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  • • Tank – Babies: 30/40 gal
    • Larger: Lowboy/
    Tortoise House
    • Substrate – Large Reptichip
    Block/ 2 Large bags
    • Heating – Basking Bulb &
    Fixture + UVB 10.0 Linear
    • Digital Thermometer
    • Water Dish
    • Food Dish
    • Hides + Humid Hide if Baby
    • Repashy Superveggie

  • For baby tortoises (4 inch shell and under) we recommend not going larger in caging than a 30/40 gallon. Larger tortoises (up to adult size for Russians/hermanns) can be kept in either a 50 gallon low boy/ zoo med tortoise house or equivalent sized terrarium.

  • For indoor enclosures we recommend chip style substrate such as reptibark or reptichip. Baby tortoises need humidity and moss plus a humid hide should be adding to the enclosure.

  • Indoor basking temperatures should be maintained at 90-95 degrees. UVB light is essential for tortoises and a fluorescent tube UVB10.0 bulb or a mercury vapor bulb should be used. Baby tortoises benefit from being warm at night and a lower wattage CHE/night bulb should added to assist getting the night basking spot to 80-85

  • Tortoises should always have access to clean water, a ramp bowl they can fit into is ideal as they will soak themselves.
    Baby tortoises require extra humidity and their enclosures should be sprayed daily as well as a always damp humid hide being available to them.

  • Tortoises are grazers, and require a fiber rich diet. Staple vegetables for an indoor tortoise diet see our safe produce list.
    ortoises should be fed daily veggies with a calcium supplement added. Repashy products such as grassland grazer can be added and are beneficial to forest tortoises. A moistened pellet style food can also be offered.

  • Indoor tortoises should have a place to hide in their enclosure along with a food and water dish.

  • Substrate should be regularly spot cleaned and fully changed out every 3-4 months.
    Spot clean your tortoise’s habitat daily to remove any feces, urates, shed skin, or uneaten food.

  • Baby tortoises should receive minimal handling since they are fragile with soft shells.

    Sub adults can be held but all tortoise prefer to be able to walk around rather than being held up.

    Tortoises have a few issues with their health that can occur.

    Eyes: Sometimes tortoises may have issues with swollen/closed/goopy eyes. This may occur because of too low levels of heat. If you see this occurring in your tortoise please give us a call

    Pyramiding: Pyramiding occurs when tortoises do not receive the proper nutrition, calcium, and UVB it causes their scutes to rise “pyramid” and their shell not grow flat. Proper lighting and feeding is important to avoid pyramiding as is it not reversable.
    Tortoises have a few issues with their health that can occur.

    Eyes: Sometimes tortoises may have issues with swollen/closed/goopy eyes. This may occur because of too low levels of heat. If you see this occurring in your tortoise please give us a call

    Pyramiding: Pyramiding occurs when tortoises do not receive the proper nutrition, calcium, and UVB it causes their scutes to rise “pyramid” and their shell not grow flat. Proper lighting and feeding is important to avoid pyramiding as is it not reversable.

Indoor/Baby Tortoise

Size: 8-30 inches (depending on species)
Lifespan: 50-100 years
Diet: Plants & Vegetables
Care Level: Intermediate
Temperament: Docile
Activity: Diurnal

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