Newbie's setup

[Hillman]

Hi guys, I'm new to the forum as well as to tortoise.

It's a 32 inches reptile tank for 2 baby leopards, please let me know if anything i can avoid or improve. Thanks!

 

[Hillman]

I have kept these 2 little ones for almost 3 months but they didn't gain any weight. They eat and act normally. Is it normal?
I bath them once a day under basking lamp

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

I have kept these 2 little ones for almost 3 months but they didn't gain any weight. They eat and act normally. Is it normal?
I bath them once a day under basking lamp

make sure the cage stays at 80% humidity and daily soaks in warm water. what have you been feeding them?

 

[Hillman]

Thanks R/S/T, the humidity is around 60+ and i do soak them daily. I'm feeding them with organic romaine lettuce, spring mix and Herp Craft tortoise food which is from Japan.

The smaller one only eats lettuce and the larger one likes the tortoise food a lot. However, they both didn't gain a single gram in 3 months. I was keeping them in a 24" tank before and I thought they do not have much place to walk around so i bought this 32" home today. besides the weight, everything seems normal to me.

 

[stojanovski92113]

I like the pic of the dog looking at them!! Cute torts you have there

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/
this will help

 

[Hillman]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/
this will help

Thanks, i have read this thread before I went to the reptile store. Hope I'm getting everything right

 

[Hillman]

I like the pic of the dog looking at them!! Cute torts you have there

Thanks stojan, he's been couching there and staring at the tortoise for hours....

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

maybe add some variety to there diet(grasses and nontoxic weeds) and increase the cage humidity to 80%

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

I'm sorry, but dogs and torts (even when they are being 'watched') are never a good idea! Especially because they are babies, your dog could kill both those babies and not think otherwise... it just happens
Your setup is so nice! I love the plants. Even just a towel over the top can help with humidity (it's hard to get it stay with an open top!)
Do they regularly eat lettuces? They look really good, too, very smooth.

 

[kathyth]

I love the set up, the tortoises are beautiful and the dog is so darn cute.
Dogs, even the best, kill tortoises. They're living raw hide to dogs.
Nice job!

 

[Hillman]

I'm sorry, but dogs and torts (even when they are being 'watched') are never a good idea! Especially because they are babies, your dog could kill both those babies and not think otherwise... it just happens
Your setup is so nice! I love the plants. Even just a towel over the top can help with humidity (it's hard to get it stay with an open top!)
Do they regularly eat lettuces? They look really good, too, very smooth.

Thanks for the advice. I thought they could be friends if I let them seeing each others through the glasses for a year or two. i put a fence on the top of the tank so the dog won't jump in. for humidity, i placed a piece of sponge in the basking spot temporary.

I don't want to feed them lettuces, however, the smaller one only eats veggie and she has moist poo everyday, tried everything i could, i even grow orchard grass myself and picked the fresh leaves, chopped into small pieces then mix with the veggie, she decided not to eat at all. Now i feed them romaine lettuce, spring mix, cucumber and tortoise food depends on what i get myself for lunch. I don't worry about the other one cause he has a lot of tortoise food and only a few bites of veggies

 

[Tom]

Your set up looks nice and its clear you put a lot of time, effort and thought into it. Well done. I have two suggestions: 1. I like bigger enclosures. That size is okay for now, but start thinking bigger, much bigger. 2. I would not house them as a pair. The stress of that could be contributing to you lack of growth.

Now about your lack of growth: It looks like you are housing and caring for these babies very well, but the growth lines on their shells tell the story of a dry past. How were they started? Most breeders think they need desert conditions and keep them far too dry. This can be devastating for a tiny baby tortoise, but the damage done in those first few weeks sometimes doesn't kill them until weeks or months later. Read this: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/
Does any of that sound familiar? I hope not, but if it does, at least you have some idea of what is going on.

 

[bouaboua]

Hello and Welcome. Good to have you here and looks like you getting lots attention already. Good for you.

This is a great place to learn and share. Welcome again!!

 

[Hillman]

Your set up looks nice and its clear you put a lot of time, effort and thought into it. Well done. I have two suggestions: 1. I like bigger enclosures. That size is okay for now, but start thinking bigger, much bigger. 2. I would not house them as a pair. The stress of that could be contributing to you lack of growth.

Now about your lack of growth: It looks like you are housing and caring for these babies very well, but the growth lines on their shells tell the story of a dry past. How were they started? Most breeders think they need desert conditions and keep them far too dry. This can be devastating for a tiny baby tortoise, but the damage done in those first few weeks sometimes doesn't kill them until weeks or months later. Read this: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/
Does any of that sound familiar? I hope not, but if it does, at least you have some idea of what is going on.

I'm already negotiating a 12' x 4' with my wife after a year or two, you know, negotiation always takes time and need strategic planning.

yes, they did live in a very dry condition for 2 weeks, i do know they need high humidity and i did provide them with humidity, the only thing i didn't know was the basking light dried out their resting zone, not until i saw them with skins falling off from their face, I then treated them with medicine and soaked them twice a day for a few days, they recovered and it was a month ago, so i guess they're OK for now.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Mix in the good greens with the veggies and gradually eliminate all the veggies and luttecues... Or you could play the tough love card and take away all veggies now and wait for them to give up and eat the weedy greens. Seems terrible, but tortoises can go a while without feeling hungry!

 

[Hillman]

Mix in the good greens with the veggies and gradually eliminate all the veggies and luttecues... Or you could play the tough love card and take away all veggies now and wait for them to give up and eat the weedy greens. Seems terrible, but tortoises can go a while without feeling hungry!

Can I feed them hay? or better greens? It's almost impossible to find any place with unpolluted grass field in my country.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Hay is great, if they'll eat it. Grow your own. Many places sell weed mixes... like TortoiseSupply and CarolinaPetSupply. Grasses, dandelions varites, special mixes, so on. It's like a tortoise candy store

 

[Yvonne G]

Baby tortoises probably won't eat hay. When they get a bit bigger, say 3 or 4 years of age, they start to develop an interest in it.

 

[Tom]

Here is a list of foods to look for:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food


At the grocery store, try to find a wide variety and favor endive and escarole. Collard, turnip and mustard greens are good. Cilantro, watercress, bok choy and chard are all good too. Carrot tops, squash leaves, etc...