Reptile & Amphibian Forums

When redfoot hatchlings burry themselves in the moss, should I let them come for food? Or do I pull them out and put them next to the food? They just stay burried. Is that a bad sign of anything?

Thanks

Hatchlings often may not come to feed on their own. I did with mine, what the breeder showed me: dig them out and place them in a bath to wake them up, and then sit them into a big plate (margerine container lid or the like) with lots of small cut up food. While the breeder put this plate directly into the enclosure, I put it into a plastic dish washing pan (and place this set up into the enclosure), because I found, that the babies were often walking away after a little while, whereas when confined, usually came back to continue feeding, after having explored a bit.
I still feed my (now yearlings) this way, because it keeps the enclosure clean, as they not only do not mess around with the food that way, they also poop in this pan while eating (or in the bath), and it is very easy to clean up that way.
Hope that helps,
Gaby

Hi,
I have a alomost 6 month old hatchling "Sage", and only in the past month or so has he come out on his own to eat the Dandelion greens that I put in his pen before I go to work in the morning..
I do as gabycher has sad with all of his other food...I dig him out of the moss and give him his soak for 15 mins or so,
he usually does his "business" while soaking, I then put him in a large {10"}tupperware container with his cut up fruit and greens, and place him under his U.V. light for about 45 mins..
Sage has really become very social in the past 2 months, he will eat out of my hand, and he loves to have his head petted..When I first got Sage at 7wks of age, all he did was hide. I was worried at first, but have learned for a hatchling this is normal behavior untill they get older and used to their new home...(which can take several months)...Patience is a virtue, and with these little guys you need it...

Have a GREAT DAY!!!! Shawne1

Should I soak every day? I have been doing it every 2-3 days. Should I be doing it more?

If you can soak it daily, I'd suggest that you soak it daily. If it is using a water bowl, I think you can forgo the soakings.
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Ed
Tortoise_Keepers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

How long do I soak the hatchlings for? How warm should the water be? I notice when I take them out of the water the water has cooled down quite a bit. Should I take them out before the water gets too cool?

Thanks

I soak mine for about 10 minutes. I change the water, if it cools down too quickly, but usually it doesn't, because I do the soaking in a warm place. Either in the enclosure or in a heated up bathroom (while my little daughter takes her bath).
I have always just soaked mine every second day, before and after feeding (after is just short to clean them off). But I keep them under pretty high humidity (usually 70% ), they have constant access to a shallow bath in the enclosure (which they only started using for soaking when they were a little bit older) and the bark chips in the enclosure are covered with an about 2 inches thick layer of moist spaghnum moss, into which they still dig in for the night, and used to dig in for most of the day, when they were hatchlings. The moss offers them a microclimate with even higher humidity (and also fills their hide houses made up from flower pots cut in half).
Hope that helps,
Gaby

I just got a leopard tortoise dropped off to me and am trying to make a nice place for her. I saw your photo and was wondering if your plants were really or plastic and if they are real, can you tell me what plants are safe to put in with her. Also how do you clean your tank and how often? Thanks.

My plants are (unfortunately) not real, but I find, that they look reasonably natural (see picture below). I am an avid gardener and would have loved to put real plants into the enclosure, but after going through many, many toxic and edible plant lists, I am still not quite sure, which tropical plants are safe for them. The main reason for this being, that the tropicals you buy at the nursery usually don't carry labels with the scientific names. And I am just not sure, if f.i. all Yucca species are safe. Some obviously are, but is it the ones they are selling at my local nursery? So I decided to go the 'better safe but sorry' way.
In terms of cleaning,- as I mentioned in a previous post, my redfoots do not poop in their enclosure. They do it in the bath or in the plastic container in which I feed them. Thus I do not change the basic medium often. Only about twice a year. It takes many, many big bags of fir bark to fill my enclosure, and I bake all the medium, before it goes in, to destroy potential bugs, their eggs and funguses. So it is not soemthing to do every week... I do change / add to the top layer of spaghnum moss though, maybe every 2 - 3 months, as the moss starts breaking up over the time and doesn't stay fluffy any more.
Good luck with your new tortoise,
Gaby