Hi, new and would be grateful for some guidance

Hi,


So, I’m new to the forum and to tortoise ownership.

I’ve re-homed a little horse field called Sebastian 2 weeks ago after his previous owners no longer wanted him.

I’ve been reading the forum for awhile before I got him and I guess I’m posting because a lot of stuff online is so contradictory that I’d really appreciate some advice and guidance from experienced keepers on do’s and don’ts as well anything I can do to make the little guys life as nice as possible for him and some reassurance I suppose that I’m not doing anything to make him “unhappy”


I’ve been told that he’s 3.5yrs old and that his previous owners bought him from a pet shop as a hatchling. Whilst his old owners seemed like they’d tried to do what was best for him they openly admitted that they didn’t really know what they were doing. As you can see (when I can post photos) his shell has some slight pyramiding and the vet said it’s a little soft. What can I do to improve this?


He’s also got a high level of pinworms and seemed pretty dehydrated when I got him.


I let him settle in for a couple of days and didn’t handle him at all. I’d have left him longer but that’s when I noticed the worms and dehydration and lack of poo or wee so I’ve been bathing him daily since then and added a few high water foods to his diet and been misting his food which seems to have helped, ie he poos and wees once or twice a day now.


I’ve had him to the vet for his worms and he’s been treated for that so, until the 8 week treatment is over, I’ve kept him on newspaper so I can change it each day and disinfectant the table. Is there anything else I should be doing to help get rid of the worms?


The vet also said the pyramiding isn’t severe so nothing to worry about and shouldn’t get worse if I give him the right conditions. Is this correct? And exactly what conditions?


He’s in a table which is great but I’m not sure if it’s a little small?

He seems really active so I’ve been getting him out of his table to have a run around the (very clean) living room for an hour a day, I always supervise him and follow him around to make sure he can’t get into trouble. Is that ok or does that extra handling stress him out more? He doesn’t seem to bothered by the handling other than disliking being picked up but I try to always support his feet etc. Otherwise he’s quite happy to use me as some kind of human obstacle course when I let him wander around and doesn’t stay inside his shell for more than about 2 seconds.


I’ve got his heat lamp set at 28-30c and am not sure if this may be a little warm for a horse field? Again I’ve read a lot of different information on this.


I’ve been trying to improve his diet but, given the time of year, suitable weeds etc are hard to come by so I’ve got dried versions (the Komodo ones) but he won’t eat them. Any tips for improving his diet this time of year or things from the supermarket I can get? I’ve been using the tortoise table app and try my best but without the weeds and grasses I’m a little worried it’s not high fibre enough.

Also, I’m worried I’ve been over feeding him, is there a method where I can calculate how much he should be fed? He just always seems hungry. I use a pinch of nutro bal each day on his food too.


Apologies for the long post but I’m hoping someone can help and give me some guidance, I’d really like to do my best to make him as content as possible.


Thank you

Ps how do I post pictures? Do I need to do 5 posts?

Welcome to the forum! I’m not sure about the worms or soft shell, but I can answer the other questions.

-Pyramiding occurs when tortoises are raised in conditions that are too dry, and raising humidity, frequent soaks, and wetting his shell can help the scutes start growing normally. However, pyramiding doesn’t happen if a tortoise isn’t growing, and since this tortoise looks near full grown, I wouldn’t worry about it much.

-this table is too small. Russians require a minimum enclosure size of 8x4 feet, or about 2.4x1.2 meters.

-Tortoises should never be allowed to roam the floor. It is much too cold, so, SO many things can go wrong, and once they realize there’s another world out there, they will try to get back to it once in the enclosure. Once you have a properly sized enclosure, there will be no need to roam the floor.

-Your basking spot is too cool. It needs to be around 37-38.

-to get him to eat new things, mix the old things with the new things and chop or blend everything into tiny pieces and wet them so that they stick together. For grocery store foods, favors endives or other chicories as staples.

-he should be able to eat whenever he wants, with food available all day.

