new rescue baby

[Yvonne G]

So I was talking on the phone with my sister, and I was standing outside by my front gate with my doggie, Misty, because I was waiting for a gal to bring me a baby box turtle she found in her flower bed this a.m. I got the turtle, still on the phone, and walked back into the house. Because I wanted both hands free and the baby was squirming and trying to get away, I set it down in an empty plastic tub that I was holding for a gal who left it here with baby desert tortoises in it. But they're outside now, and the tub is clean and empty.



You can see how tiny the baby is by comparing it with the quarter outside the tub at the bottom of the picture. Now comes the fun part. I love setting up new indoor habitats. I hope I have some nice plants outside that I can add to the enclosure. Stay tuned...

 

[Yvonne G]

I wish I could have found some pathos so there would be more foliage to hide in, but these are all I had that were small:

 

[Yvonne G]

I think he's an eastern. He has a dark plastron and 4 toes on the back feet. I don't bother with a waterer for babies this small because I soak them daily and their habitat is really too small for a waterer. Besides that, the substrate (Potting soil) is very wet.

 

[wellington]

So tiny and cute. I hate setting up indoor enclosures. I spend hours and hours and still not happy with it. Good luck with the little cutie

 

[lynnedit]

Beautiful example of an indoor enclosure for a young box turtle!
Do you have a heat mat under it, in addition to the basking light?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

It looks like he's about the same size as Holey. I just love chelonian babies. I took this photo of Holey yesterday, and today learned how to down load pix to my laptop now that my 3000 pictures are lost in my desktop. So can you find him? Also this is my 3 legged female Ornata. The animal control called me and said they had a male Russian tortoise that had it's leg severed from the lawn mower at the golf course and would I take him because they didn't know how to care for him...oh ya think??? I love her white skin...

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I goofed...

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I think he's an eastern. He has a dark plastron and 4 toes on the back feet. I don't bother with a waterer for babies this small because I soak them daily and their habitat is really too small for a waterer. Besides that, the substrate (Potting soil) is very wet.

I really like his hide.

 

[bouaboua]

The little guy looks do like his meal...

 

[lynnedit]

Maggie, does your Ornate live outside part of the year (I'm interested since we both live in the PNW).

 

[sibi]

Beautiful example of an indoor enclosure for a young box turtle!
Do you have a heat mat under it, in addition to the basking light?

I would not use a heat pad with babies in an indoor enclosure. For one, they will love the heat and this could be very dangerous for lil ones. The can dehydrate so easily. I had a baby gulf coast boxie that thrived for 4 months during the winter months. One morning, I decided to put a heading pad under the substrate because she was always so cold to the touch. She spent most of her time on the heat pad. They was a small pool of water in her enclosure, and she had a bowl of water available. Despite this, within a week she died. She died of dehydration. I wish I had never put the heat pad in her enclosure. It still pains me to think about that precious boxie.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Yes, she has an outside pen, and I bring her in at night because we have 'coons and coyotes, they even go up on my deck. All my chelonia have outside pens but come in every night.

Maggie, does your Ornate live outside part of the year (I'm interested since we both live in the PNW).

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I would not use a heat pad with babies in an indoor enclosure. For one, they will love the heat and this could be very dangerous for lil ones. The can dehydrate so easily. I had a baby gulf coast boxie that thrived for 4 months during the winter months. One morning, I decided to put a heading pad under the substrate because she was always so cold to the touch. She spent most of her time on the heat pad. They was a small pool of water in her enclosure, and she had a bowl of water available. Despite this, within a week she died. She died of dehydration. I wish I had never put the heat pad in her enclosure. It still pains me to think about that precious boxie.

Sibi, Did you have a necropsy done? If not, what made you think that was the cause of death?

Yes, she has an outside pen, and I bring her in at night because we have 'coons and coyotes, they even go up on my deck. All my chelonia have outside pens but come in every night.

Lynn,

I would not use a heat pad with babies in an indoor enclosure. For one, they will love the heat and this could be very dangerous for lil ones. The can dehydrate so easily. I had a baby gulf coast boxie that thrived for 4 months during the winter months. One morning, I decided to put a heading pad under the substrate because she was always so cold to the touch. She spent most of her time on the heat pad. They was a small pool of water in her enclosure, and she had a bowl of water available. Despite this, within a week she died. She died of dehydration. I wish I had never put the heat pad in her enclosure. It still pains me to think about that precious boxie.

I saw that heating pad and also spotted the end of the cord, it's not even plugged in...

 

[lynnedit]

I would not use a heat pad with babies in an indoor enclosure. For one, they will love the heat and this could be very dangerous for lil ones. The can dehydrate so easily. I had a baby gulf coast boxie that thrived for 4 months during the winter months. One morning, I decided to put a heading pad under the substrate because she was always so cold to the touch. She spent most of her time on the heat pad. They was a small pool of water in her enclosure, and she had a bowl of water available. Despite this, within a week she died. She died of dehydration. I wish I had never put the heat pad in her enclosure. It still pains me to think about that precious boxie.

So sorry to hear that!

Yes, she has an outside pen, and I bring her in at night because we have 'coons and coyotes, they even go up on my deck. All my chelonia have outside pens but come in every night.

Thanks, Maggie.

 

[Saleama]

I think he's an eastern. He has a dark plastron and 4 toes on the back feet. I don't bother with a waterer for babies this small because I soak them daily and their habitat is really too small for a waterer. Besides that, the substrate (Potting soil) is very wet.

Oh but those tiny babies so love to swim. Mine are in and out of their water dish all day while the older and more mature 5 -6 month olds (LOL) hide all day and only come out at night and early mornings. I always feel so guilty when I forget to fill the water dish at night and in the morning they are all sitting in the half empty dish like kids in a deflated blow up pool.

 

[Yvonne G]

As I mentioned in the first post, I was caring for a couple of desert tortoise hatchlings for a lady who had to leave town due to a family emergency. When the weather warmed up, I moved the two desert tortoises outside, and cleaned up the indoor habitat, holding it for when the lady ever (when will she ever come? It's been 3 months!) comes to pick up her tortoises and equipment. The Zoo Med pad is hers. I started to use it, but it gets too hot. I use a seedling heat pad. It doesn't get hotter than 80F degrees. The heat percolates up through the substrate and warms the air in the hiding place, which is filled with moistened sphagnum moss. But for this baby, I don't have any bottom heat. I raise all my leopard and desert tortoises with the seedling heat pad. It works great and I swear by it.