New tortoise owner! Does this look suitable?

Hollie.Iero · 24-05-2009, 08:33 PM

This is Hermie's tortoise table. It has a 50W basking lamp and a 10% UVB lamp.

It's 2ft by 2ft but it didn't cost us much to make so we can build him a new one when he gets bigger.

He doesn't have a house yet but it's in the making, it won't be long till he has that.

Does this look okay? Do I need anything else?

Thanks

Hollie

sky · 24-05-2009, 08:41 PM

Hollie, looking good you could use a flower pot on its side as a little house, they like them, also a piece of slate for him to eat off. Please may I ask what food is in the dish?

Kirkie · 24-05-2009, 09:13 PM

Hello,

Like Sky has said a piece of slate for the tortoise to eat off off would be good. It would probably like one under the basking lamp too.

You could get some other large stones, cork bark etc to give your tortoise something to explore round as they are very inquisitive by nature. This also breaks up their line of sight, they can't see from one end to the other, and this too keeps them active exploring.

I'm not too keen on the wood chip type substrate, little tortoises also like to burrow themselves away and most people use etiehr a combination of top soil and play sand (70/30%) or just plain topsoil. This gives them something to burrow into and helps them regulate their temperature and hydration.

Welcome aboard

Hollie.Iero · 25-05-2009, 09:10 AM

Thank you for the help.

He has cabbage in his dish, I later added some dandelion leaves but he didn't touch either, do you think it would be best to call the place where I got him from and ask them what he ate there to settle him in?

Thanks for the advice on his substrate, that was what I struggled with most, I'd read so much conflicting information when it come to gettting it I had no idea which was best. I'll get him some top soil as soon as possible. I've seen him trying to burrow and thats what he likes to do best in the garden so I'll sort that out for him.

I'll also get some pebbles etc. because he is just walking round the edge of the table at the moment so something to walk around might keep him more entertained.

Thanks again

Hollie

Hollie.Iero · 25-05-2009, 01:56 PM

This is how his tortoise table looks now. I still need to get a piece of slate and some pebbles but hopefully it's looking better.

I was worried about him eating but I put him some carrots and broccoli in today and he loved it, I was so excited when he started to eat!

I think he's settling in quite well and he seems to like his topsoil much more.

Thanks again for the advice.

Hollie

DoodleBopper · 25-05-2009, 02:16 PM

Hey, they shouldn't eat vegetables. Weeds are the best things for them: dandelion, clover, chicory, dead nettles, jack by the hedge, herb robert, plantain, vetch, sow thistle etc. Theres loads of info about feeding on here so you should be okay at finding weeds which are edible. Good luck with your tortoise he looks really cute. Don't worry if he doesnt eat at first, just keep giving him weeds and give him baths every day to make sure he is properly hydrated and he will eventually eat

Hollie.Iero · 25-05-2009, 05:42 PM

I've just been giving him vegetables for now as my dad has recently sprayed weeds, I read that they like broccili and carrots in a tortoise book so I've been giving him them as I thought that would do less harm than sprayed weeds. I'm going to my brothers house tomorrow to steal some of his weeds so we should be okay. I'm also going to make an attempt at growing my own so I know they have not got anything that can harm my tortoise on them.

Kirkie · 25-05-2009, 06:55 PM

Glad he's liking his topsoil. Typical that all your weeds have been sprayed, your dad will just have to start loving weeds like the rest of us

Theres suitable weeds all over the place at the moment, you can collect from public places but make sure they have a good wash before you feed them to your tortoise.

At a push romaine type lettuce or those bags of Florette crispy salad can be used rather than vegtables. Make sure they are supplimented with calcium or Nutrobal though.

Hollie.Iero · 26-05-2009, 10:04 AM

He's got some dandelion leaves and plantain leaves today thanks to my brothers unkept garden, he's had a little bite of one, I'm sure he'll go back for more later.

I've not seen him drink yet but I'm sure he will soon, he spent his whole bathtime trying to climb out.

