Beginner Mistakes - commentary

[Tccarolina]

RE: Beginner Mistakes

Very well done, Tom!

 

[Kerryann]

RE: Beginner Mistakes

That is great information. I wish there was a thread like this when I first got Betty.

 

[Hunahpu]

RE: Beginner Mistakes

That's a great collection of information! I too wish I'd had this when I got my first.

 

[yarok]

RE: Beginner Mistakes

When i first got my sulcata i had him on Rabbit pellets. After joining this forum he is now on eco earth, has a large, shallow water bowl, varied diet, humid hide and takes frequent baths. I thank you all for all your advice.

 

[lynnedit]

When i first got my sulcata i had him on Rabbit pellets. After joining this forum he is now on eco earth, has a large, shallow water bowl, varied diet, humid hide and takes frequent baths. I thank you all for all your advice.

Perfect example of why this forum works!

Fantastic post, Tom.

 

[Moofahsa]

Link is dead?

 

[Talka]

Link is dead?

Try here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Beginner-Mistakes#axzz1xRayu3Ss

 

[ZooMedFan01]

Great tips. Im a new member and looking to get a tortoise so now I know rights and wrongs, although what do you mean by the tortoise disapears if you take it outside? Like it "runs" away of it eats something and dies from it? Not critiquing, just curious because I dont want to get a tortoise and loes it.
Thankyou,
Carl

 

[Tom]

They tend to run away and hide in the blink of an eye. Its freaky. They can be sitting there for an hour, and then when you aren't paying close enough attention, they are simply gone. Sometimes it happens so fast that it might seem like they vanished into thin air. Really they can just move faster than we think and they are very good at hiding.

The bottom line is: Put them in an appropriate enclosure, and then you won't lose them.

 

[kathyth]

Thank you very much for this extremely informative info. Some of it I knew and some not. It makes perfect sense.
Kathy

 

[jp07]

When I click the link I get a 404 message???

 

[arotester]

When I click the link I get a 404 message???

ditto

 

[Jacqui]

Your right the first link is not working. I'll see if we can figure out the problem.

---

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-45180.html#axzz2D3O32EAu

Try using that link and see if it works for you.

 

[titanoboa]

THANK YOU TOM!
I have spend many a days/hours/MONTHS reading up on sulcatas. Ordered books, read forums, caresheets etc, And every single post contradicts the one previous.
I have been looking for someone who has raise a sulcata from Birth TO Adulthood. VERY difficult to find.
I appreciate you sharing your experience and opinions. My baby sulcata will be turning 1 yr old next month! And I spend a lot of time stressing about what I am doing right or wrong. I've already notice a tiny bit of pyramiding and have been trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Your advice has definitely given me a few things to work on and change.
Thank you!

 

[JennBell0725]

Is there a reason the link in the OP isn't working?

 

[Yvonne G]

It seems to work ok now.

 

[Dewald]

A baby tortoise arrived on my property, probably from an open field next to the house. The area is known to have wild tortoises. In searching for information on the internet on what do to, I did not find the following information:

Tortoises patrol the boundary of their enclosure because they are looking for a way out. Their instinct is to get away from humans.

As mentioned in point 8, they should not be kept in a barren enclosure. This is presumably due to an instinct to hide from birds of prey. My tortoise disappeared and might have been the victim of such a bird. Thus, small tortoises should either be kept indoors until big enough, or the enclosure covered by wire mesh. If this is not possible, tortoises which are adapted to the area probably have a better chance of survival in the wild, where there are trees, long grass, and vegetation they eat naturally, such as grass (depending on the species).

There are confusing information on the internet about hibernation. Some species do not hibernate, but withdraw and remain in one place on cold days. If they move at all they do so slowly.

 

[elzie77]

RE: Beginner Mistakes



I totally agree. This is why I made it number one. Due to the way that some species are typically started, like sulcatas on rabbit pellets with no water bowl for example, I think this one is most critical. If too many of the kidney and liver cells are already dead due to chronic dehydration, there is no way to over come that, even if the new keeper does everything "right".

This is the first thing I read and yes, it is very helpful. I have found very few resources that cover the subject like you have,,,,,thanks

 

[AT77]

(Moderator note: I've moved all the commentary off Tom's thread and onto here. To read Tom's thread go here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-45180.html

Help, I am new to the tortoise world. I recently purchased some moss for him and he just loves it. He pulls it into his enclosure and covers himself...but I think he might be eating some too...is that okay? Also...how big of an enclosure should he have ... he love to get out and move around on our floor with supervision....so I fear he needs more space than his 50 gallon tank....

Tom-OUTSTANDING!

In my opinion this document should be the first thing that opens when a new member signs on to TFO. If only we could post this outside of every pet shop in America too!

There is little to nothing that could be added to this "tortoise bill of captive care rights". But I will say that one thing that I find disturbing that takes place most often with beginners, but even with keepers of a few years or more experience is pointed out in #6: They often maintain their tortoises far too hot night and day. Along with this comes excessive dryness, dehydration, poor food processing and more

 

[Krishnasaitejat]

RE: Beginner Mistakes

Good stuff,Tom! I see #1 causing problems far too often. What is sometimes called "hatchling failure syndrome" is,many times,nothing more than improper care during the first month after hatching. Please,if you are looking to buy a hatchling,do some homework. Ask questions about what kind of care they are recieving,hatch date,temperature and humidity parameters. If the prospective seller can't give satisfactory answers to these basic questions,I personally would consider going somewhere else.