The Tortoise Table

Hi Sam, First of all, many congratulations on taking on this poorly tortoise, and getting him seen to by a vet also. It does sound like he had a terrible start in life, and he is lucky to have found a home with you. 7g is a lot to gain in a month, but then he was almost certainly underweight after s...

It sounds to me like you have a good set-up (so that is a great relief, as many people are badly advised when they first get a tortoise). 35C is a little too hot, but because he can wander away from it then he does have the freedom to regulate his temperature, which is important. Can you possibly ra...

Hi Mrs (sorry, I don't know your name), and welcome to The Tortoise Table -- and congratulations on getting your little Horsfield. I keep Horsfields, and they are a great species with lots of personality. Do you know how old your tortoise is? If he really is a baby then they do sleep a lot, but he s...

And thanks so much from me too for your kind words, Steph -- it was lovely to read tha!. It sounds to me like he will be fine, and that is great that he took a drink (whew!). I think 8 weeks should be fine, especially in view of the wee it's probably wise not to hibernate him for much longer. Don't ...

Hi Steph, I think they do that on purpose, just to stress us out! As Lin says, you can't not leave him in there for a full hibernation, but as he has only been in for a day or two you can take him out and see if you can get him to drink -- and then put him back in. If you weigh him just before offer...

For the second plant, I also think it might be sorrel, but not sure. You can taste the leaves though, and if they have a tangy, slightly sour taste (a bit like unripe green apple) then it is sorrel, and that tangy taste is because of the oxalic acid in it (which is what makes it a no feed for your t...

Ha, ha, the thought of you scampering around your garden in your crocs, tryng to escape the amorous attentions of Tortilla, has really made my day. It might be wise to prepare your neighbours in advance for the sexual mayhem that is going to be taking place in your garden this summer! Happy New Year...

I also meant to say that it is well known that tortoises will mate with old trainers, rubber balls etc. At the risk of getting your new year off to a shocking start, here is a video of a male tortoise trying to mate with a rubber ball. Sorry if it is offputting, but it's also kind of educational to ...

Thanks so much for the kind thoughts, Heather, and Happy New Year to you too! For information (sorry, I've come in late on this thread), my Dolly (who is definitely female) mounts and 'mates' with Doris each year after they wake up from hibernation. She is relentless in doing tis and sometimes she d...

Hi Heather, I'm on shaky ground here as I'm not absolutely sure, but as far as I know tortoises just keep growing until they reach their optimum size (and they do have an optimum size). A lot of factors determine when they stop growing (diet, climatic conditions, etc), so some will stop growing soon...

Hi Catherine,
Your plan is good, but 17c is really warm for the end of wind down. Can you close the door of the room and open the window to try and get the temperature lower? That should slow him down. Good luck and happy hibernation.
Nina

Hi Catyherine, Horsfields are often slow to settle into hibernation (mine move around in their boxes and have their eyes open for a week or more after being put into the fridge (which is very disconcerting!). I think yours will be fine. How cold is your un-heated part of the house? For a five-year o...

Hi,
I'm writing this from Uganda, where my signal is limited, but just to say I'm surprised we don't have Amelanchier in the database, as it's a common garden tree/shrub, and I have one in my front garden, so we can easily get photos. We'll write an entry when I get back.

Nina

Sorry, just about to board my plane, but yes, a couple f hours in a viv won't be terrible. Sorry, have o go, so maybe Linn can come n with more advice.

Nina

Hi Dot, I really sympathise with you, but this is a really common problem with all species if one male and one female are kept together. Male tortoises are relentless in their pursuit of females and will stress them out by biting and by ramming their shells. The standard advice for keeping males and...

GlAd your fridge seems to be working well, Karon. I think that weighing every two or three weeks should be fine, and it will mean less disturbance for them. And of course it will help to keep temperatures stable (although the temps will fluctuate a bit when you open the door for a few seconds each d...

Many thanks for the update, and fingers crossed that the new fridge works well. Have you detected any weight gain in Ty since you've been bathing him (to see if he has actually taken on some water in the baths)? Yes, I find hibernation extremely frustrating and for some reason my fridge -- which wor...

Hi and great to hear from you (although maybe not under such stressful circumstances!). Re Ty. As I'm sure you know, if a tortoise wees in hibernation you need to wake him up as he is in danger of dehydrating, and once you properly wake up a hibernating tortoise you can't put them back. The reason f...

Whew, glad that he's exploring again! Don't worry -- he will dig. Tortoises are wary of changes, but he will get used to it and I'm sure will dig in -- probably in his sleeping area, but maybe elsewhere too. Are you happy with the new substrate? I think it is much easier for spot cleaning than bark,...

Hi Natacha, I think you're probably right in not hibernating her this year, but I'm surprised that someone at Evolution Reptiles told you to wait until she weighed 400g. Evolution Reptiles are a really good store and they give good advice (in fact I was in there yesterday getting some stuff), but re...

Hi Shelby, Oh dear, I just wrote a reply and it disappeared so I'll try and recreate it! I do think you are right to be concerned, because your tortoise seems to have lost about 14% of her body weight in 8 days and that is a lot. Do you have a record of what she weighed, say, a month or two before y...

Aww, bless -- and he looks so sweet in his bath. It might take him a bit of time to get used to the sand/soil, but believe me he will like it eventualy and it is much closer to what he would have in the wild, and what he would dig in. Young tortoises, and all tortoises at this time of year do sleep ...

That's great Bob! The fact that you are so willing to make changes indicates to me that you have your tortoise's best interests at heart, and that you're going to be a great tortoise keeper. Do keep us updated, and I'd love to see a photo of your set-up with the new substrate and hear how he likes i...

Oh dear -- sorry, but I only looked at the nutrients in my last post (calcium, Vit D3, etc.). I've just looked at the list of ingredients, and it's not great. Cereals aren't good because they tend to be too high in starch, vegetables (unspecified which veg, so don't know if they are good ones or not...

Thanks for the pics! Yes, I looked at their website just now and it's not on there, so maybe they have discontinued it. It does have D3 and calcium, so probably OK for him, but I think I would definitely use it every other day, and on the alternate days use something with a higher calcium content li...