The Tortoise Table

Male spur thigh tortoises are well known for this type of behaviour, and as far as I know there is no way of really stopping this behaviour. I have read in the past that the more dark a spur thigh tortoises shell is the more aggressive they are, with the solid black Ibera tortoise being the worst of...

I just found this from Andy Highfield Tortoise Trust.

https://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/abcess.html

Kind regards Daniel.

Sorry to hear about your tortoises problem. I really don't know any thing about abscess in tortoises. But I would certainly get a second opinion by a reptile vet that has experiences with tortoises. I had a quick Google (I know I shouldn't) and it seems the course of treatment is surgically remove t...

I have had a tortoise shell slightly flake a small amount before. I took mine to the vet and she looked at it and told me it was from a small area that was damaged that season from a bump or rubbing against something. She also told me it's more common than we think. After a few years it was not noti...

Have a look here, you should find all the seed supplies that you require.

https://www.shelledwarriorsshop.co.uk/

Kind regards Daniel.

Good morning Sarah If struggling to feed your tortoise in the winter months, there are many things we can do. Please look at Andy Highfield's article on the Tortoise Trust website called Winter Feeding (if my memory is correct). There is a product called Pre Alpin Testudo which you soak the cobs in ...

I hope the tortoise starts to eat soon, and I look forward to see if any of the suggestions work.

Kind regards Daniel.

How long are the heaters working for? The temperatures sound good, but what are the night time temperatures? Personally I would see if the caretaker could bring the tortoise indoors just over night in a plastic tub or a box of some type. It sounds like to me that the night time temperature could be ...

I presume quite a few of these are Horsfield tortoises, which have a very strong instincts at this time of the year. I think I would personally try a slightly longer exposure to light, say around 14 hours and probably increase the temperature to say 32c until they wake up. Then reduce light levels t...

I think it was probably tubes you were thinking about, thats what I thought when I replied, hence the response I gave. OK about tortoise brumation questions your receiving. I have decided this year not to hibernate my Herman's tortoise, due to not being happy with her weight gain this year. She main...

Have you looked at the articles on the Arcadia website? There is some really good information on there.

Nina, I really don't. By the way what I said is for a florescent tube type lamp (T5 and T8).

Kind regards Daniel.

I don't know much about UV lamps technically, but what I do know is there is a small amount of mercury and a gas argon, and the powder coating is called phosphors. When lamps fail completely (no light output) is either the emission mix has been depleted or the cathodes at the end of the tube have be...

Good afternoon Jennie Yes this is 100% true, UV lamps do start degrade every time they are switched on. The year lifespan of this type of lamp is the longest it should be in service. The only real way of telling how good a UV lamp is, is by using a UV light meter, and these are quite expensive for a...

Personally I don't see the point of heating the whole shed. If it was me, I would make area in the shed that would have a cold frame inside it and install a full spectrum heat lamp, so the only area you are heating is inside the cold frame up to temperature. The cold frame would have a door, so the ...

Hello

First of all what species of tortoise is this for? As every tortoise species has different diet requirements.

Regards Daniel.

That will teach me to read the original posted date. Enjoy the rest of your weekend Nina.

That's fine Nina, I knew some of the posts were not right, but the first post I thought was genuine.

Kind regards Daniel.

Hello Jessj, for an outdoor enclosure, please read an article on the Tortoise Trust website called the climate frame by Andy Highfield, as I feel this is the best way to keep tortoises safe outside in the UK. This design gives you a much longer season outdoors, and I think Nina and Lin will both agr...

Unfortunately I don't, but could aways email the manufacturers and ask if they have a representative in North America.

If in the UK I do know of a couple of places that sell it at a reasonable price.

If you want to add more fiber to the diet, you can try feeding PRE ALPIN Testudo. It's really good and recommend by The Institute of Zoology in Munich.

If he goes to sleep at the warm end, just leave him there for the night. When it comes to the morning just let him do as he needs. I personally feed mine first thing when indoors and she will eat her food and then go and warm up under the heat source after her food. But her behaviour is completely d...

Really pleased for you and Dave. I hope he has been very active again today. Glad to hear that you're changing his substrate over to topsoil and play sand. Also add some large flat pebbles around the water dish (but make sure they can't be eaten around 70mm is a good size) as it helps to keep the wa...

That is completely natural behaviour for his size. Wild tortoises would do exactly the same when small. In the wild they would come out to eat and then hide from predators. Just try the food one for one day and if this makes a difference then adjust your feeding amounts. But to me you animal sounds ...

There is a couple of things you could try, to make your little tortoise more active. 1, remove the hide at the warmer end of the enclosure, as this is probably making him a nice little warm hide, why would he want to move out of that. It like trying to get a teenager out of a nice warm bed on a cold...