r/TortoiseCare

I need help, I got my tortoise when I was 11 and I wasn’t informed about proper care and housing for my tortoise. The shell rot is something I don’t know how to navigate and I feel horrible about how ignorant I have been about his care. Please help and give me any tips for how I’m supposed to care for him. I am getting old enough now where I realize that I am doing something wrong and I want to fix it. I’m doing my own reasearch but any help is appreciated. I do live him and know I am capable of giving him the proper care.

I also live in Iowa and was wondering about vet suggestions as I don’t have one for him. Please offer constructive criticism and not hate, I know I need to provide better care.

Ok so I managed to convince my parents and I built a new enclosure in the garden, it’s great weather at the moment and they have an insulated hut for the night and 5 big hides. It’s currently 6ftx6ft because they are still small but as they grow there will be plenty of room to extend please let me know if there is anything else I can do

Hello everyone!

I have two Testudo marginata hatchlings (9-10 months old) and I’d love some advice on heat wave management and summer housing logistics. We still have about 2.5 months of summer ahead. I have my apartment is ~5 min away by car to the outside enclosure (at my grandparents yard) and stays at a constant 25–28°C I have a smaller house near the outside enclosure where the temp is around 22-26 °C

My current setup all attached in photos:

•	Outdoor enclosure (200×100 cm) in my grandparents’ yard, some lavender and denser grass patches but not much shade overall
•	Small plastic tub (55×38 cm) – already built, with heat lamp + UVB (last 2 photos)
•	OSB wood enclosure (~100×60 cm) – almost finished, also with heat lamp and possible uvb 

I’m planning to add 2 water dishes and terracoco (coco choir) to hide in the their mini house(made by wood can be seen in the photos) în the outdoor enclosure so they can self-regulate a bit.

Question 1: Is 32–35°C in the shade dangerous for juveniles?

We’re having a heat wave here in Romania with shade temperatures hitting 32–35°C. My routine on hot days:

•	7–8 AM: Stop by before work, let them out into the outdoor enclosure
•	11–13h: Move them inside the outbuilding (22–26°C), food and bath
•	16–17h: Move them back outside
•	19–20h: Bring them in for the night

Is this schedule reasonable, or would it be less stressful to just keep them inside the whole day when it’s that hot? With a terracoco soil wood hide available, could they self-regulate enough to stay outside safely, or is 32–35°C in the shade just too much regardless?

I don’t want to leave them overnight outside due to possible predators, I live in a city but anything is possible.

Question 2: Which summer housing option is best?

I have 3 options (but I’m open if you have any new idea):

Option 1 -> Everything at grandparents’ (my current preference): The OSB enclosure with both heat lamp + UVB stays in the outbuilding at grandparents’. Daily routine: I let them out in the outdoor enclosure before work. On normal days I leave them outside until evening, then bring them in for the night – no lamps on overnight, they just sleep. On heat wave days (32–35°C+ in the shade), I move them into the OSB enclosure at midday (11–13h) for a bath with heat lamp + UVB on, then back outside around 16–17h until evening. Speaking of which on slightly cooler heat wave days, is it actually okay to leave them outside all day with just a small shelter filled with terra coco (coconut coir substrate) and water dishes, or should I always bring them in at midday regardless?

Option 2 –> OSB enclosure at my apartment, plastic tub at grandparents’: The OSB with UVB + heat lamp goes to my apartment. The plastic tub stays in the outbuilding at grandparents’ with heat lamp only (no UVB, since that goes with the OSB). On heat wave days I’d use the plastic tub for the midday break – but with no UVB available there, is that a problem for a 2-hour midday stay? Also, my apartment stays at 25–28°C constantly – is that too warm at night with no cooler period?

Option 3 –> Plastic tub at my apartment, OSB at grandparents’: The plastic tub with UVB + heat lamp goes to my apartment. The OSB stays in the outbuilding at grandparents’ with heat lamp only (no UVB). Same concern as Option 2 – no UVB during midday breaks at grandparents’. And the 55×38 cm plastic tub feels quite small even for short stays at my apartment on bad weather days.

But the weather in Romania is very changing now it was a heat wave, next week can be only rain with 20-26 Celsius degrees.

So main questions:

1. Heat management: Is 32–35°C in the shade genuinely too hot for 9-10 month old marginata, even with a terra coco shelter and water available? Or can I leave them outside all day until evening and just bring them in at night? On cooler days (under 30°C, like next week’s forecast), I’m actually leaning toward keeping them at my apartment in the OSB enclosure and leaving the plastic tub + outdoor enclosure at grandparents’ for the hotter days – does that kind of flexible approach make sense?
   2. Best option overall: Between the three options described above, which would you recommend for the remaining 2.5 months of summer? Or if you have a completely different suggestion, I’m open – though building another full wood enclosure isn’t currently an option financially.
   3. Transport stress: For Options 2 and 3, I’d be moving them by car (~10 minutes) on a daily or near-daily basis. How stressful is this for juveniles this age, and would it be better to leave them somewhere for 2 days at a time rather than moving them every day?

It wouldn’t let me post in r/turtles, I tried numerous times. One of our daycare employees is moving states, so she decided to give her pet turtle to the daycare…As soon as this thing was brought in I knew this wasn’t the right environment for a turtle. I don’t know much about turtles, but I do know they need much more water than what is provided. His shell and skin look so dry… I own two crested geckos myself so if needed I can bring in a spray bottle mister or extra decor. I believe he is a musk turtle? I am not sure though, I only think that because of the way his mouth is. I read that musk turtles are highly aquatic and should have pretty much the whole tank with water and then a little stand where they can be if they don’t want to be in the water. I am willing to spend personal money on him even though he is technically not mine. ALSO, I know that red lights aren’t very good for lizards does the same thing apply for turtles? I assume so.

Hello, I have had my little guy for about 4 years now. He had a small spot on his shell when I got him and with better care it went away. I just recently noticed his shell started to look bad again, is this dehydration or maybe shell rot. Can I treat this with chlorahexadine and if so where’s the best place to buy some?

For context he gets romaine, dandelion greens and collard greens every other day. He also gets a calcium supplement without D3 two days a week and then a multivitamin every other Sunday. He gets fresh water to drink and or soak in, and had a basking spot that sits around 90-95 and a cool side around 75. He also has a linear uvb. He gets outside time at least once a week if not more. Am I doing something wrong with his care that could be causing this ?

I have a 3 month old hermanns. During his vet appointment on the 16th he weighed 18g. His vet said he felt a little dense/underweight. I weighed him again on the 23rd and he was 19g. However, his weight today is back to 18g… is this slow weight growth normal??? He is very active throughout the day and he eats almost all his greens every day. Am I just overreacting?