Karmac
New Member
Hi everyone!
I recently received 2 tortoises that have been orphaned twice and would like to give them the care they deserve.
History:
- Their first owner kept them in an extremely small (30cm * 20cm) glass enclosure for ~6 months before passing them on to their second home. Not much other info was given.
- At their second home, where they stayed for 1.5 - 2 years, they were allowed to roam freely in a small garden but they received no special care (soaking, housing, heating, etc.). They were fed some store produce and what they could find in the garden.
Location: Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
What I did before finding Tortoise Forum:
- Built an open indoor enclosure ?where they are staying at night. It features a small area with soil and plants with the daylight lamp above, a rock stack with a heating lamp above it, a small hide with some dry bedding and a water dish.
- Purchased a daylight (100W) lamp and reptile heating (50W & 100W) lamps
Tortoises:
I'm not sure what species, but I suspect they are South African Leopard Tortoises. Also, excuse their temporary names
Linda
Length: 12cm (4.72")
Weight: 286g
Age: Unknown (anywhere between 2 and 4 years)
Sex: Unknown
Bart
Length: 13cm (5.12")
Weight: 324g
Age: Unknown (anywhere between 2 and 4 years)
Sex: Unknown
Outside Enclosure:
I have made available a large protected area for them to roam. This area features a lot of plant growth, grass and rocks which should provide sufficient basking and shading areas as well as a natural source of food.
This area is where they spend most of their day (as soon as the outside temps hit 20 °C / 68 °F)
I am in the process of building a heated pen where they can stay once the winter has said its goodbyes and spring has arrived.
Eating and Drinking:
One of my main concerns has been the lack of eating and drinking. When they first arrived they found some yellow oxalis weeds (woodsorrel?) which they munched on for a bit and Bart found and ate some young leaf lettuce I have planted. Other than that they haven't touched any other food.
I haven't seen them approach or drink from any of the water sources provided.
Poop:
I have not seen any signs that they have pooped in the last 2-3 days. Probably because they haven't eaten much yet.
Soaking:
I soaked them for about 15 minutes yesterday and I'm planning on soaking them again today.
Observations:
- When outside Linda explores a lot, while Bart just finds a shaded area to lay in.
- Bart is much shier than Linda and generally takes up to 10 minutes to just start moving when outside.
- Over the last 24 hours, they didn't move at all until they were taken outside.
I need some advice on what can be improved (e.g. replace the open-top enclosure with a closed-top enclosure) and if anyone sees any issues please point them out so I can fix it ASAP.
I recently received 2 tortoises that have been orphaned twice and would like to give them the care they deserve.
History:
- Their first owner kept them in an extremely small (30cm * 20cm) glass enclosure for ~6 months before passing them on to their second home. Not much other info was given.
- At their second home, where they stayed for 1.5 - 2 years, they were allowed to roam freely in a small garden but they received no special care (soaking, housing, heating, etc.). They were fed some store produce and what they could find in the garden.
Location: Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
What I did before finding Tortoise Forum:
- Built an open indoor enclosure ?where they are staying at night. It features a small area with soil and plants with the daylight lamp above, a rock stack with a heating lamp above it, a small hide with some dry bedding and a water dish.
- Purchased a daylight (100W) lamp and reptile heating (50W & 100W) lamps
Tortoises:
I'm not sure what species, but I suspect they are South African Leopard Tortoises. Also, excuse their temporary names
Linda
Length: 12cm (4.72")
Weight: 286g
Age: Unknown (anywhere between 2 and 4 years)
Sex: Unknown
Bart
Length: 13cm (5.12")
Weight: 324g
Age: Unknown (anywhere between 2 and 4 years)
Sex: Unknown
Outside Enclosure:
I have made available a large protected area for them to roam. This area features a lot of plant growth, grass and rocks which should provide sufficient basking and shading areas as well as a natural source of food.
This area is where they spend most of their day (as soon as the outside temps hit 20 °C / 68 °F)
I am in the process of building a heated pen where they can stay once the winter has said its goodbyes and spring has arrived.
Eating and Drinking:
One of my main concerns has been the lack of eating and drinking. When they first arrived they found some yellow oxalis weeds (woodsorrel?) which they munched on for a bit and Bart found and ate some young leaf lettuce I have planted. Other than that they haven't touched any other food.
I haven't seen them approach or drink from any of the water sources provided.
Poop:
I have not seen any signs that they have pooped in the last 2-3 days. Probably because they haven't eaten much yet.
Soaking:
I soaked them for about 15 minutes yesterday and I'm planning on soaking them again today.
Observations:
- When outside Linda explores a lot, while Bart just finds a shaded area to lay in.
- Bart is much shier than Linda and generally takes up to 10 minutes to just start moving when outside.
- Over the last 24 hours, they didn't move at all until they were taken outside.
I need some advice on what can be improved (e.g. replace the open-top enclosure with a closed-top enclosure) and if anyone sees any issues please point them out so I can fix it ASAP.