The Tortoise Table

Hi Marco, Welcome to The Tortoise Table and congratulations on providing a home for Donatella. It might well be that Donatella is wanting to hibernate, as Marginated torts are a hibernating species, and it's that time of year, but as she has been ill and might be underweight, I don't think I would r...

Hi Carol, The coco blocks are OK, but not great. I've used one or two of them as a small proportion of my substrate mix, mainly because they are light weight and my tortoise table is upstairs and so heavy to carry the topsoil and sand up there. The coco blocks can get really dry and dusty, and I do ...

Hi Carol, That's great -- all the right stuff! Yes, I think I might put him next to a radiator, just because he is so small and his body will lose heat quickly. He'll be fine once his new little torty palace is set up. What sort of bedding are you getting? It's best to stick with a sand/soil mixture...

I loved the photo of your with your birthday cake! And thanks for the name of the group -- it is the one I thought it mght be.

Cheers,
Nina

Thanks, Oli and good luck with the table (love the name Sergeat Bash!) Just some advice about the substrate. Coconut coir is not terrible, but it really isn't ideal. In the wild tortoises live on a very sandy soil and they really prefer that to other substrates. The bark chippings won't hurt, unless...

Hi Carol, That could well by why he is sleeping a lot, but what temperature is it now in his table? Do you have any thermometer that you could hold under the lamp at the height of the tortoise's shell and measure the temperature? The best sort are the digital fridge/freezer thermometers with a displ...

Hi Carol and welcome to The Tortoise Table. Is Wallace a baby? They do sleep a lot as babies, but he still should be eating. Temperature and the set-up he is in have a huge effect on a tortoise's energy levels and appetite. Could you tell us what sort of set-up he is in (tortoise table or vivarium) ...

Yes, I think she is fine as long as she's getting up by herself and eating (she's just a lazy so and so). And count yourself lucky because the bulk of Horsfields this time of year are not waking up at all unaided and many won't eat even when they are warmed up.


Nina

Hi Oli Welcome to The Tortoise Table and many congratulations on acquiring your Horsfield (what's his name by the way?). He really is a lovely looking little fellow (or girl -- too early to sex at this stage), and well done for switching over to a tortoise table -- it will certainly prevent problems...

Hi Jody, Great to hear from you again, and thanks for the photos. I can see the marks and don't think they are anything to worry about. I'm not exactly sure what they are, but they are probably keratin stress marks. The only reason I'm not sompletely sure is that usually these are little squiggly wh...

Hi Claire, I'm really sorry you were treated so badly on that Facebook page! I remember years ago when I first got Doris, I was on one of the many internet forums that were popular then and asked how often I should bathe her. Someone came back with a scathing comment about how humans are 'bathed' an...

Hi Cheryl, So sorry to hear about the fire! Just to add to Lin's good advice, I don't see any problem with using the heat mat, as long as Dumbledore isn't able to touch it (from your description it seemed that it was going to be mounted above him and not under him, and that should be fine. You could...

Hi Claire, If it was only in the bath that he was making squeaking noises and he hasn't made them elsewhere then I wouldn't worry, as it might just have been that he got some water in his nose or something, but do keep an eye on him and let us know if he does it again. If the sides of the container ...

Glad to be of help, Marsha (and sorry for the typos in my post -- I've just corrected some, as I was typing quickly and didn't proof-read it). Please feel free to ask any questions -- that's what we're here for. Love the name Khan, by the way! If you can send a photo of the table, that would be grea...

Hi Khan's Ma, Welcome to The Tortoise Table, and congratulations on welcoming this little Horsfield into your family. I must say that from what you have described, I think you've made a lovely home for him. I can't think of many improvements, except that 35.7 is really a bit too warm, and it is poss...

Aww, they do love a cozy plant pot! 15C is fine at night, and I'm as stubborn as your hubby and not turned the central heating on yet (but I have cheated and turned on the coal effect gas fire in my lounge, because I've been freezing in the evenings). That is really good that he's been exploring eve...

Oh Lottie, he is absolutely gorgeous! And I can see that this is definitely a mutual love affair between the two of you. A year ago, if someone told you that you would form an emotional attachment to a reptile, would you have believed them?

Nina
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Hi Judiom, The question that started this thread was answered in another thread, here, in case that helps you: https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/siteassets/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2075&p=6189#p6189 How long will you be away from home? Is it possible to have the lights and heating on a t...

Hi Lottie, It's not a terrible pellet, as it does include long fibres, calcium and vitamin D3, so I think you could use it, but maybe just every now and then, to supplement his natural food. I was given a sample of that once several years ago, when they were preparing to bring it out, and if I remem...

Hi Nic, So sorry, but for some reason I'm not receiving all the notifications of posting and missed your last 3! Re the black lips -- if he has just eaten something moist or had a drink then it does go darker around the mouth -- but in any case I don't think it's a problem. Do you want to send a clo...

Hi Lottie, Do you know which ProRep food you've got? They do a range and some are lower protein/higher fibre (which is good) than others. It's really good to grow your own food though. What herbs are you growing (there are quite a lot of herbs that torts don't like so much, but if you can grow them ...

Hi Claire, So sorry that I somehow missed your latest post. That heat source sounds safe, so that's fine (it's just that if they sit on top of it then it can be dangerous), but do you know how warm it gets inside that sleeping area at night? Tortoises do like a drop in temperature at night, as that ...

Hi Lottie, I think you are sorting out things very nicely! If you decide to get the UVB tube, get one that is close to being as long as the table if possible (a 3' one seems about right). This means that there will be a good spread of UVB everywhere, You will also need a reflector. This is a curved ...

Hi Lottie, Regarding Boris's palace :D -- the measurements you've given will be OK for a while, because he is so small, but as he grows he will need more space, so maybe that is something to think about in the future if you can't do it now. Will you have an outside area where he can go when the weat...

Hi Lottie, Hurrah -- he is here! And here's a link to a good care sheet for him: https://www.tortoise-protection-group.org.uk/site/files/Hermanns%20care%20sheet%20January%202014New.pdf Regarding his new table -- do remember that it should be as big as possible in the space you can allow. Even if you...