I'm a little frustrated because I did loads of research because I wanted to be well prepared, I didn't want to just get a tortoise and not have a clue what to do with it but it looks like pretty much all the information I've read up is wrong so it's a little confusing but I'm getting to know more now.

Will putting food on his slate help keep his beak down? I got a cuttlefish but he's not interested in it.

Oh one more question, my dad is building him an outdoor enclosure for him, it's like a rabbit run made of mesh and wood, I have another flowerpot for it but I've asked my dad to build him a proper house so that he has more protection. When I am going to placement or college and it's a sunny day would it be okay to leave him outside while I'm not here or should I just put him out when I'm in?

Thansk again

Hollie

Kirkie · 26-05-2009, 01:22 PM

Don't worry its a steep learning curve no matter how much research you do. As you're finding out its only once you have the tortoise that you can see what they are happiest with (like the soil substrate). I suppose a lot of people stick with the wood chips but never get to see the tortoise behaving more naturally on a better substrate.

As for your outside run, its fine to leave them out all day when it;s sunny. A proper "house" is a good idea as it gives the tortoise somewhere to retreat to , provides a cool spot and the tortoise will feel secure. My tip is to keep the roof quite low, my tortoises prefer their shells to be scraping the roof's of their hides. Think thats a security thing too. If you are building a rabbit run type enclosure make sure that the wire does not go down to ground level, put a wooden base to prevent the tortoise being able to see out as it will spend all its time trying to get to the other side! They can also climb wire if they get a foot hold. All my outdoor pens have a wire mesh top and are padlocked as well. There are some great examples in the "outdoor enclosure pic's" thread.

And yep feeding off a slate helps keep the beak down. Walking on slate keeps the claws down.

24-05-2009, 08:33 PM	#1
Hollie.Iero Junior Member Egg Join Date: May 2009 Location: Shirebrook Posts: 8	New tortoise owner! Does this look suitable? This is Hermie's tortoise table. It has a 50W basking lamp and a 10% UVB lamp. It's 2ft by 2ft but it didn't cost us much to make so we can build him a new one when he gets bigger. He doesn't have a house yet but it's in the making, it won't be long till he has that. Does this look okay? Do I need anything else? Thanks Hollie

24-05-2009, 08:41 PM	#2
sky Senior Member Adult Join Date: May 2008 Location: South Wales Posts: 2,901	Hollie, looking good you could use a flower pot on its side as a little house, they like them, also a piece of slate for him to eat off. Please may I ask what food is in the dish? __________________ Kayx 2.7.4 THB 0.3.0 Gpigs 1 grumpy husband

25-05-2009, 02:16 PM	#6
DoodleBopper Member Hatchling Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norfolk Posts: 717	Hey, they shouldn't eat vegetables. Weeds are the best things for them: dandelion, clover, chicory, dead nettles, jack by the hedge, herb robert, plantain, vetch, sow thistle etc. Theres loads of info about feeding on here so you should be okay at finding weeds which are edible. Good luck with your tortoise he looks really cute. Don't worry if he doesnt eat at first, just keep giving him weeds and give him baths every day to make sure he is properly hydrated and he will eventually eat __________________ Last edited by DoodleBopper; 25-05-2009 at 02:18 PM.

24-05-2009, 09:13 PM	#3
Kirkie Senior Member Adult Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4,887	Hello, Like Sky has said a piece of slate for the tortoise to eat off off would be good. It would probably like one under the basking lamp too. You could get some other large stones, cork bark etc to give your tortoise something to explore round as they are very inquisitive by nature. This also breaks up their line of sight, they can't see from one end to the other, and this too keeps them active exploring. I'm not too keen on the wood chip type substrate, little tortoises also like to burrow themselves away and most people use etiehr a combination of top soil and play sand (70/30%) or just plain topsoil. This gives them something to burrow into and helps them regulate their temperature and hydration. Welcome aboard