Be sure to give these a read and come back with questions-
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

Just keep in mind that once the worms are gone, you need to switch to a deep layer of damp substrate, like fine grade orchid bark, coco coir, or fine grade cypress mulch.

Hi TechnoCheese,

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated

I’ve read the two links already so know I need to get him in a bigger table (should be done by in the next few weeks) and I’ll be building him an outdoor enclosure once the weather is better, although given I live in north east England that might be quite a while yet.

Yeah I’ve got some orchid bark and coir waiting until the worms have cleared up, I can’t wait to put it in for him, I think he misses being able to dig properly.

The vet said nothing above 30c for his basking spot? Is that not correct?

Thanks again,

Kelly

Kelly.324 said:

Hi TechnoCheese,

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated

I’ve read the two links already so know I need to get him in a bigger table (should be done by in the next few weeks) and I’ll be building him an outdoor enclosure once the weather is better, although given I live in north east England that might be quite a while yet.

Yeah I’ve got some orchid bark and coir waiting until the worms have cleared up, I can’t wait to put it in for him, I think he misses being able to dig properly.

The vet said nothing above 30c for his basking spot? Is that not correct?

Thanks again,

Kelly

Click to expand...

Nope, definitely not correct for a normal tortoise in a normal enclosure. But now that I think about it, with newspaper being the substrate, I’m not sure if it would be humid enough for him to cool down or ensure that he can burrow to get away from it.

However, I would keep it the correct temp(37-38)if the rest of the enclosure is cool enough for him to get away from the heat if he wants to.

Thank you, he does have a covered hide area that stays much cooler and I mist the enclosure twice a day to try to help with the humidity levels until I can get a more suitable enclosure built (should only be another few weeks at most) but I’ll check the hide temps first to ensure it’ll still be cool enough.
And thanks for warning me about letting him out, I’ve read various threads on here and it does seem to be a debated topic but I’d just thought that if the room was clean and it was a temporary measure to build his strength up, and he seemed happy, then I didn’t realise the harm from things like hairs and viruses. I’d also thought that given I’ve got underfloor heating and rugs that would keep him warm but I take it that it wouldn’t keep him warm enough even for half an hour or so?

Hello and welcome, I suspect his shell is soft because the previous owner didn't provide any calcium supplements which you are now. As techno cheese said, a new bigger enclousure is in order.

Ben

Ben02 said:

Hello and welcome, I suspect his shell is soft because the previous owner didn't provide any calcium supplements which you are now. As techno cheese said, a new bigger enclousure is in order.

Ben

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They had said they did but, rather suspiciously, didn’t happen to have any left for me to take with me when I re-homed him. They had left a cuttle fish in his table which was thoroughly chewed but I’ve chucked it out (given the whole worms issue) and replaced it with a tortoise block which I’ve never seen him go anywhere near but if I’m giving him daily calcium supplements then I guess he won’t need the block?

Thanks

Hi, and welcome!

One thing to note: calcium needs UVB (either from the sun or a GOOD UVB light) in order to work inside the tortoise's body.

I know it's hard in the UK at the moment but any opportunity you have get that tort in the sun

Yvonne G said:

Hi, and welcome!

One thing to note: calcium needs UVB (either from the sun or a GOOD UVB light) in order to work inside the tortoise's body.

Click to expand...

The uvb light he’s got seems to work fine but I’ve ordered a reptisun one which should arrive in a couple of days

Ben02 said:

I know it's hard in the UK at the moment but any opportunity you have get that tort in the sun

Click to expand...

I will try but there is literally no sun, I leave for work in the dark and come home in the dark and I’m worried that with it being so cold I shouldn’t have him outside in this anyway even if a little sun does poke through for a little bit?

Good advice in the thread so far, but I wanted to touch on a few points.

