Newbie

[oscarthegreek]

Hi there,
My daughter has just got a tiny golden greek Tortoise (very cute) and purchased a whole bunch of accessories.

My first questions is does our habitat look OK?

Second, how much do we need to use the lights? Heat lamp on to keep temperature to what? Sun lamp on from 8am to 8pm?

Thanks for all your help

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Congrats. I'm going to let the Greek members help you out.

 

[oscarthegreek]

Hello and Welcome. Congrats. I'm going to let the Greek members help you out.

Thank you

 

[diamondbp]

Welcome. I'm not a greek expert but I would certainly change the water tray you have. Its a dangerous types because if a young tortoise flips over in it then it can easily drown. Get a shallow terra cotter saucer from Lowes or home depot for $2 that works better, is safer, and easier to clean. Also I would change the substrate to moistened sphagnum peat moss topped with cypress mulch. This will help hold the necessary humidity to maintain a healthy tortoise plus it will allow the tortoise a place to burrow (which they enjoy doing).

Other than that I hope some greek experts chime in. Best of luck to you, we are glad to have you

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temps should be 70-80 cool side and a basking of 90-105 or so. But I think that can vary depending on the subspecies of Greek. I'm not sure where a Golden would fall in that spectrum. Also definitely remove the white stuff that way the tortoise can't possibly injest that. That would be big trouble

 

[Jlant85]

Hello and welcome ^_^v first things first, WHERE IS THE TORTOISE! I NEED PICTURES! I NEED MY FIX MAN! Lol... ok lets get right to it =)
Just like what the post above said, i would change the bowl ^_^ the terra cotter saucer is always recommended =) Also i would change the substrate right away. Wood chips does not hold any moisture so the humidity drops dramatically. I prefer coconut hust myself and good old dirty =) If you really want to save money, top soil (NO CHEMICALS) from home depot is the best! That is what i use myself. If you have a hatchling (assuming you did), humidity plays a huge role in their growth =) Basic of the basic... already mentioned above =) Also you'll want to add plants to make the enclosure pretty =) Here is a great website to use and follow

Thetortoisetable.org.uk

 

[milkandsam]

I got a Greek hatchling in December. First I would change the substrate and water dish as Jlant mentioned. My personal choice so far is coco coir and organic top soil mixed together. I originally had the top soil on the bottom and coco coir on top, but now they are substantially mixed. I also added spaghnum moss that my tort LOVES to burrow in. Also, make sure to bury the food dish because my hatchling can barely make it over the edge of the food dish!!