The Tortoise Table

Oh dear, I'm so sorry, but I never saw your PMs until just now! We had a time from mid October until early November when we weren't being notified of new posts or new private messages and we missed loads. Actually if you want to contact me off the forum, it's best to send me an email at nina@thetort...

Thanks, Claire -- I thought you might be! It was so frustrating today -- I found about 8 or 10 posts where no notification had been sent to us (all between mid and late October), so we missed them, and I've posted today to all of them and hope they haven't abandoned us for lack of response!

Nina

Am really sorry to be so late in responding to your post, but we are having problems with not being notified as we should when a new post comes in, and I've only just seen this. How are you doing with your grow light? I hope all is growing well and looking lush and tasty! Regarding the organic plant...

Hi Cheryl, We are supposed to be notified every time someone posts something on the forum, but I've just realised that there was a period in October when we weren't being notified, and I'm finding lots of posts that have gone unanswered (including yours), so I'm really sorry as I've only just seen i...

Hi Carol,

Just wondering if the UVB bulb arrived OK, and how you are finding it.

Nina

Carol wrote:
> Little update Wallace is now eating and pooing, still waiting for the uvb
> blub

Oh dear, we are supposed to be notified each time a post comes into a thread, but this morning I've discovered quite a few from the middle to end of October where we had no notification and so didn't respond. So sorry! Squirtle is a great name, and I hope he is doing really well in the lovely set-up...

Oh dear, I am finding a whole group of posts that came in, in the middle to end of October where we weren't notified, so never responded. Am so sorry -- but incredibly impressed with your hi tech set-up -- it looks absolutely super!

Nina

Oh dear -- I have only just seen this post! We are supposed to be notified when any new posts come in, but I am finding several where no notice was sent. You've probably solved the problem now, but what I do is to tape a chopstick or some sort of stick, horizontally to the rim of the table near the ...

Hi Nic, They're full of constant surprises, aren't they! I'm so pleased to hear that he's eating now, and he seems to have gone into turbo mode. The best way to judge if he is eating the right amount is to keep a record of his weight, and aim for a gain of between 1g - 3g or 4g per month (that's jus...

Oh wow, that is brilliant news! Thanks for letting us know. And I fully agree with you about the life of a tortoise being something I'd like. At the mment the idea of hibernating for three months is very attractive (maybe all this horrible stuff will be over with by the time i wake up)! Cheers, Nina

Hi Annika, That's a lovely little set-up you've got, so well done, and you have a very sweet looking Horsfield (what's his name, by the way)! The only thing I can see that maybe could be tweaked is that your thermometer is reading 27C, but the probe that records the temperature looks like it is quit...

Hi Annika, and welcome to The Tortoise Table! Congratulations on welcoming this little Horsfield into your family. I'm sorry to hear he's been unwell, but it sounds like you had good service from the vet and that your tortoise is on the way to recovery. This time of year, tortoises are thinking abou...

Hi Claire, I've talked to Lin about this and we both agree that you don't need to make an appointment with this vet, and it might be better to make an appt. with a specialist after Christmas -- but first see how he gets on. We certainly think that six-month bloods to test kidney function is unnecess...

Good luck, Jody, and let us know how you get on.

Nina

Yes, I've deleted it, and hopefully that will be the end of it . . . . . . .until the next one. Such a hassle. When we delete these posts, we also permanently ban the user and the user's IP addrress, but they keep coming back -- I think it's a common problem. Nina Starsks wrote: > I think someone ha...

Yes, just email me at nina@thetortoisetable.org.uk and I'll do my best to ID them. The ones I see sometimes are really tiny, and a nuisance.

Nina

Just to clarify -- are the insects that you saw on the tortoises the same as the ones that have been caught on the fly paper? if they are then I don't think these are mites, as mites wouldn't fly up and get caught on your fly paper -- they stay on the skin of the animal. Are they teeny tiny -- even ...

I think you and your hubby have given Winston an excellent home, and he is going to thrive in your care. Please come back with any questions -- that's what we're here for. By the way, someone posted a template that they made to use during the wind down period -- to record weight, poos and wees, bath...

As I always say, I am more stressed and worry more about my tortoises than I ever did when my son was growing up, so I know exactly what you are feeling. Well, you could use your household fridge to hibernate her -- it's not ideal, and if you have more than one then I would definitely use the one th...

Hi Jody, Great to hear from you, and this is just to let you know that I agree with all that Lin has said -- and I agree that Jemima is just telling you that she wants to hibernate. Horsfields have particularly strong hibernation instincts, and it can be really difficult to keep them awake if they a...

Hi Saurin, At 499g, Winston will be fine with only a three week wind down, and do be sure to bathe him often to keep him hydrated, as you want him to go into the fridge with a full bladder but an empty stomach. And yes, you will feel super guilty -- especially when several days or a week has gone by...

Hi again (sorry, don't know your name), Really glad to help, and here are links to the sheets I was talking about (they use the term 'hibernation' as that is what is commonly used, but you are right to refer to it more accurately as 'brumation'. Lin has very kindly turned the .pdfs into url links th...

Hi Lee, Thanks very much for putting together that collection of photos -- they were really well done, and the fact that you've designated them with letters of the alphabet makes it much easier to refer to them (lol, although several in the middle section weren't labeled :D ). Seriously, we are so g...

Hi Lee, First of all, I hope you didn't feel bombarded with information from Lin and me -- it turns out we were writing at about the same time, unaware that the other was writing as well (lol, but at least we were 'singing from the same hymn sheet' and didn't contradict each other!). Well, I must sa...

Hi Jo, That sounds fine, but I think I would aim for no more than 30C directly under the lamp. For the last day, and then add on one additional day before you put her in the fridge, I would have no light or heat, and have her in a room with the door closed and the windows open, if possible, to get t...