Small Tortoise Care sheet
This care sheet is a good reference for keeping small hatchling tortoises. I am
currently working with several different types of small tortoises and a good
deal of the husbandry is very similar for these animals. When I sell someone a
hatchling I tell them to try and find out as much about the individual type of
tortoise as they can. Here are something things that I have found that work
best:
CHOOSING A HEALTHY TORTOISE
When purchasing a tortoise it is important to keep in mind that these are very
long lived animals and require a long term obligation. You should also consider
the size the animal will eventually attain. You have to know what you have room
for. A Redfoot and many other tortoises may only grow to about 15 inches. A
Spur-thigh, on the other hand, is a large tortoise. It is also important to know
that there are things to look for that will indicate the overall health of the
animal. Tortoises should be active and alert. They should have good body weight
for their size. The eyes are an excellent indicator of health - they should be
clear, mucus free, and not very puffy. The nostrils should be free and clear of
discharge and bubbles.
HOUSING
If it is a Redfoot, Leopard, or Spur-thigh, I like to start out with a 20 gallon
long terrarium. This will give your hatchling room to grow. It is also easy to
give the hatchling a good temperature gradient. From one side of the cage to the
other.
BEDDING
Currently I use cypress mulch. I like it because it is inexpensive. I buy it at
Home Depot and it costs about $2.00 per bag. Cypress mulch is good because it
helps hold moisture. Also, it does not tend to mold which is very important. It
is easy to spot clean cypress mulch. You simply take out the waste material and
throw it away. Spot cleaning should be done daily. In the past, I have used
alfalfa pellets. I do not recommend this as a substrate because it tends to mold
easily and it has also gotten quite costly. I would never recommend keeping
hatchling tortoises on play sand. Tortoises (both adult and young) can easily
become impacted when kept on sand. An reptile can become impacted by ingesting
the sand which they can not pass through their systems. The result is,
unfortunately, that they become septic and could die. There are many different
products recommended for keeping tortoises. However, I have had such success
with cypress mulch that I recommend it above all other bedding types.
LIGHTING
On all my turtles and tortoises that I keep indoors I use lighting that contains
UVB. Tortoises that are kept indoors need light that contains UVB so that their
bodies can absorb calcium. Without UVB bulbs reptiles will not be able to absorb
calcium which is necessary for proper growth and healthy bones. It is important
to note that UVB bulbs lose their potency after about 6 months, so they should
always be changed at least twice a year.
TEMPERATURE
I like my hatching tortoises to have a warm area of about 88 and a cooler area
of about 80. To achieve this I use portable clamp lamps that can be purchased at
Home Depot. You will generally see two sizes (small and large). I find that the
large works best. Depending on the temperature of your home you will have to
play around with the bulbs that you use. For example, sometimes you may need a
40 watt bulb, but sometimes you may find that you need a 60 watt bulb. The most
important thing is to keep the gradient temperature of 80 at one end and 88 at
the other end of the enclosure.
FEEDING
Diet is one of the most important aspects of keeping a tortoise. With my
Leopards, Spur-thighs, and Greeks I tend to feed more dark leafy vegetables such
as collard greens, mustard greens, and kale. I use a mixture of grated up
squash, carrots, zucchini. I also grate up spineless cactus pads. Bell peppers,
cucumbers, and a small amount of fruit are also good items to offer. Some fruit
examples are: apples (no seeds), pears (no seeds), banana, and melon. It is
important to add variety to the diet. If you feed just one type of food you can
create vitamin deficiency in the animals. On occasion I have been known to feed
frozen (thawed) vegetables (peas, carrots, corn). I also feed hibiscus leaves
and flowers as well as leaves from my mulberry trees (always make sure the
plants and flowers have not been treated with any pesticide). I do use romaine
and other lettuces. Things to stay away from are iceberg lettuce because there
is no nutritional value, spinach because it is calcium binding. Redfoots will
also get all of the food items mentioned with additional fruit.
SUPPLEMENTS
I like to use Rep-Cal calcium supplements with vitamin D3. I also like Rep-Cal
Herptivite multivitamins. The calcium supplement I try to use every other
feeding. My tortoises are offered a small meal at least every day. The
multivitamins are added to food at least once every two weeks.
SOAKING
I like to soak small tortoises at least two times per week but sometimes three
times a week. When soaking tortoises I use a small Rubbermaid container and I
put in anywhere between a quarter inch and a half inch of lukewarm water. I let
them soak for approximately 15 minutes or until they defecate in the water. When
this happens you want to either change the water and let them soak longer or
lightly dry them off and place them back in their enclosure. Most of the time
when you soak a hatching they will stick their head in the water and drink.
Tortoises should NOT be swimming and they should never be left alone when
soaking. Pay close attention to make sure they are not flipped over as they may
not be able to right themselves back over and could drown. Soaking is important
because it keeps tortoises hydrated. I generally don’t keep water in the
enclosures and so I tend to soak my tortoises often.
In closing, I want to state that these are some of the things that I do which
have worked well for me over the years. I recommend trying to find out as much
as you can about each individual species that you are working with. For example,
there will be differences between species found in the rainforest and species
occurring in the desert - each location lends to different husbandry needs.
Animals that come from the desert will not need as much humidity as an animal
that comes from the rainforest. There is an abundance of information of
different species of tortoise - try to find out what you can, and remember you
always want to do what works best for the animals.
