hi please help my tortoise keeps scratching the wall of his enclosure i thought it was the heat but he does it when the basking lamp is off too also before he scratche's he digs right down to the bottom of the viv i dont know what to do i have only had him 4 weeks please help
HI there, do you keep him in an enclosed viv? if you do the best thing to do is to get him out of it, tortoises dont do well in viv it will make him very I'll and develop res problems :(. read up on this website about it all. everyone on here is very helpful. I have my little man outside all day in the sun with a 10ft x 4ft run. At night he sleeps in a guinea pig cage (all open) with half sand half soil mix. xx
Hi louise Like Bushby said S/he will not be very happy in a viv, so the sooner you can get him out and into an open topped pen the better. Your little one is getting stressed as he can see out of the glass and wants to escape, for emergency measures until you can get the open top pen, remove the lid and let as much ventilation as you can in, put some dark paper about 6 inches all around the bottom of the viv on the outside of the viv so that S/he cannot see out. The care sheets on the right hand side will give you all the information you will need to get yourself set up, and then ask as many questions as you need, this will keep all of us on our toes too Ha Ha
hi jane kenya & molly i was told by the pet shop to buy the viv but it is 3 wooden sides & a lip with glass sliding doors i never got him there but they sell them so i took there advice i wish i had found this first as i just spend £250 on the viv and proper lighting
hello busby yes it is an enclosed 3 wooden side with a lip and glass sliding doors when i put him on soil he did not use his back legs well so i had to change him to wood chips also he was lacking light and calcium when i got him so i am trying to nurse him back to health thank you for helping me
Hi Louise These pets shops should be stopped from selling live stock as they really don't have their interests at heart, it is all about money and how to rip off innocent people! as you can tell I don't have much love for petshops It would be best louise if you put the soil back in, he was probably a bit cautious of it because it was a new experience, my little one done that everytime I changed her soil. The easiest way to understand a tortoises needs is to look at the environment that they come from. When they are born the first contact they have is with the ground, it meets all their needs to thermoregulate, (This is what they do to control their temperatures, as they are cold blooded which means their bodies cannot regulate themselves, so they have to do it by placing themselves in cool and warm places). Bark/wood chippings/hemp and pellets do not meet that need, wood chippings and hemp can be quite dangerous as the tort can swallow some and it could cause impaction in the gut, also some wood chippings can expel toxic fumes. I know we cannot replicate the wild in our gardens but we can try to get as near to it as possible, like all outdoor animals their surroundings are there for their own well being and has a purpose, and by trying to provided this we have a happy owner and tort Hope this has helped,
Hi Jane Kenya &molly My boys name is sheldon I think he is 5 I got him from a friend that no longer wanted him so I took him on I still have lots to learn by the sound of it can you recommend a book or somewhere that I can go to get more info from I took the soil out cause he was not using his back legs I think is is due to lack of uv light as he did not have one when I got him he is now on a good diet he also has stopped scratching since I took the glass sliding doors off the viv so it must be better now I know I have a cheek but can you help me with all the right things for eating on different websites it says yes to some and on others it says no and I am confused thank you for all your help sorry if I am being a pest :-)
Hi Louise I am pleased to offer any advice that I can give, I have had plenty given to me over the years. A good basic book to read is "Keeping a pet tortoise" by Andrew & Nadine Highfield ISBN 9781842862131 and of course the care sheets here on the TPG site.
I feed mine on dandelion leaves & heads, mallow, vetch, plantain, sedum, honeysuckle flowers opuntia etc clover is another favourite but to be given to little ones very sparingly as it is high in protein. You are aiming for a high fibre low/non protein diet, dusted with nutrabol and lime flour. Digest this first and then fire away with any more questions. Its great that you want to do the best for sheldon, I find it great fun learning about tort behaviour and their environment, it also has an added benefit that if they are kept in healthy surroundings then the vet bills are kept away.. Jane
no cucumber or iceberg lettuce, tomatoes are a big no no as well. get some weeds as seeds and grow them yourself as you know that they dont have any nastys on them that way. you can get a big bag of seeds and grow them all year round for your tortoise. :)
