Housing:
Tortoises are very curious creatures and will explore every inch of their living space. I use a relatively Spartan setup for the babies, which provides for easy cleaning.
Some people go the other route and heavily decorate their enclosures with plants, multiple hides, etc. My best advice is to do what is pleasing to your eye, but yet allows for easy cleaning. The tortoises will defecate every day, so ease of cleaning is a major factor for both the health of the tortoise and for odor. My setup for the babies is as follows:
I utilize 36" mortar boxes as an enclosure. They have smooth edges, are opaque, and are easy to clean. These are available in several sizes at most DIY stores such as Home Depot. They have several advantages over conventional cages. They are very inexpensive - about $10.00 to $12.00. They are black which prevents the tortoises from seeing too much outside of the enclosure. As I said, they are very curious and if they see things outside of their enclosure, they will do their best to go and investigate. They have rounded edges, which help to prevent the babies from flipping over as they explore the perimeter. They are lightweight and very easily cleaned. I simply line the bottom with newspaper, which can be changed out daily or as needed. With regular cleaning, you will never notice any odor from the tortoises. I also suggest regular baths. Bath-time is a great adventure and is an excellent exercise for bonding with your tortoise. I try and let them soak for 20 minutes or so at least every other day. They love this playtime and will usually defecate while in the water, which helps keep their enclosure that much cleaner.
Lighting is provided via both UVB lighting and natural sunlight. I try to give them some outside time in the sun every day. The sunlight and fresh air has to be beneficial.
I spend a great deal of time with the babies - I produce a relatively small number of them each year so one on one care is easily provided. The babies receive daily attention in the form of an evening bath / playtime session. I have found this to be very helpful in rearing young tortoises that are comfortable with humans and have outgoing personalities.
They are provided with a hidebox and a shallow water bowl for drinking and soaking. The temps are maintained in the high eighties in the day down to the low eighties in the evening. During the winter months, these will drop a few more degrees, but I try and keep it relatively stable. The ambient humidity is around 60%, but the babies are misted several times a day. I make an extra effort to keep the babies well hydrated, as they are prone to dehydration.
Diet:
I provide a varied diet based on 80% leafy greens and 20% fruit including the following items:
Greens:
Collard Greens
Turnip Greens
Mustard Greens
Kale
Romaine (if absolutely necessary)
Fruit:
Papaya (perfect calcium to phosphorus ratio)
Banana (w/ peels)
Tomatoes (sparingly - as treats)
Strawberries (sparingly - as treats)
Seedless Grapes (sparingly - as treats)
I shy away from the pre-packaged foods like Mazuri - they tend to have too much animal protein. About twice a week, I'll sprinkle a calcium supplement over the food. Just make sure you use one with no phosphorous. I feed the babies daily, but skip a day now and then with the adults.
Make sure that fresh water is always available. I use a small clay pot bottom for the larger tortoises and deli cup lids for the babies. As they grow, I increase the size of the water bowl. Just make sure that the tortoises can easily crawl in and out and that they are shallow enough that if the tortoise did manage to flip himself, he would not drown in the water bowl. They are also easily cleaned.
