moodytuesday
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2014
- Messages
- 2
My 9 year old has had Tom for about 3 weeks now and overall I think things are going okay, but I have some questions. Thanks for your help!
1. Hide - he slept in it the 1st night & hasn't been in it since. I know it could be bigger, but didn't want to take up too much space. Recommendations? He spends most of the day in the far hot corner.
2. Heat - under the MVB it's 95'-97'F and just outside of it it's 83'. The cool end by his food is 70. At night the temp is in the 60's, probably lower end. I'm not sure how to add more heat to a plastic tub - we had a halogen lamp over it for awhile but it just made it bright, not warm. I hate to buy another MVB due to cost since we'll be building an outdoor pen in the spring. We're in No. CO if that helps.
3. Food - we feed him 2 big lettuce leafs in the morning (mustard greens, green leaf, romaine), which he eats readily. In the late afternoon he sits in his food dish & when we give him more he eats it. Can you overfeed a tortoise? Should we be feeding more than once/day? We've also offered carrot tops & one blueberry & he didn't go for either. I know fruit is a special treat, but we were curious if he'd eat it.
4. Odor - we're using the eco earth coconut fiber (3 bricks in a 110qt tub) and clean the waste daily, but it's starting to smell. How often should we replace the fiber? I was under the impression it would last 3 months (from some other thread I read). It's in my son's bedroom so we notice it.
5. Soaking - we've had him in a warm bath 3X for 20 min and he scratches the sides like he's trying to get out almost the entire time. Should we continue or is the water dish enough?
He's been a fun pet - whenever I walk into the room & talk to him he looks up & often walks to the side to see me. We're looking forward to designing & building an outdoor pen.
Here's photos, thanks for your help!
1. Hide - he slept in it the 1st night & hasn't been in it since. I know it could be bigger, but didn't want to take up too much space. Recommendations? He spends most of the day in the far hot corner.
2. Heat - under the MVB it's 95'-97'F and just outside of it it's 83'. The cool end by his food is 70. At night the temp is in the 60's, probably lower end. I'm not sure how to add more heat to a plastic tub - we had a halogen lamp over it for awhile but it just made it bright, not warm. I hate to buy another MVB due to cost since we'll be building an outdoor pen in the spring. We're in No. CO if that helps.
3. Food - we feed him 2 big lettuce leafs in the morning (mustard greens, green leaf, romaine), which he eats readily. In the late afternoon he sits in his food dish & when we give him more he eats it. Can you overfeed a tortoise? Should we be feeding more than once/day? We've also offered carrot tops & one blueberry & he didn't go for either. I know fruit is a special treat, but we were curious if he'd eat it.
4. Odor - we're using the eco earth coconut fiber (3 bricks in a 110qt tub) and clean the waste daily, but it's starting to smell. How often should we replace the fiber? I was under the impression it would last 3 months (from some other thread I read). It's in my son's bedroom so we notice it.
5. Soaking - we've had him in a warm bath 3X for 20 min and he scratches the sides like he's trying to get out almost the entire time. Should we continue or is the water dish enough?
He's been a fun pet - whenever I walk into the room & talk to him he looks up & often walks to the side to see me. We're looking forward to designing & building an outdoor pen.
Here's photos, thanks for your help!
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