daily activity of hatchlings

Number 5

I have two Desert Tortoise hatchlings. I am concerned about there activity level. Some days they do not seem to come out of there hide at all. Their activity level has decreased significantly in the last week. I still find solid feces and food eaten. I keep them at temperatures between 70 -85 degrees. 80-85 daytime and 70-72 at night. When I give them a soak they do not respond immediately. Today I had to remove them myself since they did not get up to leave the water bowl themselves after over 10 minutes. Any advice?

Carrie

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Nov 28, 2010

Humidity
by: Carrie

I am glad you brought up humidity levels. I was questioning this myself. Their substrate is very dry. It is about 3 inches of the organic coconut bark mix. I live in in southern Nevada so there is very little moisture in the air. It is pretty cold here right now as well. I misted their substrate last night and mixed it up a bit and put a damp towel across the top of their enclosure. Everything was bone dry by morning. Although I know they hatched this season I am unsure of their age. Their yoke sacks were completely gone when I adopted them. What is typical daily activity levels for hatchlings? What should I expect?
Thank you for your time,
Carrie

Nov 27, 2010

Hatchling health
by: Anonymous

Here are some things to consider:

Is the habitat humid enough? Hatchlings usually need more humidity than adults. At first, their habitat should be the same humidity as the incubator. Once the yolk is absorbed, the humidity should be the same as you would use for an adult.

They need lots of places to hide.

Provide a variety of foods.

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