Advice sought please!!!

[ben2684]

Have recently adopted a friend of mines Horsfields tortoise he's four yeas old and seems generally happy and is eating well, she had to part with him as he was becoming very aggressive towards her others which culminated in a few vets trips!!! I've had spur thighed in the past so jot completely new to this but looking at him his shell is very round and nobbly, rather than flatter and smoother which I thought Horsfields were??? Now he's either not a Horsfields or I guess the other possibility is he's been over fed and has abnormal growth, I'm not sure! Help would be greatly appreciated thank you

 

[Laura]

husbandry wasnt right the first few years..
diet, too dry enclosure.. etc.
if this is a picture of how you have him, Id change from pellets to some sort of soil substrate.
what are you feeding? They like broadleafed weeds.. the list is long...

 

[ben2684]

husbandry wasnt right the first few years..
diet, too dry enclosure.. etc.
if this is a picture of how you have him, Id change from pellets to some sort of soil substrate.
what are you feeding? They like broadleafed weeds.. the list is long...

I have already changed the substrate to a sand and top soil mix, the pellets were what he came with, I have only had him a few days, feeding him a varied diet of different plants as suggested, I think he's mainly been on salad green stuff and calcium powder... Are there any long term complications this will cause??

 

[Yvonne G]

Actually your steppe tortoise looks quite nice. You can certainly tell he was captive born and raised by the look of his shell, but there's nothing wrong with how he looks. If he were raised in a more humid environment during his first year, he might be a bit smoother, but really, he looks just fine.

Try to get him out into the sun for at least 3 or 4 hours a week. They are very good at escaping, so build him a safe, escape-proof outdoor pen and put him out there during the day all the time.

 

[Laura]

it doesnt look bad enough to ahve affected him any, health wise. sunshine and diet,, when he grows it will smooth out a bit.. Outside is best.. but do build it tall enough and secure...

 

[ben2684]

Thank you both

 

[ben2684]

How would you recommend I increase the humidity??