Diet & Enclosure Questions for a Hatching Leopard Tortoise

[Dana00]

Hello everyone,

Just as a quick introduction, my name is Dana and I live in Dubai! I have a hatching (2 months old) Leopard tortoise named Billy, who was gifted to me exactly a week ago by a very dear friend of mine. As a novice tortoise mom, I have read many threads on this website which have already helped me so much (so thank you!)

I do still have some questions however, which is why will be dividing this question into sub-parts just because I have quite a bit to ask, so please bear with me & thank you in advance!

Enclosure:
Billy is currently housed in a 23 (w) x 11 (h) inch glass enclosure. The temperature inside varies from 104° (directly under the lamp) to around 74° (in the outskirts). He also has a hide, which is made out of cardboard and inside it is fairly cool. His enclosure also has a have a UVA/UVB lamp which I keep on from 8:30 AM to 6 PM. The humidity ranges from roughly 40% to 70% ( I mist it a couple of times per day) and my first question begins here, is this humidity alright for a hatchling tortoise, or should I am to keep it higher?

My next question is in regards to the substrate on the left, which is reptile safe coconut humus (coco-peat). I tried my best to research whether or not this would be okay for him, however I could not find any conclusive answers stating whether it was harmful or not. I know that top-soil is preferable, however do not have any right now so is my current substrate safe for him?



Diet:
I know that tortoises need a well rounded diet of weeds, flowers, and grasses to grow properly however this is where my first concern arises. I haven't been able to find any organic flowers/or grass to feed him where I live and as a result his diet currently primarily consists of Alfalfa Hay (I have also purchased Orchard and Timothy Hay because I know that Alfalfa is too high in protein vs. fiber so I will be feeding him that soon). I do also have tortoise food pellets, however he absolutely refuses to touch them.

In general, I have found it to be quite a laborious task to feed him because he really only eats the hay when I have soaked it in cucumber. He LOVES cucumber, and I know it has no real nutritional value for him so I never give it to him on its own. So, my question here really is: is feeding him hay enough to sustain a healthy diet?

As a side note, I also sprinkle (JBL TerraVit powder https://www.jbl.de/en/products/detail/2547/jbl-terravit-powder) on his food to ensure he is getting enough calcium and minerals. I also have a question about this however, how much am I supposed to be putting? Currently I sprinkle very little on just to ensure I am not over doing it, but is there a general gauge for what's a good amount?

Temperature while Sleeping: Lastly, I've noticed that Billy often falls asleep in locations of his tank which are very hot, and I have the urge to move him. So here my question is, if it gets to hot will he wake up?


Looking forward to hearing all your feedback, thanks again in advance!

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. I'll answer each question in order.

1. Your enclosure is too small. Minimum size for a tiny hatchling is 36x18 inches, and even that is on the small side. Tortoises need room to roam about inside their enclosure.
2. Your basking temp is a little too hot. This will cause pyramiding. Your cool side is too cool. This will cause a respiratory infection. Your humidity is too low. This will cause pyramiding. You need a large closed chamber. There needs to be an ambient heat source hooked up to a thermostat to maintain the coolest part of the enclosure at 80 day and night 24/7, in addition to a basking lamp that creates a temperature of around 95-100 degrees directly under it for about 12 hours a day.
3. Coco peat is safe, but too messy for my liking. Soil should never be used. Fine grade orchid bark works best for them.
4. Remove the dry hay. Babies won't eat it, you don't need it for anything, and its a big mold risk.
5. Hay is no good for babies. Hay is for adults. You need leafy greens for a baby. Endive and escarole. Dandelion greens. Mulberry or grape leaves. Spineless opuntia pads. Don't worry about "organic". If its safe for human consumption, and its its not sprayed or grown with pesticides, its fine for the tortoise. Here is a list: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
6. Tortoises eat what they have eaten before. It takes time to get them introduced to new foods and willing to eat them. Most pellets aren't worth he time. What type of pellets have you got? Can you get regular Mazuri there? That will help. Most tortoises love it.
7. A tiny pinch once a week should be plenty for the vitamin powder. Twice a week for a calcium supplement. Neither are "needed" with a good varied weedy diet.
8. He's sleeping where it is hot, because he is being kept too cold. Heat helps them function and helps their immune system fight off infection. Cool temps allow infection to creep in. He's trying to stay healthy. His choice of where to sleep is a behavioral indication the things are too cold for his liking. Warm up the ambient ASAP.

