My little Nova

Upload pictures of your tortoises that originate from the African continent in this forum and tell us a little about them. Examples include Sulcata, Leopard, Pancake, Padopler, Hinged tortoises. Also, do add pictures of African species that you have seen in the wild.
Post Reply
Pete28
Posts: 25
Joined: 14 Oct 2018, 22:33

My little Nova

Post by Pete28 » 16 Jun 2019, 01:11

This is my other little one Nova. Man she moves around a lot lol. She eats everything in site and is always moving.
Attachments
20180304_160445.jpg

User avatar
Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: My little Nova

Post by Nina » 16 Jun 2019, 08:30

Oh wow, Pete -- she's gorgeous! How old is she, and how much does she weigh? I'm so glad to see the soil in your yard. In the UK there is a big debate about what substrates a tortoise should live on in an indoor enclosure. We usually advise a mixture of 50% topsoil and 50% sand, but some people say that there shouldn't be any sand in the mixture because if tortoises ingest it then they can suffer from gut impaction, but we know that in the wild most species live on very sandy soil (and I know you have Gophers, Marginated and Sulcata). So it's nice to see a happy tortoise on sandy soil.

Nina

I153_Chaika
Posts: 5
Joined: 25 Jun 2019, 17:20

Re: My little Nova

Post by I153_Chaika » 26 Jun 2019, 13:53

Hello,

That's one of the things I wanted to ask when I registered on this forum; I've heard about the fact that they need sand, and about how it's dangerous for them... Should I go for a 50/50% mix, or should I rather reduce the amount of sand, so that there's some of it but not too much? (let's say, 20 to 30% of sand)

User avatar
Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: My little Nova

Post by Nina » 26 Jun 2019, 14:22

Hi Chaika,

It really doesn't matter much. Most people mix it 50/50, but my tortoises seem to prefer a slightly higher proportion of soil. The main thing is to keep it from getting too dusty, so you give it a light spray every day, or pour some water on it every few days and mix it in, but not so that it is wet. You want it ever so slightly damp, but not wet at all.

Nina

User avatar
lin
Posts: 1034
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:27

Re: My little Nova

Post by lin » 26 Jun 2019, 14:32

Just an add on - the sand should be the kind you get for using in childrens playpits as if other sand, say from bags of builders or anything that stains orange it should not be used because if eaten it could cause impaction but the childrens sand is fine.

Lin


Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests