The Tortoise Table

Hi Amie, Thanks for contacting us. I can't really see the small leaves in the first photo (tiny green leaves with red around the edges), but it might be Herb Robert. Do the photos in this entry look like yours? https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/?plant=154&c=6#.XNfkj6R...

Hi, and great to hear from you (and to know that Stevie is still thriving)! Are you moving to a new house? Still in Michigan? Enough questions from me. Re Pawpaw (which I remember from growing up in Illinois), I don't think we would advise feeding Stevie anything from this tree. The fruits are OK fo...

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[attachment=0]Thank you EF.jpg[/attachment]

Hi Paula, So sorry to hear that your little Horsfield is not eating. It can be difficult to diagnose the reason for a lack of appetite, but vitamin deficiency is very uncommon in tortoises, so I doubt that is it. There are a couple of common causes of lack of appetite, so let's rule those out first....

That sounds like an excellent idea. Also, if you have plants growing wild near you and you want to know if they can be fed then you can send us good photos of them and we will try and ID them for you.

Nina

Hi JellaBee, You can easily grow food for tortoises on your balcony, and really weeds and wild flowers are the best food for him. Do you live in the UK? You can buy seeds for growing tortoise-friendly plants from Shelled Warriors https://www.shelledwarriorsshop.co.uk/seeds---grow-your-own-food-302-c...

Whew -- that all makes sense then. You've got a good bulb so that side of thing is fine, and your temperatures seem good too. I really don't think you need the infra red light on at night though -- tortoises like dark and a drop in temperature at night -- just like they would have in the wild, and i...

Many thanks for answering the questions, but could we just check again about your 45w uv light? Could you tell us exactly what kind of bulb it is (is it a fluorescent bulb or a mercury vapour one)? It's just that what you need is a bulb that produces UVB (because the uvb causes vitamin D3 to be prod...

Hi JellaBee and welcome to The Tortoise Table! What species of tortoise to you have (different species have different diets)? As far as I can see Torenia is not toxic and could probably be safely fed, but because there is no documented evidence of tortoises eating it, I would be cautious and only fe...

Hi Tim, Welcome to The Tortoise Table and congratulations on rescuing this Hermanns! First of all, it is very odd for a tortoise to have a hibernation in May -- it's not really cold enough, and I'm not sure what a short hibernation in October means either. Do you know where he 'hibernated'? Tortoise...

Hi Howard, It's looking good, but I think there are a few problems here. First of all -- and most importantly -- the UVB. UVB does not pass through glass or through most types of plastic/acrylic, and Plexiglass is a form of acrylic. There is a type of acrylic that is UV transmitting (rather than UV ...

It's difficult to say as there is so little of it to see (and it helps to have a photo of the whole plant so that you can see the way the leaves/stems come out of the ground and how the leaves come off the stems, but I wonder if these are young Fumitory plants. Here is our entry for it: https://www....

Sorry I'm late in responding -- my laptop has crashed and I'm having to use my iPad. That looks superb, and I like the neat little hide you've given him. The Cyprus mulch should be fine, but I find a soil based compost is more natural and easier to spot clean (the wee makes little damp clumps that y...

It's a bit hard to say, because I can't see much of the leaves, but I'm pretty sure that it is Bugle (Ajuga). Here is our entry for it -- do you think this is your plant?
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/pla ... MjBNqR7m9s

Nina

Hi Howard, Ahh, I thought you might be in the States -- I think the climate in Virginia Beach will be much nicer for your tortoise than my climate in Oxford, in the UK. I'm originally from Illinois and went to universities in the Midwest, but have lived in England for many years. Will you have an ou...

Hi Howard, Your substrate sounds fine (I would make the proportion of soil larger than the proportion of coco husk), but do be aware that both can get quite dusty when dry, so it's a good idea to lightly spray the substrate with water every day or two. You want a substrate that is the very tiniest b...

I think you are bathing the right amount, so well done!

Aww, that is really good of you to offer to pay for the extra electricity used, and I'll bet that it doesn't come to too much. You are really doing your best for this little tortoise, and that is great!

Nina

Hi Hngsr (lol, how do you pronounce that?), and welcome to The Tortoise Table! I think the enclosure you are making has great potential! The fact that it is plastic means that it will be easy to clean, and I like the way you have joined the two tubs, as it means that it is not just one large space w...

Hi, that sounds like a fine size for the time being, especially as he goes out a lot. And you are right to be wary of predators, as birds of prey and dogs can present a great danger to tortoises. I'm not sure you need to bathe him twice a day, but if he enjoys it and is drinking then that sounds goo...

Sorry I wasn't around yesterday to answer your questions! UVA will cause no problems for your tortoise, so don't worry about it. Thanks for the dimensions of your enclosure -- it doesn't have to be inches -- you can give me the dimensions in centimetres if you like. Your indoor cage is very small, b...

I do hope that it is only something minor and that your tort is back to normal really soon (and let us know how you get on). Also, if your vet is really good with reptiles and isn't already on our list then do let us know and we will consider adding them.

Cheers,
Nina

And she's not the first transgender tortoise -- my Doris used to be called Boris!

Nina xx

My goodness, is that stylish or what! Really lovely! I especially like that spider plant draped over the entrance to the little cave/hidey place.
Now that you've completed that, you can come and do mine (which looks really boring at the moment)!

Nina

Hi TortugaViking and welcome to The Tortoise Table -- and many congratulations in getting your new Horsfield tortoise (no 'e' in Horsfield though, as the species is named after a 19th Century naturalist called Thomas Horsfield -- but don't worry as everyone makes that same mistake). It could well be...