The Tortoise Table

Looking forward to it! A few other tips. If the cover will at any time not be on the enclosure, then the walls should be taller than your tortoise can reach if he is standing upright on his hind legs. 12" would be fine, though, if you could nail a little 1" x 2" board horizontally to ...

Thank's so much for reposting the details! I really do think your plan is excellent (and many apologies again for my inadvertent deletion).

Nina

Oh dear! I am so sorry, Donatello, but when I was writing my response below, I accidentally deleted your post, describing how you are building your outdoor enclosure. Is it possible for you to post that again? I'm not sure what I did, but I can see from moderator logs that I accidentally deleted it,...

Hi Donatello, So I'm thinking that you're not building this enclosure on the ground. That's fine, and as long as there is good drainage (in case of a sudden heavy rain). The best substrate to use is a mixture of ordinary screened topsoil and children's playsand (and you can buy bags of both of those...

Hi Sally, I agree with Lin that you should see an exotics vet, as if it is runny nose syndrome (RNS), it can get worse quickly. Here is a link to our list of recommended vets, and if you can't find one near you then let us know what area you live in and we'll see if we can find one. https://www.thet...

For indoor enclosures I keep it constant all year round. Tortoises aren't native to the UK, and it is better to approximate the temperatures of their natural habitat, which are much warmer than here. In the preparation for hibernation/brumation though, we gradually lower the temperature and the hour...

Hi Hermie, That is a really great looking enclosure! Did you make it yourself? I always have two levels in my enclosures (but they aren't as posh as yours. :) I feed mine on the upper level, so they are always running up and down the ramp to see if there are any treats up there for them. I can see t...

Hi Hermie and welcome to The Tortoise Table. That is greaat that you've moved your tortoise into a tortoise table -- it will be much, much better for him. A 60W bulb would be fine in hot weather, but a 100W bulb will provide much more heat if the room is cold (and an 80W bulb would be something in b...

Hi and welcome to The Tortoise Table, and it is great that you are doing your research before you get your turtles. First of all, where (what country) do you live in, and are you planning to keep these turtles outdoors or inside in a large aquarium? Do you have any idea as to what species you would ...

I think there are pros and cons. A tube is safer than a bulb, because if a bulb blows and hot pieces of glass fall down it can cause a fire (rare, but we know of one case where that happened and it set fire to some hay or straw that was on the floor of the enclosure). However, a tube doesn't provide...

Do come back with questions, Rach -- there were lots of little details that I didn't include because I didn't want the email to be too long. Also, it's really best to buy a tortoise from a breeder if you can -- they are usually a bit cheaper than in pet shops, but more importantly you should get goo...

Hi Rach89, and welcome to The Tortoise Table! it's great that you are doing your research before you get your tortoise. The essentials that you need are an open-topped tortoise table (as big as space will allow, as they get bored in small spaces). You can even install a ramp up to a second level to ...

Hi and thanks for contacting us. It's always a good idea to look up a plant on our Database, as we have over 1,000 plants there and symbols to tell you if they are edible (but if you can't find a plant on the database then do contact us and we will look it up for you and let you know if it is good t...

Hi Odonnell1978, We always recommend using ordinary screened topsoil mixed with some children's play sand (you can buy both at garden centres and DIY places like Homebase), as that is the sort of substrate they live on in the wild. I think when people get problems it is because the soil gets too dry...

Hi GerardBeal and welcome to The Tortoise Table. It is excellent that you are doing your research before you get your tortoise -- some people don't and end up with big problems. Here is a link to a good care sheet for Hermann's tortoises: https://www.tortoise-protection-group.org.uk/site/files/Herma...

I think she will absolutely thrive under your care, and I hope you both have lots of sunshine and yummy weeds this summer.

Nina

Hi Laura, Thanks so much for the photos of Twix -- she's gorgeous, and you've created such a nice environment for her. I used to use an indoor guinea pig cage for mine when they were little (it was 4' x 2', so lasted quite a ling time and worked well, but eventually I had one made. Where do you live...

Hi Laura, Congratulations on welcoming Twix into your family! It looks like you did your research first, which is great (you wouldn't believe how many people don't and end up with big problems). Your set-up looks fine, and it is absolutely fine to have a second bulb alongside your MVB to get the tem...

Hi Lee, I guess you could put some hay on top, but it's not necessary as in the wild they would only have soil, and also if hay gets wet it can get bit mouldy which isn't good, so I would stick with topsoil (and you could mix a bit of children's playsand in with it if you like (but not absolutely ne...

Hi Lee, That is an excellent thing to do and I think your tortoise will definitely appreciate having some heat in hs outside house. What sort of heater tube are you using? I'm assuming that it's this sort that has a built in thermostat: https://www.toolstation.com/dimplex-thermostatic-tubular-heater...

What is it that you would like to fertilize?

Nina

Hi Joanne, Have you searched through our list of recommended vets on the website? They are organised by county but sometimes, depending on where you live, a vet in another county is actually closer to you. If you do find a vet on the list, please ring them first to ask if they still have an 'exotics...

Thanks for the newest photo, and I'm sorry it's taken a while to get back to you. I'm still not sure but will ask my colleague, Lin, to come in and have a look and hopefully she can ID it.

Nina

Hi, There are various reasons why a tortoise might not be putting on weight. Could you describe his indoor enclosure and perhaps post a photo of it? What types of plants are you feeding him, and how old he is, and how much he weighs? We can usually solve the problem, but sometimes it takes a lot of ...

Hi Mick, Many thanks for the information and the photos. This isn't an explanation of the problem, but it could be contributing -- 45C is way too hot for him. When the temperature gets above 35C it's actually dangerous, although presumably at the other end of his enclosure it's a bit cooler so he ca...