglT.jpg
I've read that the coil UVB lights are questionable, so I've already got a replacement UVB bar light and thermometer on the way from Amazon. His substrate is a blend of top soil/play sand. I leveled out his water tray with some stones so he doesn't need to climb to get in the water. The blue walls are angled out to prevent him from flipping himself. He seems to enjoy roaming around, but he gets so dirty and gets the soil/sand on his face a lot. I see him sometimes trying to rub it off with his front legs. When he wades through the water and then back into the soil, he gets a lot of soil in the crevices of his legs. I worry that he might irritate his skin/eyes since he's so young. Am I just being an overprotective daddy? This is just what we put together over the weekend, but look forward to adding to/making changes to his home. Any ideas/suggestions that I should consider?