25-05-2009, 09:10 AM	#4
Hollie.Iero Junior Member Egg Join Date: May 2009 Location: Shirebrook Posts: 8	Thank you for the help. He has cabbage in his dish, I later added some dandelion leaves but he didn't touch either, do you think it would be best to call the place where I got him from and ask them what he ate there to settle him in? Thanks for the advice on his substrate, that was what I struggled with most, I'd read so much conflicting information when it come to gettting it I had no idea which was best. I'll get him some top soil as soon as possible. I've seen him trying to burrow and thats what he likes to do best in the garden so I'll sort that out for him. I'll also get some pebbles etc. because he is just walking round the edge of the table at the moment so something to walk around might keep him more entertained. Thanks again Hollie

25-05-2009, 01:56 PM	#5
Hollie.Iero Junior Member Egg Join Date: May 2009 Location: Shirebrook Posts: 8	This is how his tortoise table looks now. I still need to get a piece of slate and some pebbles but hopefully it's looking better. I was worried about him eating but I put him some carrots and broccoli in today and he loved it, I was so excited when he started to eat! I think he's settling in quite well and he seems to like his topsoil much more. Thanks again for the advice. Hollie

25-05-2009, 05:42 PM	#7
Hollie.Iero Junior Member Egg Join Date: May 2009 Location: Shirebrook Posts: 8	I've just been giving him vegetables for now as my dad has recently sprayed weeds, I read that they like broccili and carrots in a tortoise book so I've been giving him them as I thought that would do less harm than sprayed weeds. I'm going to my brothers house tomorrow to steal some of his weeds so we should be okay. I'm also going to make an attempt at growing my own so I know they have not got anything that can harm my tortoise on them.

25-05-2009, 06:55 PM	#8
Kirkie Senior Member Adult Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4,887	Glad he's liking his topsoil. Typical that all your weeds have been sprayed, your dad will just have to start loving weeds like the rest of us Theres suitable weeds all over the place at the moment, you can collect from public places but make sure they have a good wash before you feed them to your tortoise. At a push romaine type lettuce or those bags of Florette crispy salad can be used rather than vegtables. Make sure they are supplimented with calcium or Nutrobal though.

26-05-2009, 10:04 AM	#9
Hollie.Iero Junior Member Egg Join Date: May 2009 Location: Shirebrook Posts: 8	He's got some dandelion leaves and plantain leaves today thanks to my brothers unkept garden, he's had a little bite of one, I'm sure he'll go back for more later. I've not seen him drink yet but I'm sure he will soon, he spent his whole bathtime trying to climb out. I'm a little frustrated because I did loads of research because I wanted to be well prepared, I didn't want to just get a tortoise and not have a clue what to do with it but it looks like pretty much all the information I've read up is wrong so it's a little confusing but I'm getting to know more now. Will putting food on his slate help keep his beak down? I got a cuttlefish but he's not interested in it. Oh one more question, my dad is building him an outdoor enclosure for him, it's like a rabbit run made of mesh and wood, I have another flowerpot for it but I've asked my dad to build him a proper house so that he has more protection. When I am going to placement or college and it's a sunny day would it be okay to leave him outside while I'm not here or should I just put him out when I'm in? Thansk again Hollie

26-05-2009, 01:22 PM	#10
Kirkie Senior Member Adult Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4,887	Don't worry its a steep learning curve no matter how much research you do. As you're finding out its only once you have the tortoise that you can see what they are happiest with (like the soil substrate). I suppose a lot of people stick with the wood chips but never get to see the tortoise behaving more naturally on a better substrate. As for your outside run, its fine to leave them out all day when it;s sunny. A proper "house" is a good idea as it gives the tortoise somewhere to retreat to , provides a cool spot and the tortoise will feel secure. My tip is to keep the roof quite low, my tortoises prefer their shells to be scraping the roof's of their hides. Think thats a security thing too. If you are building a rabbit run type enclosure make sure that the wire does not go down to ground level, put a wooden base to prevent the tortoise being able to see out as it will spend all its time trying to get to the other side! They can also climb wire if they get a foot hold. All my outdoor pens have a wire mesh top and are padlocked as well. There are some great examples in the "outdoor enclosure pic's" thread. And yep feeding off a slate helps keep the beak down. Walking on slate keeps the claws down.

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