The Tortoise Table

Hi Kimberley, Great to hear from you, and to hear that little Timmie is doing well and is happy in his new home (your table for him does look super, so no wonder he is happy in there). I can't remember now, but what did you find to use for the substrate in the end (I remember you said you couldn't g...

Ha, ha - treadmill a great idea! I have some photos of my table as it was being built, and could send you some if you're interested. It sits on top of some cupboards, which have no back wall, so it's a great place to keep all your electrical stuff for the table, and the wires just go out the back an...

Well, I think you've done an excellent job and made a really nice enclosure for her! Lots of interest, different textures to walk over, things to climb on and walk around -- it really looks good. And Flower is a lovely name for a lovely tortoise. But I can see that her shell is already bumpy (the in...

Hi Adam, Welcome to The Tortoise Table, and congratulations on getting your little Spur Thigh (what's her name, by the way?). It sounds to me like you are doing a good job, but a weight gain of 25g in one month is really too much. It's true that the guidelines are a gain of between 1g - 3 or 4g per ...

Wider would be good -- in fact any increase in space would be good -- and do think of making a second level -- mine love theirs and it gives them extra space without increasing the footprint of the table. I think I would consult the vet about the bubbling -- better safe than sorry thin -- and he or ...

Hi Carla, I am a bit worried about the bubbling. A bit of dust in the nose doesn't usually cause that. The only harmless cause as far as I know is some water getting in the nostrils, but a more serious cause is RNS, and this is a serious condition that needs antibiotics. If your non-exotics vet is a...

Hmm, it's worth thinking about moving to North Kent. We had about 7 minutes of sunshine in Oxford today, and then just cold and miserable with intermittent rain. Good for Tiny to be able to get outdoors in February (what in the world is happening to our climate?)!

Nina

Oh my goodness -- isn't nature wonderful -- what an explosion of tasty treats! And that enclosure has really held up well over the winter. So was Tiny outside today? What temperture is it where you are?

Nina

Hi Ammber, Your vet is probably fine, but it's always good to look at her profile on their website and see if she has qualifications in 'exotics' , or has a special interest in 'exotics' (this includes birds, reptiles, etc.). Veterinary courses traditionally provide only around a month or so of trai...

I'm glad that you are finding our site helpful, and do tell us more about your tortoise, but I'm afraid we don't allow links like yours to the 'do my dissertation abstract'. We advise people not to click on that link and we might have to remove the whole post on the chance that the link proves to be...

Hi Amber, First of all, Sheldon is one very lucky tortoise to have survived this winter and to have surfaced in an area where you found him! Horsfields can withstand very low temperatures, but they really don't do well in wet and cold conditions, so it is amazing that he did survive. Can I just ask ...

Hi Carla, I'm so sorry to be late in responding to your emails! Ihave a friend who is seriously ill in hospital and i've been spending most of the days up there. Thanks so much for the photos of Flash -- he is gorgeous (and he looks very happy resting on your bump too)! I am worried about the bubbli...

We're happy to help all we can, so just keep taking photos of the plants that emerge and hopefully some of them will provide nice treats for your tortoise!

Cheers,
Nina

Do you have a list of contents of your Bee Bomb? When i looked online at the contents of a Bee Bomb (although it might not have been the same as yours), there wasn't any plant that was like the one in your photo (which we think is an anemone), but I could be wrong. Was the container that you planted...

Hi Carla and many thanks for contacting us and welcome to The Tortoise Table! Flash is a lovely little Horsfield (just for information, there is no 'e' in the middle of Horsfield, because they are named after Thomas Horsfield, a 19th century naturalist who discovered them). He has only been with you...

I'm not sure, but it looks to me like you might have two species of plant there. The really lacy leaves (which are most of them) look a bit like Yarrow, and then right below the pink flowers there is a leaf that is a bit frilly but not really, and is different from the ones that look like Yarrow to ...

Yes, I know exactly what you mean. Mine look really shabby and unkempt when their skin is being shed -- poor little things!


Nina
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Hi Starsks, Great to hear from you and yes, it's absolutely normal, and isn't really dry skin. Tortoises shed their skin as they grow, just like snakes do, but whereas snakes shed their skin all in one piece, tortoises shed it in bits and pieces -- and it's always especially noticable around the nec...

That's great that you're finding some wild food for him! And I'm glad that his diet consists of more than just various types of lettuce. Do keep persevering with the pre alpin -- it can take a long time for them to get used to it. In a week or so, try sprinkling a tiny bit on the wet leaves you are ...

Oh my goodness, that is an absoltuely brilliant table and a very handsome Horsfield tortoise with a lovely smooth shell. You've obviously taken excellent care of him and given him a great environment in which to thrive.

Nina

Hi Jane, I am so sorry to hear that you are having to rehome your tortoise. I know it must have been a difficult decision for you, and it is very generous of you to offer all of the equipment to the person who will rehome Kevin. Could you confirm what species Kevin is (it is important that people kn...

Hi Kimberley, First of all thanks for the photo -- Tim's tortoise table is looking absolutely super -- what a nice environment you've made for him! Regarding the eating -- tortoises are notoriously stubborn and have strong preferences, so sometimes it's just a battle of wills. You could try feeding ...

Spot on. The area with the brick in it is the sleeping area with the roof off (so that you can see the piece of wood that goes half way up, that the floor rests on). Ahh, the brick itself is another story. The reason it is there is that the lining material on the floor has a join in that area and th...

Your plans for the feeding platform sound perfect,and the ramp too. I used to have a ramp against the wall in the previous table, but the chap who made this one put it in the middle (having it in the middle does have the advantage of the tortoise being able to walk all the way around it in the groun...

Ooh, that is looking very good! My 7' x 2' table sits on cupboards and they are so useful! Mine has doors on the front, but not back so I can run the wires for the lights etc out the back and up with no problem and have the multi-socket thingy with the plugs and the timers on a shelf in the cupboard...