New owner question...

[Johanna and Barnaby]

Hi!
I am a first time tortoise owner and I just wanted some advice please?
Barnaby is a Turkish spur thighed, hatched in 2011,and he is basically perfect
My boyfriend is a joiner and he made his tortoise table for him, and he has plenty of room with a hide and a basking area. I have tortoise substrate and woodchip for him to wander about in and dig in...but he doesn't dig in it.he goes into his hide and digs away in there and just goes back to sleep....is this normal?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Johanna, and welcome to the Forum!!

It's too bad your BF didn't make the sides a little higher on the enclosure. You need to add quite a bit more substrate. It should be at least 3 or 4 inches deep. I'm assuming that the hiding place is over at the left side of the habitat?

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome I would put a more natural substrate that is more comfortable to actually dig in. Wood chips don't work. I would also take out the wood pieces. Not sure what those are for. Use plain dirt, or coconut coir. Add as much as emysemys said. The dirt will actually work better for burrowing into.

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I would also add a larger water dish. From the pic it looks pretty small. Should be large enough and level with the top of the substrate for them to get in and out of to soak should they want. Feeding on a piece of slate or flat rock will also help keep the beak trimmed.

 

[Yellow Turtle]

Hello and welcome to forum. I agree, deeper substrate is better for your torts to bury in.

 

[Johanna and Barnaby]

Ok thankyou!

So basically,I need to bury a larger water bowl so he can climb into it and make his substrate much deeper..i bought tortoise substrate from the pet shop,but should I use something different?he has a peice of slate in there so i will use that to put his food on rather than a dish thankyou.
I have been bathing him every other day by filling the bottom of my shower to cover the bottom of his shell with his head well above,and he seems to enjoy having a paddle,is this right?

 

[abitrialaw]

Hi im a new owner aswell and have done loads of research. apparently the water should touch the bottom of their chins and be warm. when i got my 2 year old horsfield Dandy the left eye wasnt opening properly so i just gave baths every day and moistened the eye and made sure temperature was good and eye is great now.