New tortoise owner - care help needed

[BlueCassowary]

Hi all, I am a new tortoise owner and could really do with some advice to make sure I'm on the right track. First of all, here are some pictures of Elliot and his setup: https://imgur.com/a/7Kcg0yC

• Background: My tortoise is 7 years old and was adopted 4 weeks ago from a friend who did a pet swap and quickly realised she was unable to care for him. He had been with her for 2 weeks and during this time was kept in a cardboard box lined with a blanket and a desk lamp for light/heat. The lamp got too hot so it was turned off for 3 days. She did not bathe him the two weeks that he was with her, though he did have a bowl of water
• Housing: He is currently being kept in a 2ft x 4ft temporary rabbit cage with a mesh top until I can make him a proper table.
• Substrate: is sterilised topsoil from my local garden centre.
• Light and heat: 160w Arcadia D3 Mercury Vapour Basking Lamp and I have a room heater that I turn to 24C in the day and 20C at night. Lights are kept on for 12-14 hours
• Food and water: I have been bathing him every other day and feeding him lambs lettuce and catsgrass and bagged greens until I can grow him some proper food (I have ordered seeds to grow foods from a tortoise site)
• Other: I will be taking him to the vets for a check-up/parasite screen and a beak trim (His beak is very long)

My questions:

1. My tortoise spends all of his time in the 'cool' end of his enclosure in his hide. Even when I take him out to bathe him, he will eat, wander around, then go straight back to his hide and stay there until I get him out again to bathe him, is this normal? His poops and urates etc look healthy and he is going most times he is bathed.
2. Are my temperatures adequate?
   • Daytime temps: Hot end = 28-30C; Cool end (19-18.8C)
   • Night-time: my room heater is set at 20 but his cage is on the floor so I think the heat is going straight up. This morning it said the temp went as low as 17.5C
   • I have just shone the infrared thermometer on his shell while he is in the cool end and it says his shell is 23C - is this too hot? Cold? just right?
3. If my temperatures need to be higher to make him more active then what should I do? At the moment I am using the 160w D3 MV bulb and while I know about ceramic heaters and basking lamps and strip lights I just don't know which one to get out of all of those options. I know it might also be that he needs more light to make him more active - if that is the case then what do you recommend bearing in mind my current setup.

Any other advice you can give is greatly appreciated!

 

[LaLaP]

HI and welcome to the forum! Glad this sweet guy is in your care now.

So first let me just say that most tortoises act shy and a little unusual when they are adjusting to a new home. It is normal for them to hide a lot at first. Do you have a hiding spot in the warm side? That could allow him to stay warm and hidden for now. Soon he'll get brave and comfortable.

But let's also make sure about your temps. How are you measuring your temps? You mentioned an infrared themometer which is great for spot checking. Do you have a gauge to measure ambient temps? I ask because most analog or stick-on gauges are inaccurate and you should get a digital thermometer like the ones by Accurite.
Also you said your hot end temp is 30c. Is that the temp under the basking light? If so that is too low. It should be 35-38c. A tortoise needs to bring its temp up to 30c in order to digest its food properly so he is a bit cool. You can get a higher basking temp by lowering the heat lamp.
Your cool side and night temps are not too bad.
You mentioned possibly needing more light so he will be more active and that is true. A regular fluorescent tube fixture and light is great for that. You want it to be bright like summer in the desert!
Here are some good caresheets to check out:
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

 

[BlueCassowary]

Hi LalaP - thank you so much for your reply!

I am using an ExoTerra Digital thermometer to measure the temps at either end of his enclosure, are these the right thing to be using? I don't have a guage to measure the general room temperature, is this something that you recommend I get? Something like this?: https://www.amazon.co.uk/AcuRite-02...8-1-spons&keywords=Accurite+thermometer&psc=1

I have had some trouble lowering his light because he is in a rabbit cage with a mesh top lid that isn't adjustable and I don't want to take it off otherwise he will be able to escape...BUT I have managed to unattach it from the sides and lower it to the floor. The lamp is now about 30cm (12inches) above the ground of his enclosure and after eating he has just sat under it sunning himself with his legs out so I think that has done the job! I am going to monitor the temps to make sure they're high enough - they're reading 35 at the moment - I must admit that I did not expect the lamp to need to be that low to the ground of his enclosure!

In terms of light, would something like this work: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bundle-400...keywords=fluorescent+daylight+bulb+and+holder


Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it!

 

[LaLaP]

Glad you were able to lower the lamp. Now keep measuring the temp to make sure it doesn't get to hot. You don't want to cook him either.
I'm not totally familiar with your temp gauge but I think it's probably a decent one. As long as you have the probes on or near the ground at tort level.
I'd say you don't need the Accurite thermometer.
That fluorescent light should be just fine.
Sounds like lowering the light has him out basking under it and that's what you want so hopefully he will keep that up and you'll start to see lots of activity from him. Great job!