Hi there , i am the proud owner of a beautiful boy, horsefield tortoise called Drago, just need to ask some advice, Drago has free run of my house, i have a heat lamp for him and he was fine all of last year, eats wwell etc, his shell is shiny and healthy looking. Question one, i have been told i dont need to leave water down for himm all the time as he gets enough from his food, is this correct . Question two, at the moment he seems to sleep for a few days , wake up and eat then go back to sleep, my vet told me not to let hom hibeernate . Please advice me as i want my boy to be happy and healthy xxx Carole

Hi Carole,  to the site.

Firstly, he shouldnt have the run of the house, he should be in a tortoise table which is much more natural for him and much safer. 

We have had people here that have had the torts trodden on, dogs chewing them and the torts picking up 'bits' from the floor and eating them which causes all sorts of problems.  It could also be the reason he is sleepy this year, he needs routine in his own environment, and needs the basking lamp to heat a 'spot' under the lamp which the tortoise can go under and move away from as he thermoregulates to the temperature he wants.  Just check that the heat under the lamp is reaching about 35C as its the heat and UV light that keeps them active.

As for water, yes he needs a dish of water down at all times, dehydration is one of the biggest killers of young tortoises.

I hope this helps, please ask away if you have any futher questions, also, have you read the care sheet on horsfields, its under 'the tortoise' on the lefthand menu.

regards Vivienne

Hi Vivienne , thanks for the advice, i will certainly look towards getting him a table set up, i just worry about him not having anougth room, i hate having animaals in enclosed spaces. I have read the information sheets and the advice is brilliant , thank you and im very impressed with the site x carole x

Hi Carole,  just make the table or get the largest indoor rabbit cage you can, have a nice deep substrate of sand/soil add the lamps and this is the best you can do for him, aim to try and replicate the 'wild' for him.  And in summer make an outdoor enclosure, see some of the examples in the photo gallery to the left which shows some of the excellent enclosures our members have made (you can add a pic of yours as well!).  When you put him in the sun, they are like different tortoises, they love it!

Glad you like the site.  There is also an excellent plant site I help out on, which is dedicated to the best foods for torts, either from the garden or the wild, its called www.thetortoisetable.org.uk.

regards Vivienne