• Calcium should only be given a couple times a week. Too much calcium will interfere with the absorption of other important minerals and trace elements, and cause an imbalance. Use a calcium supplement with D3 added for your indoor situation.
• There is a lighting company called Arcadia that makes fantastic products. Their HO (High Output) UV tubes are top notch. I think you can get them there in the UK.
• Looks like you are using a mercury vapor bulb now? Those will contribute to more pyramiding because they are very desiccating to the carapace.
• Most vets know very little about proper tortoise care. People who keep and raise tortoises usually know more because of their first hand experience. 28-30C is a good ambient day time temperature for a horsfield tortoise, but the basking area, directly under the lamp needs to be closer to 37. This simulates a warm ray of sunshine and allows them to raise their body temp as needed. When they are warm enough, they can move away form the basking area to a cooler part of the enclosure, or use their hide.
• The floor is never safe. I've seen disaster after disaster in so many ways. It is not worth the risk. Everyone who has suffered a catastrophe from this practice was sure things were safe and supervised closely.

Your tortoise looks good from what we can see in the pics, and your questions and conversation are welcome!

Where abouts is your enclousure placed, you could put it near the window.

Hello Kelly, and welcome to the Forum! I lived in the UK for a few years, quite a while back. I enjoyed it.

I want to put you in touch with @JoesMum who also lives in the UK. She has exceptional knowledge about tortoises, especially when it comes to weather conditions and available resources in the UK. Sometimes her notifications don't go through, so if you don't hear from her in a couple days, please send her a direct message. She will be happy to help.

Hi there! I am here

You have received good advice from @TechnoCheese and @Tom which you should follow

I would also advise you to get a temperature gun type thermometer like this to accurately measure spot temperatures in the enclosure
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thermometer-Zanmax-Non-Contact-Temperature-Indication/dp/B07CJ1SJYX/

Now I have posted in here, I should get alerts so feel free to ask of you need any further UK specific advice

Tom said:

Good advice in the thread so far, but I wanted to touch on a few points.

• Calcium should only be given a couple times a week. Too much calcium will interfere with the absorption of other important minerals and trace elements, and cause an imbalance. Use a calcium supplement with D3 added for your indoor situation.
• There is a lighting company called Arcadia that makes fantastic products. Their HO (High Output) UV tubes are top notch. I think you can get them there in the UK.
• Looks like you are using a mercury vapor bulb now? Those will contribute to more pyramiding because they are very desiccating to the carapace.
• Most vets know very little about proper tortoise care. People who keep and raise tortoises usually know more because of their first hand experience. 28-30C is a good ambient day time temperature for a horsfield tortoise, but the basking area, directly under the lamp needs to be closer to 37. This simulates a warm ray of sunshine and allows them to raise their body temp as needed. When they are warm enough, they can move away form the basking area to a cooler part of the enclosure, or use their hide.
• The floor is never safe. I've seen disaster after disaster in so many ways. It is not worth the risk. Everyone who has suffered a catastrophe from this practice was sure things were safe and supervised closely.

Your tortoise looks good from what we can see in the pics, and your questions and conversation are welcome!

Click to expand...

Hi Tom,

Thank you for your advice. Can I ask what lights you’d recommend as I’m pretty clueless in this area and am just starting to learn so any pointers would be great. I’ve found a lot of people/places recommended reptisun as a brand?

JoesMum said:

Hi there! I am here

You have received good advice from @TechnoCheese and @Tom which you should follow

I would also advise you to get a temperature gun type thermometer like this to accurately measure spot temperatures in the enclosure
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thermometer-Zanmax-Non-Contact-Temperature-Indication/dp/B07CJ1SJYX/

Now I have posted in here, I should get alerts so feel free to ask of you need any further UK specific advice

Click to expand...

Thank you, I’ve ordered that now.
Just wondering, what time of your year do you put yours outside during the day?

I was also been wondering about the pinworms, other than giving him worming treatment and cleaning his table every day and changing the substrate (ie newspaper at the moment because it’s easier to clean each and every day) is there anything else I can do to help get rid of the worms?
I’ve been bathing him each day to make sure he’s hydrated and letting him eat as much as he wants pretty much, is there anything I can do?

Thanks