- Joined
- Feb 18, 2010
- Messages
- 30
I just got Oogway the baby leo from the NARBC in Chicago this past weekend, and he appears to be settling in well. I have several other reptiles, and have cared for tortoises before, but this is my first tortoise. I have scoured the internet for every care sheet I could find, and am so glad I found this forum! There's tons of great information on here 
First off, here's Oogway
Here's a shot of his current setup.
The box he is by is his humid hide till I get something better. I know the cuttlebone is a little overkill, I need to break a chunk off. He is on a coir/playsand mix, and devours any fresh greens I put in there (so far - collard, dandelion, parsley, cilantro, and some cat/wheat grass clippings). I just planted a giant tub of rye and wheat grasses, so hopefully he can go grazing soon. I live in central IL, so he will have to spend most of his time indoors (when it's not cold it's pretty humid). Luckily my in-laws don't live far away and they have about 1/2 an acre of untreated lawn that he will get to munch occasionally (while supervised).
I have 3 main questions at the moment...
1. I've noticed he sometimes sits with his eyes closed and bobs his head, almost like he's swallowing... His eyes are clear when they're open, so I am thinking it is just stress? I have seen lizards do the same thing in response to stress, is this normal for tortoises?
2. How sensitive are hatchlings to night time temps? His night time low is currently 67-70 degrees, do I need to bump it up more? His hot side sits between 88-90, so I am switching from a 100 watt MVB to a 125 Solarglo (the 125 has better UVB output anyway). I'll be monitoring his new temps like a hawk for the rest of the day.
3. Are there any cactus species that are inedible? I bought a pack of mixed cactus seeds, and it has about 15 species listed, 6 of which are prickly pear, but are any cacti toxic? (Removing the spines should be fun, lol )
That's it for now... I took a video but I am youtube challeged. Will post it eventually.
First off, here's Oogway
Here's a shot of his current setup.
The box he is by is his humid hide till I get something better. I know the cuttlebone is a little overkill, I need to break a chunk off. He is on a coir/playsand mix, and devours any fresh greens I put in there (so far - collard, dandelion, parsley, cilantro, and some cat/wheat grass clippings). I just planted a giant tub of rye and wheat grasses, so hopefully he can go grazing soon. I live in central IL, so he will have to spend most of his time indoors (when it's not cold it's pretty humid). Luckily my in-laws don't live far away and they have about 1/2 an acre of untreated lawn that he will get to munch occasionally (while supervised).
I have 3 main questions at the moment...
1. I've noticed he sometimes sits with his eyes closed and bobs his head, almost like he's swallowing... His eyes are clear when they're open, so I am thinking it is just stress? I have seen lizards do the same thing in response to stress, is this normal for tortoises?
2. How sensitive are hatchlings to night time temps? His night time low is currently 67-70 degrees, do I need to bump it up more? His hot side sits between 88-90, so I am switching from a 100 watt MVB to a 125 Solarglo (the 125 has better UVB output anyway). I'll be monitoring his new temps like a hawk for the rest of the day.
3. Are there any cactus species that are inedible? I bought a pack of mixed cactus seeds, and it has about 15 species listed, 6 of which are prickly pear, but are any cacti toxic? (Removing the spines should be fun, lol
)That's it for now... I took a video but I am youtube challeged. Will post it eventually.
