new comer to the forum

bruc el lishous

New Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
west cornwall . UK
Hello , have join this forum as have just become a new tort keeper and have really found all the post regarding all the question one askes when this business is so new .
I was give a marginated( greek ?) tort for my birthday , we got him end of October this year , he has been rehomed from a loving family .
He came with all his stuff !
I will try to down load some pics , he came named Bruce so Bruce he will remain , unless he is a Brucecilla LOL
I did have many concerns about his life before so basically through information on this forum have turned his life upside down ( gradually tho ) he is very small for his age etc
Hope to have some good chats
Regards Gill
 

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
Hello and welcome to TFO to another Brit from Kent, UK.

Coming “with all his stuff” isn’t necessarily good news as there is a lot of outdated and incorrect information circulating on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

We will happily look over photos of your enclosure and lighting to see if there are any recommendations for improvement we can make. And we love photos of tortoises anyway :D

The Android app is playing up, so if you are using that you will need to log into TFO on your device’s web browser to upload pictures
https://tortoiseforum.org

I recommend you read the TFO care guides and compare them with your setup.

They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Baby Testudo Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/
 

bruc el lishous

New Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
west cornwall . UK
Hello and welcome to TFO to another Brit from Kent, UK.

Coming “with all his stuff” isn’t necessarily good news as there is a lot of outdated and incorrect information circulating on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

We will happily look over photos of your enclosure and lighting to see if there are any recommendations for improvement we can make. And we love photos of tortoises anyway :D

The Android app is playing up, so if you are using that you will need to log into TFO on your device’s web browser to upload pictures
https://tortoiseforum.org

I recommend you read the TFO care guides and compare them with your setup.

They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Baby Testudo Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/
Hi Joes mum , thanks for links . I changed the substrate from chipped beach wood to coco coir but next time will try soil and sand , I put in flat stones and potted basil plants ( which he sleep under sometimes ) I have his uk registration from Bristol born between July and August 2015 , he's been with us 4 weeks he weighed 85 gms - plastron 7 .5 cm 17 cm around the middle , since I changed his environment he has been eating everyday and drinking , pooping etc
have been bathing him every other day - he comes out for a wonder at least twice a day - gosh he is quiet speedy and climbs !
 

bruc el lishous

New Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
west cornwall . UK
Hi Joes mum , thanks for links . I changed the substrate from chipped beach wood to coco coir but next time will try soil and sand , I put in flat stones and potted basil plants ( which he sleep under sometimes ) I have his uk registration from Bristol born between July and August 2015 , he's been with us 4 weeks he weighed 85 gms - plastron 7 .5 cm 17 cm around the middle , since I changed his environment he has been eating everyday and drinking , pooping etc
have been bathing him every other day - he comes out for a wonder at least twice a day - gosh he is quiet speedy and climbs !
 

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
Coco coir is a great substrate. We don’t recommend sand as it doesn’t hold moisture and it sticks to food, gets eaten and then impacts in the gut. Stick to the coco coir.

A youngster like this needs high humidity. It needs a closed chamber and damp substrate (see the links). The substrate needs to be properly damp ... tip water in and mix thoroughly with your hands until it’s damp right to the bottom and into the corners.

I hope you can post pictures :)
 

bruc el lishous

New Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
west cornwall . UK
Coco coir is a great substrate. We don’t recommend sand as it doesn’t hold moisture and it sticks to food, gets eaten and then impacts in the gut. Stick to the coco coir.

A youngster like this needs high humidity. It needs a closed chamber and damp substrate (see the links). The substrate needs to be properly damp ... tip water in and mix thoroughly with your hands until it’s damp right to the bottom and into the corners.

I hope you can post pictures :)
will stay with the coir , have given it a good watering and scrunch up today ( he went mental when I put him back in ) he has a cave but rarely uses the "bedroom " I fear his tortoise box in way to small , that will be rectified asap , the last three nights he has burrowed down for the night ( so I must be doing some good for him ) he is very nosey plus have noticed that when he is striding out he is up on all fours and scanning around as he goes - he's really "wicked !" - yes I have it bad :) he is doing ok now I think , I think also the lamp in not enough - it is Arcadia mini d3 uv 80w
 

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
Your tortoise needs to be able to bask at 95-100F /35-37C in order to digest foid and be active.

The basking lamp needs to hang vertically above the substrate, not be at an angle. Don’t trust clamp lamp fixtures... they fail and are a fire risk

The enclosure temperature generally should not drop below 85F/37C day or night for a baby like yours.

You will probably need a Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) used with a thermostat to achieve this.

It is best to use a digital temperature gun like this on Amaxon to measure temperatures accurately.
 

bruc el lishous

New Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
west cornwall . UK
Your tortoise needs to be able to bask at 95-100F /35-37C in order to digest foid and be active.

The basking lamp needs to hang vertically above the substrate, not be at an angle. Don’t trust clamp lamp fixtures... they fail and are a fire risk

The enclosure temperature generally should not drop below 85F/37C day or night for a baby like yours.

You will probably need a Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) used with a thermostat to achieve this.

It is best to use a digital temperature gun like this on Amaxon to measure temperatures accurately.
ok , I will start will the temperature gun - thanks
 

billylilly

New Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2017
Messages
20
Location (City and/or State)
Cheshire
Hi and welcome gorgeous tortoise am new too and this forum is very friendly and helpful x
 
N

no one

Guest
Welcome Gill and Bruce!! This is a great place to learn about the right care for your tortoise. Enjoy...
 
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