How to correctly raise a baby tort?

[Aquaman]

Hello! Im new to the tortoise game, But Ive Been researching and going through this awesome forum for a couple weeks now. Anyway im really excited (and Nervous) to own a baby tort of my own but I want to know everything i should know about raising a baby before i get one. I have been thinking that i want to get ether a baby hermann, baby russian, or a baby red foot. I Know the basics of owning a tort but I havent read much on owning a baby. Is there some kind of special food i should feed him/her? something special I should keep In the enclosure? Which breed should I start out with? Or just any helpful advice would be nice
Thanks!!

 

[Zabbi0]

If you were talking about sulcatas or leos I could give ya a lot of great advice but I am not too familiar with those breeds. We do have a lot of members here that own those breeds though and I am sure they will chime in soon.
I just wanted to congratulate you on your decision to get a baby tort! They are so so exciting & maybe a little addicting lol. Once ya have one ya want another But they are a whole lot of work until you get very use to their routine/diet/habitat. You will love yours!
I have heard Herman's and Russians have some of the most entertaining personalities.

 

[cemmons12]

I believe a Herman or Russian would be the way to go. Good luck to you! And welcome to the forum!

 

[Mgridgaway]

I love my redfoots, but they're maybe a little more difficult to take care than russians because of their humidity requirements. Still, they're very personable and get much larger than russians, which is a big plus in my book

There are plenty of "How to" guides available that discuss tortoise husbandry, and the only real difference is maybe cutting the food up into some pieces or soaking it (in the case of mazuri). I suggest you read up on whichever one you decide and then ask more specific questions after that.

Like raising children, though, there is no one magical way to raise a tortoise. There are a lot of great pointers, but in the end with some things you just have to dive in and figure out what works best for you and your tortoise.

Good luck!

 

[Tortus]

Looks like you'll have to decide on a species before getting pointers on raising it. Look at the space you have or are willing to set aside for it. Russians and Hermanns get about 6-8" on average I believe, and redfoots twice that.

 

[Aquaman]

Thanks for your help! And I have decided I will be getting ether a red foot or a yellow foot tort!! So can anyone give me some advice on raising baby red foots and yellow foots? also Im trying to plan my enclosure, is there any guide on how to make a cheap temparary enclosure till the baby grows and I can buy a big one?
Thanks!!

 

[Richard Gere's Ears]

This is definitely THE place to go for proper hatchling husbandry. The "End Pyramiding" threads are gold!

 

[TortoiseWorld]

Welcome to the forum, spend the time and read Tom threads about pyramiding and humid hides etc.

Enclosures and supplies are not cheap!
Before you buy a tortoise, make sure you buy everything else first. You want to have a warm, humid, healthy, and safe environment set up before your baby tortoise arrives.
I just bought UVA & UVB, basking lights, ceramic heat emmiters, all the light fixtures, thermometers, hygrometer, different kinds of substrate, mazuri, pellets, cactus pads, wheat grass seeds, automatic mister monsoon, hide box, containers, digital grams scale, thermometer gun, power strip timer, and more for around $1,000
Then I made a home made hatchling enclosure, it took me 7 hours and with the Rubbermaid container, stainless steel hardware and acrylic sheet, cost around $200.00
I already had a couple observation aquariums for back up.
After my hatchlings are about a year old I will be transfering them into a new enclosure that I haven't even built yet. Then there is the outdoor enclosure plans. You don't want to wing it on husbandry and regret it later with a sick tortoise or a tortoise with a deformed carapace right?
I have seen many many tortoise pics here and other websites and I can always tell which tortoises were given good care.
Here is a pic of the new hatchling enclosure I recently built, and my hatchling babies are still with the breeder for a few more weeks. I am 100% ready for them. This enclosure is 2- 54 gallon Rubbermaid bins bolted together with stainless steel screws, one bin only cost $20 at home depot, but it's all the other stuff that adds up.
Best wishes.

 

[Aquaman]

Welcome to the forum, spend the time and read Tom threads about pyramiding and humid hides etc.

Enclosures and supplies are not cheap!
Before you buy a tortoise, make sure you buy everything else first. You want to have a warm, humid, healthy, and safe environment set up before your baby tortoise arrives.
I just bought UVA & UVB, basking lights, ceramic heat emmiters, all the light fixtures, thermometers, hygrometer, different kinds of substrate, mazuri, pellets, cactus pads, wheat grass seeds, automatic mister monsoon, hide box, containers, digital grams scale, thermometer gun, power strip timer, and more for around $1,000
Then I made a home made hatchling enclosure, it took me 7 hours and with the Rubbermaid container, stainless steel hardware and acrylic sheet, cost around $200.00
I already had a couple observation aquariums for back up.
After my hatchlings are about a year old I will be transfering them into a new enclosure that I haven't even built yet. Then there is the outdoor enclosure plans. You don't want to wing it on husbandry and regret it later with a sick tortoise or a tortoise with a deformed carapace right?
I have seen many many tortoise pics here and other websites and I can always tell which tortoises were given good care.
Here is a pic of the new hatchling enclosure I recently built, and my hatchling babies are still with the breeder for a few more weeks. I am 100% ready for them. This enclosure is 2- 54 gallon Rubbermaid bins bolted together with stainless steel screws, one bin only cost $20 at home depot, but it's all the other stuff that adds up.
Best wishes.

WOW! Thanks for all this help! This definitely answered all my questions. Beautiful enclosure btw, i think i will try and do something like that as a temporary .

Thank you everyone for your advice. I will definitely be posting pics when i get my enclosure done then my baby!

 

[Laura]

i would get a older one if this is your first.. hatchlings can be tricky.. especially if not started right... they can be heartbreakers...

 

[TortoiseWorld]

I prefer hatchlings because less chance of the tortoise picking up a disease from it's previous owners locations (petsmart etc.), also I want to give it a good start avoiding pyramiding, and I want to get the experience of raising a tortoise from a hatchling to a thriving adult. If you do your homework and work to get it right, a hatchling baby could work for you too. It's like bringing a new born baby home, you need to get everything ready first.
Best wishes.