Newbie Set Up

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I put him in the hide and he ran straight back to his basking spot corner 😂 His shell temperature is 37, is that ok?

I think 37 is fine if he will move away from the lamp. You can try to move a hide closer to the lamp, so he can get the best of two worlds - warmth and safety.

 

[Kala]

I think 37 is fine if he will move away from the lamp. You can try to move a hide closer to the lamp, so he can get the best of two worlds - warmth and safety.

Have done that in case it helps, thank you. He seems to be ‘coming out of his shell’ (pun intended) and is exploring a lot more now. He’s had some thistle, a lot of cuttlefish (probably completely calcium deficient, poor little guy) and emptied his saucer of water!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Maybe he can't believe that all that bonanza is his forever now and tries to stockpile as much as he can )

 

[Kala]

Maybe he can't believe that all that bonanza is his forever now and tries to stockpile as much as he can )

I think that’s what he’s doing with his substrate too, no digging, just collecting it all in to a pile in the corner 😂

 

[Kala]

Are these white patches on his shell anything to worry about?

 

[_The_Beast_]

Are these white patches on his shell anything to worry about?

Looks dry and possibly hard water residue? It looks like Minty has some early pyramiding like my Russian hatchling did when he arrived. With your humidity and temps+ daily baths being good, new growth should be smooth and reduce the overall visual impact of the pyramiding. It may also be helpful to rub cold pressed virgin coconut oil into the shell once a week after bath time (wipe off excess) to help rehydrate the keratin. You can also use a soft toothbrush to gently scrub the shell clean to remove residue. I do this once a week on coconut 🥥 oil day (pre-coconut). WL dislikes it but it makes for a clean shell ☺️

 

[Kala]

Looks dry and possibly hard water residue? It looks like Minty has some early pyramiding like my Russian hatchling did when he arrived. With your humidity and temps+ daily baths being good, new growth should be smooth and reduce the overall visual impact of the pyramiding. It may also be helpful to rub cold pressed virgin coconut oil into the shell once a week after bath time (wipe off excess) to help rehydrate the keratin. You can also use a soft toothbrush to gently scrub the shell clean to remove residue. I do this once a week on coconut 🥥 oil day (pre-coconut). WL dislikes it but it makes for a clean shell ☺️

Aww that makes sense, we are in a very hard water area. I did think he had some pyramiding which I expected as he was kept on sawdust type substrate with no humidity at all 😢 I’ll get some coconut oil, thank you!

 

[_The_Beast_]

Aww that makes sense, we are in a very hard water area. I did think he had some pyramiding which I expected as he was kept on sawdust type substrate with no humidity at all 😢 I’ll get some coconut oil, thank you!

Sharing a pic of how the growth on my little one smoothed out ☺️ Minty is gonna do great now that they're in a good home.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Aww that makes sense, we are in a very hard water area. I did think he had some pyramiding which I expected as he was kept on sawdust type substrate with no humidity at all 😢 I’ll get some coconut oil, thank you!

You may rinse him with filtered water after soaking to prevent white stains.

Drinking water should be mineralized, don't use distilled or osmos-filtered.

 

[Kala]

Sharing a pic of how the growth on my little one smoothed out ☺️ Minty is gonna do great now that they're in a good home.

Aww he looks so well! 🥰

 

[Kala]

You may rinse him with filtered water after soaking to prevent white stains.

Drinking water should be mineralized, don't use distilled or osmos-filtered.

Ah great, hard water is very high in minerals so he should do well on that 😊

 

[Kala]

Ah great, hard water is very high in minerals so he should do well on that 😊

Humidity is still around 88-90%. Is that ok? Or do I need to create more air flow? He seems very happy, pretty active between basking, exploring more, eating well etc.

 

[Kala]

I’m like an anxious first time Mum again, watching his every move, looking for any worrying signs! 😅

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Humidity is still around 88-90%. Is that ok? Or do I need to create more air flow? He seems very happy, pretty active between basking, exploring more, eating well etc.

You may open a vent to lower humidity a bit. It's not a big concern, though, if you keep him warm (75F on the cold side).

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I’m like an anxious first time Mum again, watching his every move, looking for any worrying signs! 😅

"Tortoise anxiety" I have the same symptoms

 

[Kala]

You may open a vent to lower humidity a bit. It's not a big concern, though, if you keep him warm (75F on the cold side).

The temperature is perfect so if it’s ok for the humidity to be high, I won’t worry 😊 He hardly ever goes to the cold side though, although he buries himself head first in to the substrate under the basking lamp. Maybe he has some warming up to do after months in an insufficient enclosure?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

The temperature is perfect so if it’s ok for the humidity to be high, I won’t worry 😊 He hardly ever goes to the cold side though, although he buries himself head first in to the substrate under the basking lamp. Maybe he has some warming up to do after months in an insufficient enclosure?

He needs heat to digest food, fight infections, synthesize vitamin D3 to absorb calcium and more. So maybe yes, he needs to warm up a bit. Sleeping directly under the bulb isn't safe, though. If he burrows near the basking area edge - no worries.

 

[Kala]

It's pretty close to the edge but maybe I'll direct the bulb slightly away from that corner just in case. Will he not instinctively know it's not safe to sleep there and move?

He needs heat to digest food, fight infections, synthesize vitamin D3 to absorb calcium and more. So maybe yes, he needs to warm up a bit. Sleeping directly under the bulb isn't safe, though. If he burrows near the basking area edge - no worries.

 

[_The_Beast_]

It's pretty close to the edge but maybe I'll direct the bulb slightly away from that corner just in case. Will he not instinctively know it's not safe to sleep there and move?

I wouldn't be too worried. As long as the substrate is deep enough to burrow, there's a warm and cool side, and there's no heat coming from underneath (e.g., a heat pad at the bottom of the substrate), your tort can thermoregulate ☺️ It's also early days, so it will take a few weeks for Minty to find all their new favourite sleeping and basking spots and establish their routine. If needed, you can move Minty into one of their humid hides at night if he doesn't go in on his own. Your setup is really solid and Russian's are hardy little dudes ❤️

 

[Kala]

I wouldn't be too worried. As long as the substrate is deep enough to burrow, there's a warm and cool side, and there's no heat coming from underneath (e.g., a heat pad at the bottom of the substrate), your tort can thermoregulate ☺️ It's also early days, so it will take a few weeks for Minty to find all their new favourite sleeping and basking spots and establish their routine. If needed, you can move Minty into one of their humid hides at night if he doesn't go in on his own. Your setup is really solid and Russian's are hardy little dudes ❤️

No heat pad, it's a toasty little haven without that. Thank you, I feel better about him being ok then His wheel arrived this evening (same one as you have), hoping he'll have many hours of fun on it!