Henry's new home

[Tidgy's Dad]

Henry is an extremely beautiful example of a marginated tortoise, stunning in fact.
I too love the enclosure, though now Henry is growing up he really needs something a bit bigger.
Henry is a bit pyramided. The shell should be completely smooth, not raised up on each scute like that. Modern tortoise husbandry tells us that pyramiding is caused by being in a too dry enclosure.
The substrate needs to be coco coir, cypress mulch, orchid bark or even chemical free topsoil or safe sand free yard dirt. These all hold humidity. What you have doesn't.
Sink a cheap, shallow, terracotta saucer into the substrate that Henry can climb in and soak himself.
This will help.
Covering the enclosure to create a closed chamber will also be necessary to keep in the moisture in.
Spider plants or the like is also a good idea.
I have heard of Stuart McArthur, a well known UK tort vet, author and maker of wheels for tortoises missing limbs.
But I think he may not yet have heard about the comparatively new information on pyramiding.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-end-of-pyramiding.15137/
may give you some idea of what we mean.

 

[froggyraine]

Tidgys dad thankyou for your advice I will take it all on board his table however I only got yesterday it's four and a half foot if it's not quite big enough I might have to extend it myself he's not an overly active tort tho I'm still trying to nurse him back to health from his soft shell which is healing nicely I will change his substrate tho and get a dish he can climb into I do bath him Every day also presume this helps ?I

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Yes, many of us slowly increase the size of our enclosures, you'll find Henry will become more active with more space.
I read and posted on your other thread and know you did a good job in nursing the poor guy back to health and were grateful for the advice given by members of this forum.
Good, changing the substrate and keeping in the humidity is the first priority, the dish is easy and only a few pence and bathing will help.
Maybe daily to begin, but once the humidity is fixed two or three times a week is fine.
Glad to be of help and keeps us posted.
I know you're doing the best for your tort and care for him a lot. but we all keep tweaking things to give our torts the best possible lives

 

[Lyn W]

Does Henry have night heat?
I use a CHE on a thermostat so that it switches itself off and on when needed and doesn't give any light so Lola can sleep well

 

[froggyraine]

No I've never used one and been told with him been in the house and my temperatures are always warm for night time see I get confused because so many people have conflicting information it's crazy how many people disagree with each other

 

[Lyn W]

No I've never used one and been told with him been in the house and my temperatures are always warm for night time see I get confused because so many people have conflicting information it's crazy how many people disagree with each other

Yes it can be rather confusing but it depends on lots of things really - species. location, climate, etc
As long as you are checking your night temps where he sleeps, he may be OK. but I don't know what your torts min/max temps should be.
I use a temp gun rather than a fixed thermometer as its easier to spot check the 3 areas and the thermostat probe does that at night for me.

My tort is a leopard and he has his own room with a radiator on 24/7 when needed, MVB for day and a CHE at night 'cos it sure can get chilly quickly in UK!

When you add humidity a good rule to remember is
cold+humid = sick tort
heat+humid = healthy tort

Looking at the lamp you have there be careful of the clamp as they can fail and fall which could be a fire hazard.
But if you could add a horizontal piece to the top of the upright with a hook underneath it would be safer to hang the lamp from that.

There is such a lot to learn and think of, but this really is the best source of info I have found and learn something new everyday.

 

[froggyraine]

How should I go about adding humidity ? Bar changing substrate ? Spraying it ? I've already spent £250 in last week with set up change and vet bills

 

[ZEROPILOT]

The substrate I will accept is not the norm and I was already going to put him onto a soil sand mix after this hemp was unusable but to say my tortoise is disfigured is really nasty.

It does sound harsh. Offending you was not my intent.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Until you can get that substrate changed it's going to be difficult, especially with an open top.
Spraying the substrate won't help much, it'll quickly evaporate.
Pouring water in directly and mixing it is better, but don't get it too wet.
What would be best is to cover the enclosure to keep in the moisture, tin foil or cling film would do but plexi glass or something alike is better when you can afford it.
Set up can be an expensive process, but once done, you'll have years of a happy, healthy tort and you as a happy owner ahead of you.
There's great pleasure in this hobby after the beginning, I promise you!

 

[froggyraine]

It's ok I was just stressed and also snapped at you and I apologise, it's just if spent slot recently changed everything and I'm getting conflicting information and trying my best to sort his soft plastron which is getting better .

 

[ZEROPILOT]

It's ok I was just stressed and also snapped at you and I apologise, it's just if spent slot recently changed everything and I'm getting conflicting information and trying my best to sort his soft plastron which is getting better .

The fault is mine. It's all in the way that I expressed myself in the words that I chose.
Every one here, including myself is here to help.

 

[froggyraine]

I appreciate the information you all give, how could I get the table more humid change substrate and spray it ? And maybe some kind of top for the table ?

 

[parrotlady]

Thank you for showing a better picture of Henry, a very nice animal. Love your table. Unfortunately, Henry will soon out grow his table, marginates get to be fairly good size animals. Please keep us updated on his progress.

 

[froggyraine]

Have any of you had experience of antibiotics and tortoises Henry seems to be very tired with them ?

 

[Lyn W]

I appreciate the information you all give, how could I get the table more humid change substrate and spray it ? And maybe some kind of top for the table ?

A simple way to adapt yout table would be to just place a piece of clear acrylic (plexiglass) over the top of all or part of it. or if you are a handyman attach some with hinges on one side so you can lift it. Some people add posts in each corner to make a higher frame and just drape plastic over it or add plexiglass walls/roof with a hinged side. I'm sure there are lots of examples in the Enclosures thread. The uvb and heat need to hang inside though so that is another thing to work out.

You may be able to use some sphagnum moss in his hide BUT it must be kept warm in there. When you change you substrate just mix in a bit of water now and then to keep humidity up a digital humidity meter will tell you when its getting lower than it should be. Spraying is OK but tends to evaporate before it hits the surface. As Adam said we are all always looking to improve and adapt.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Those of us with good night time temperatures don't think about night heat. People in cold houses or with babies do. That's why we often ask people where they live.

 

[Lyn W]

Have any of you had experience of antibiotics and tortoises Henry seems to be very tired with them ?

Do a search and see if anyone's posted in the past!

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Change that substrate and then just pour water in. Spraying is time consuming & not very effective. I spray a little in the winter when the house is dry, but I use a watering can for the substrate. A tea kettle or a pitcher works, no need to buy anything.

Antibiotics depress appetite.

 

[froggyraine]

Yeah I've just been reading on Baytril and nothing's good news I wish I'd read before he's had it he's barely eaten much this past week he's having no more I feel guilty I should of protected him not given him something to harm him

 

[Anyfoot]

I started with that exact table with my 3 juvenile reds. 1 month in I finally found this site. I was told to use a closed viv to hold high humidity. I took criticism on the chin and changed to a viv. So far so good with my torts. How did this Stuart vet come across. Think I'm going to see him.