HoosierTort
Active Member
Don’t hibernate/brumate this year. High chance of it dying and it doesn’t need it.
Turn off that bulb ASAP. That is exactly the bulb we are talking about in the beginners mistakes thread you read. No cfl bulbs.
Some of those bulbs are known to cause eye damage in tortoises and other reptiles. We see it all the time here, and I see it in person on a regular basis. They are also not an effective UV source. Using them carries substantial risk of harm, with no benefit.I didn’t see mention of that, thanks for the heads up. Question though: what’s the reasoning behind not using a UVB CFL bulb? Also it Seems everywhere I looked everyone’s insisting they need tons more light than what you describe. That’s great to know, just curious about that.
I don't think its silly at all. The answer is: It depends on the composition of the "soil" you intend to use.Sorry, another question. I was going to put the baby in a new larger enclosure tomorrow. Is it safe to use natural actual desert soil? Sounds silly to ask, for a desert tortoise, but better safe than sorry. I know sand isn’t good. And btw I’m talking real desert soil, not “yard” soil with fertilizers etc. I have a rental that butts up to actual raw desert and was gonna use that soil and make some hiding spots etc out of other natural types of things things.
You need it to be damp enough to hold its shape, and then hand pack it down firmly. Keep hand packing it daily and after about two weeks it will settle in nicely. The mess is why I don't like it for older, larger tortoises.Quick update - I made a new larger enclosure for him and filled it with coca fiber substrate. I assume that’s what everyone talks about, including above. Anyway, it was moist. Is it ok how it clumps on his legs and shell? Regular desert soil seems not as desirable as you all described above and in other posts, from a health perspective, but it didn’t clump at least. Am I ok? I’m worried I got the wrong coco substrate. It’s pretty fine and fluffy, not packed down or heavy.