The Tortoise Table

Amazing- thanks so much

No 4

No 3

No 2

Hi please could I ask for some help IDing the following plants. I will put each plant in a different post to help with separation

No 1

Thanks Isabelle. That is pretty much the only view I get of him at the moment- it’s the “bum in air” pose!!

Thanks I decided to leave him be yesterday just to see what he would do if I didn’t get him up etc and he slept at the colder end of his table for a full 24 hours! I put him under his lamp at that point and he woke up a bit, but kept trying to go back and bury himself. So I gave him his daily bath a...

Hi
Can I ask how Melvin is doing now?
I have a very sleepy newbie too and just wondering whether he is just getting used to us

Thanks

Nic

Thanks Nina
I was reading the article as you replied!
I wonder if I am just watching him too much

I will try and relax a little and give him some space...

Thanks again for bearing with me! Can’t say how grateful I am for all your help and advice!

Hi So I have a couple of questions as I get my head round suitable diet for Fergus. I have managed to find a good variety of safe food around and about and have offered Fergus a selection each day, but he will only eat lettuce or dandelion and the occasional campanula flower but generally isn’t eati...

Nina- I think you will just be able to make Fergus out on his slate in front of my daughter. He’s a definite hit/schoolwork distraction with all the family except perhaps Sid the whippet who’s looking decidedly dejected! Fergus is only outside when one of us is at the moment until we get a mesh lid ...

Hi All I am very pleased to finally be able to introduce Fergus the Horsfield. He seems a very happy little chap and is very busy exploring, eating and basking. I am working for home today and he is also very distracting!! Thank you again for all the support and advice that you have all provided tha...

Thanks Nina- the lamp can currently be moved up and down but it seems to be warm enough at the highest setting which is frustrating.
My husband in very handy and will easily be able to make a higher one

Hi Nina Thanks- it is all down the help and inspiration that I have found on here. So much more to think about than I anticipated but have really enjoyed scouring this site. I have a thermometer with a probe all set and ready to go. It hits about 31 under the lamp, there is a radiator at that end of...

So now all set up inside too! No soft comfy bedding but hopefully enough to keep him entertained and healthy. Will hopefully be picking up our little tortoise on Thursday and we are very excited. Just got to think of a name...!!!! Lin- we are getting a horsfields but I have one of your caresheets al...

So the outside enclosure is all finished and planted up. I planted the rosemary straight into the ground but everything else is in pots so I can mix it up a bit. Baby tortoise will only be out here when we are and when it’s warm to start with but we will look to make a mesh cover for safety and incl...

Thanks Lin- I think I just needed some reassurance that not filling his sleeping compartment with nice soft bedding wouldn’t make it him/her feel unloved! Sid (the whippet) is happiest curled up on the sofa, under a blanket, cuddled up to one of us! Yes we’ll be sure to make sure the dog doesn’t hav...

Hi- we are nearly set up for our tortoise arrival now. Outdoor enclosure dug out, built up and planted. The indoor table arrived yesterday and is all set up with heat and UVB combo bulb. It’s very exciting. I’m off to get topsoil and play sand at the weekend. We have a whippet, who feels the cold so...

Love that picture- they’re sneaky little things hey! There didn’t seem to be any climbing plants that were safe to eat in the database, or would it be ok to plant something not safe as the tortoise wouldn’t be able to reach the leaves? The flower bed is surrounded by patio and has brick sides 2 deep...

Hi Todays job is to dig out one of our flower boarders to make an outside run for our new tortoise in preparation for its arrival I have dug everything out and now need to scree the soil and mix it with sand. Trouble is, it now all looks very bare and so I was wondering if anyone has any recommendat...

Can I ask another question? You guys have been so helpful so far, I really appreciate everything. We are going to start making our indoor enclosure this week and want to factor in the light rig even though I’m not sure how easy it will be to get hold of. I am confused by what would be best between s...

Thanks Nina- that’s good to know and no, no spraying, they are very ‘natural’ gardeners (it’s a bit of a wilderness) I used PlantSnap to try and identify things with varying degrees of success- we have quite a small garden really and most things are in pots. I didn’t keep a record of what I did find...

Hi I have had a look through the database but I don’t seem to be able to find any roses on there. We are planning on an indoor enclosure for tort when it arrives and then converting a sunny flowerbed in a corner of our garden to an outside enclosure for next spring. It’s against our neighbours rose ...

Thank you both, some helpful information, but looks like Bokkr may have found a home. We are also keen to start with a younger tortoise It seems that breeders generally sell their babies as hatchlings as I have been unable to find a yearling anywhere. Everyone seems to have eggs hibernating. Will ju...

Hi All I am looking at getting my first tortoise and have been doing lots of research etc to try and untangle the complexities. I was planning on yearling and my husband is in the process of building a smallish first home for it- any recommendations in terms of age for first ownership would be appre...