Read these for further reference and then come back with all your questions and comments. We are all here to talk tortoises, so don't apologize for asking too many questions!
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

 

[Dana00]

Hello and welcome. I'll answer each question in order.

1. Your enclosure is too small. Minimum size for a tiny hatchling is 36x18 inches, and even that is on the small side. Tortoises need room to roam about inside their enclosure.
2. Your basking temp is a little too hot. This will cause pyramiding. Your cool side is too cool. This will cause a respiratory infection. Your humidity is too low. This will cause pyramiding. You need a large closed chamber. There needs to be an ambient heat source hooked up to a thermostat to maintain the coolest part of the enclosure at 80 day and night 24/7, in addition to a basking lamp that creates a temperature of around 95-100 degrees directly under it for about 12 hours a day.
3. Coco peat is safe, but too messy for my liking. Soil should never be used. Fine grade orchid bark works best for them.
4. Remove the dry hay. Babies won't eat it, you don't need it for anything, and its a big mold risk.
5. Hay is no good for babies. Hay is for adults. You need leafy greens for a baby. Endive and escarole. Dandelion greens. Mulberry or grape leaves. Spineless opuntia pads. Don't worry about "organic". If its safe for human consumption, and its its not sprayed or grown with pesticides, its fine for the tortoise. Here is a list: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
6. Tortoises eat what they have eaten before. It takes time to get them introduced to new foods and willing to eat them. Most pellets aren't worth he time. What type of pellets have you got? Can you get regular Mazuri there? That will help. Most tortoises love it.
7. A tiny pinch once a week should be plenty for the vitamin powder. Twice a week for a calcium supplement. Neither are "needed" with a good varied weedy diet.
8. He's sleeping where it is hot, because he is being kept too cold. Heat helps them function and helps their immune system fight off infection. Cool temps allow infection to creep in. He's trying to stay healthy. His choice of where to sleep is a behavioral indication the things are too cold for his liking. Warm up the ambient ASAP.

Read these for further reference and then come back with all your questions and comments. We are all here to talk tortoises, so don't apologize for asking too many questions!
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

Thank you so so much Tom! Your response is extremely helpful and I will be adapting everything has per your recommendations and reading through the forms you shared

 

[Dana00]

Hello and welcome. I'll answer each question in order.

1. Your enclosure is too small. Minimum size for a tiny hatchling is 36x18 inches, and even that is on the small side. Tortoises need room to roam about inside their enclosure.
2. Your basking temp is a little too hot. This will cause pyramiding. Your cool side is too cool. This will cause a respiratory infection. Your humidity is too low. This will cause pyramiding. You need a large closed chamber. There needs to be an ambient heat source hooked up to a thermostat to maintain the coolest part of the enclosure at 80 day and night 24/7, in addition to a basking lamp that creates a temperature of around 95-100 degrees directly under it for about 12 hours a day.
3. Coco peat is safe, but too messy for my liking. Soil should never be used. Fine grade orchid bark works best for them.
4. Remove the dry hay. Babies won't eat it, you don't need it for anything, and its a big mold risk.
5. Hay is no good for babies. Hay is for adults. You need leafy greens for a baby. Endive and escarole. Dandelion greens. Mulberry or grape leaves. Spineless opuntia pads. Don't worry about "organic". If its safe for human consumption, and its its not sprayed or grown with pesticides, its fine for the tortoise. Here is a list: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
6. Tortoises eat what they have eaten before. It takes time to get them introduced to new foods and willing to eat them. Most pellets aren't worth he time. What type of pellets have you got? Can you get regular Mazuri there? That will help. Most tortoises love it.
7. A tiny pinch once a week should be plenty for the vitamin powder. Twice a week for a calcium supplement. Neither are "needed" with a good varied weedy diet.
8. He's sleeping where it is hot, because he is being kept too cold. Heat helps them function and helps their immune system fight off infection. Cool temps allow infection to creep in. He's trying to stay healthy. His choice of where to sleep is a behavioral indication the things are too cold for his liking. Warm up the ambient ASAP.

Read these for further reference and then come back with all your questions and comments. We are all here to talk tortoises, so don't apologize for asking too many questions!
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

Oh, and as for the pellets they are JBL Agivert, I have not seen Mazuri here but I will check if I can order some on Amazon