First time tort momma :)

[Jilliebean]

I got my first baby tortoise yesterday, he/she is lovely... But I'm a little worried. He/she has hardly moved and hasn't eaten anything. I've given him/her a bath this morning which went down quite well, I think. He/she just looks like they're sleeping continuously, which I know baby torts do do a lot. Are my worries unnecessary? Thanks

 

[KarenSoCal]

Babies do sleep a lot! Plus it takes a while for them to feel safe in a new enclosure. The main thing is to be certain that temps and humidity are correct.

What species is s(he)? We'd love to see pictures of him/her, and pix of the enclosure and lighting as well.

And welcome to the forum!

 

[Jilliebean]

Babies do sleep a lot! Plus it takes a while for them to feel safe in a new enclosure. The main thing is to be certain that temps and humidity are correct.

What species is s(he)? We'd love to see pictures of him/her, and pix of the enclosure and lighting as well.

And welcome to the forum!

Thank you so much for your reply!!

I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right and he/she will have a good life.. I'm very OTT with my pets ?

S(he) is a horsefield tortoise, still very young from what I was told 3-6months.

I will attach a pic, please let me know if I can make their home better. I am just waiting for a shop to be delivered to put down more green and leafy veggies fir breakfast

Thanks again, Billie

 

[KarenSoCal]

She's (for simplicity's sake) adorable!

There are some changes you should consider.
First, you are going to have great difficulty controlling and maintaining the proper temp and humidity in an open-topped enclosure. It is so much better for her to be in a closed chamber, so all your heat and humid air don't just go into the room. I'm going to link a very good care sheet for you that goes into better detail about it.

The water dish would be easier for her to negotiate if you just push it down into the substrate until it is level with the substrate. Baby torts don't bend in the middle, so an "up and over" maneuver is difficult. It also lessens the risk of flipping upside down.

A word of extreme caution...find a way to support the clamp light so if the clamp should fail the light won't fall into the substrate. There have been houses burned down because of failed clamps, and less serious fires and close calls even among members of this forum.

In that clamp fixture...is that a MVB? UVB and heat together? If it is, there are much better ways to supply these to your tortoise. Do you have night heat available? I don't see any...

Please don't be overwhelmed...we will help you as you make changes with what to buy. Most items are available online, rather than going to a pet store where they charge exhorbitant amounts and give you bad advice.

Here's the care sheets. Read them and come back with questions and concerns. We're happy to explain why we say what we do.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Closed "Chambers"

Been meaning to do this one for a while now... Over the years I have kept a lot of reptiles in a lot of different ways. I've learned a lot of stuff about a lot of species. Since finding and joining this forum almost two years ago, I've learned a TON more. Now I'm not just stumbling around...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Building your own Expanded PVC Enclosed Chamber – For Beginners

I have recently been asked to do a post on building an enclosed chamber using PVC, and to tailor the post to those that have NO fabrication / wood working experience and the resultant lack of tools. So, that’s what this post is about. If you have even basic wood working or metal working skills...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Ray--Opo]

Welcome, your tort is adorable!
Read what Karen posted for you and ask questions. You should put in a tunnel closed off on one end or a little tub upside down so your little buddy can go in and hide/ sleep.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!