The Tortoise Table

Hi Tattlefox, I'm so sorry to be late in responding to your post! I saw it and wanted to do some more research on the product first, and then got distracted. Anyway, welcome to The Tortoise Table. I tink I got the wrong idea at first, because I thought the plant pods had to be used with the indoor g...

Hi Carol, These leaves look like they could be broad leaf plantain, but it's almost impossible to ID a plant from leaves that have been torn off, because the leaves of so many plants look similar (lol, think of trying to identify a breed of dog from a close up of part of one ear). We need to see how...

What a wonderful life Achillea lives (and ! And she and your cat (what's his name by the way) seem to be enjoying their cuddle. Lin has loads of cats, and I think they formed good relationships with her tortoises too. She's looking after grandchildren today, but I'm sure she'll come on later and I k...

I think it will be fine to consult the vet in the next town. The only problems come because ordinary vets aren't always aware of complications that come when medicines used on mammals aren't appropriate for reptiles. For example, Ivermectin is a medicine used to treat a wide range of parasites in ma...

Hi Claire,

That is a very interesting result! I think you can book an appt with your local vet, but I want to send you something first, so hold on until tomorrow morning because I need to find it and type it out for you.

Nina

Aww, bless him -- he is so cute! I expect there will be a run on sales of chopsticks now -- get yours before the shelves empty after the panic buying!

Nina

OK, here I am again. Here are two photos. The one with the display unit showing has a wire coat hanger bent around the upright of the arm that holds the lights, and then a straight bit that goes out under the light. The cord of the thermometer is partly wound round that and then hangs down directly ...

Hi Claire, I forgot you'd ordered some digital probe ones! Easy peasy -- sort of. I'll take some photos of mine. I couldn't remember how your lamp is hanging, but I see from another thread that it is clamped to the side (I was thinking if it was hanging from an arm you could sit the display unit on ...

Hi Claire, I know it's worrying when they flip over, but 99% of the time they are able to right themselves. Have you given him a while to try and get upright again (it's agonizing to watch, but they can do it). Your table is a really good one for him to be able to get upright again, because the way ...

Hi Carol, There are two ways to provide heat and UVB. The first way is to buy a fluorescent bulb that produces UVB, like the one you bought, but they don't produce any heat so you need to have a separate bulb for heat. I'm assuming that the one you bought looked like a fluorescent tube, rather than ...

Hi Polly, Welcome to The Tortoise Table. You are right in thinking that Leopard tortoises do not hibernate, so the most likely cause of his lethargy is that he is not warm enough. What is the temperature directly under his heat source and at the height of his shell (a thermometer on a nearby wall wi...

Some people put a small ball in with a tortoise, and I've seen videos of them pushing the ball around (although male tortoises are notorious for mating with rubber balls -- and old trainers (don't ask . . . .). I once put a little mirror in the table with my Doris, and she used to sit for hours just...

Hi Dan, and welcome from me too. Egyptian's are such lovely little tortoises, and I can see why you miss them. Don't worry about not having Facebook. We'll try to remember your interest and we can forward information about Spur Thighs or Hermann's that come in by messaging you or emailing you when s...

Hi, It's a nice idea, but there are real potential problems. I am assuming that you are planning to get another Horsfield (you can't keep two different species together), but there can be big problems, depending on the sex of the tortoises, and it is too early to determine the sex of Deriiick, as he...

Glad to be of help, Oli, and I think you're building him an excellent home. Will he have an outdoor enclosure for the warmer weather? Tortoises really do thrive outdoors, and the UVB from the sun is a far higher quality than any that we provide artificially indoors (well, you've got a long time to t...

Ha, ha -- we've all gone through this: 'How could i possibly become attached to a reptile?' It's because they actually have great personalities (as you are finding out), and they are quite addictive. They also have amazing memories and can be very stubborn too. Cheers, Nina [attachment=0]turtsdancin...

Hi Oli, Yes, a lot of people say that sand can irritate their eyes, but if you look at the substrate they live on in the wild it is very, very sandy. I've attached three photos of tortoises in the wild, and I think you can see the type of soil they are on. He probably did get a little bit of dust in...

Thanks so much for letting us know, Anne Marie! That is great news. Sometimes we give out advice and then we don't get feedback, and then you wonder if you suggested the right thing, so it's great to know that our little tips for trickery were successful. Albert and Elliot are such nice names too! N...

Hi Oliman, and welcome to The Tortoise Table! And many congratulations on welcoming your Hermann's tortoise into your home. You were absolutely right to use a soil-based, rather than a wood chip substrate. Wicke's sterilised topsoil is fine, but it's probably best to mix it with children's playsand ...

Hi Louise, Sorry, I probably wasn't clear, but the Observation Records Booklet is a physical (rather than electronic) thing, so I need your home address. I don't want you to post your address online here, so if you could email me at nina@thetortoisetable.org.uk and give me your full address, I'll po...

Thanks, Louise! I'm so glad youve got a table, and it looks like a nice set-up you've made for him. As time goes on you could try to put some other little 'furniture' in the table -- things that he can walk over, under or around, just to keep his interest up. Tortoises can get bored if they can see ...

Hi Claire, Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that. It is possible that when you weighed him on the 23rd it was before any poo, so he was carrying a bit of extra weight, and the fact that he had four poos yesterday means that he will probably have lost several grams in those poos. So I wouldn't be too alarm...

Hi Louise and welcome to The Tortoise Table -- and congratulations on welcoming this little Horsfield into your family. Horsfields are a great species, with lots of personality, but the way they live in the wild provides good clues to how and what to feed them. In their natural habitats Horsfields t...

Aww they are really handsome tortoises -- thanks so much for the photo! I've used the method of hiding something under something they like (like you putting something under the lettuce) when I need to give them medicine. I've spread it on a thin piece of cucumber and then turned the cucumber upside ...

Hi Ladybird, It sounds to me like you are providing a really excellent home for these litle Egyptian tortoises and that they are very lucky to have found a home with you! Tortoises can be notoriously fussy eaters, and are easily addicted to food that isn't great for them, like iceberg lettuce (which...