Hello Everyone! My tortoise & I are new!

[alexisrenee22]

Hello Tortoise lovers,

My name is Alexis and my little guys name is Hector. We live in Vancouver, WA. I have had him for about 10 years now and I thought I would join this forum to keep up with my tortoise education, as well as get more advice and tips.

I currently have Hector in a glass tank with a heat lamp on a few hours a day. I feed him mostly greens and veggies, and sometimes I give him a treat like berries. Washington is a pretty wet/cold climate, so he spends most of the winter in doors. During the summer though I let him outside to roam the backyard for a few hours. I made him a nice outdoor habitat but one of my family members didn't put the cover on it when they put him in, and one of the dogs took him out and he got lost. I made flyers and posted on craigslist missing tortoise. We spent hours each day looking for him and a few days later we found him. A person the neighborhood over found him eating plants in there backyard and saw my craigslist post. I was extremely grateful and happy to get him back, and ever since then I did not want to use the outdoor habitat I made.

Long story short, because I have dogs I would like to build another outdoor habitat but off the ground. I would like to know how big I should make it, as well as if I should have different stories? I also was reading some of the forums on here and I read about someone using substrate. If someone could explain what that is and do I need it?

Thank you Hector and I look forward to meeting you all,

Alexis & Hector

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, Alexis...and welcome to the Forum!

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Substrate is what you use on the bottom of their enclosure. Dirt, coconut coir, orchid bark, all used on the floor of enclosure and considered substrate.
If I were you, I would make him a cage on the ground outside that has a top on it, like chicken wire or something stronger that the dogs can't get through and let him wonder on the ground as his substrate.

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum!

 

[alexisrenee22]

Hi guys thanks for the warm welcome,

Okay so it just what type of bedding I use? I don't know the official name of what I use now, but it comes in a block and it is kind of like chips of wood. I think you can get it basically anywhere, I know I have gotten it at safeway before in the pet section.

Thanks Wellington for the response, I did have chicken wire on the bottom of my habitat and the top. However, the top wire you had to pull over the habitat and fasten it down with a simple clip I made. My dogs got Hector out because my family member who put him outside to get some sun didn't fasten the clip down. But another reason I wanted to build a new habitat off the ground is because I want to be able to move it easily around the backyard for maximum sunlight, since he doesn't get a lot of natural sunlight during the winter.

Thank you!
Alexis

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome Alexis and Hector ! When Speedy was smaller , I used a kids wading pool , and placed it on a table so it was above any critters on the ground !

 

[Loohan]

Looks like he needs a beak trim...

 

[alexisrenee22]

Thats smart and pretty easy to do! Thank you!

Okay so I have another question now, I just read on one of the forums that broccoli is bad for tortoises? Has anyone else heard of this? Also I have heard that some owners feed there tortoises protein sometimes, like worms or sometimes dog food? Anyone else try this?

 

[alexisrenee22]

Looks like he needs a beak trim...

Wow, I have never been told that before! Thank you, how and where do you get that kind of thing done? Like the vet? And is it necessary?

 

[Loohan]

Wow, I have never been told that before! Thank you, how and where do you get that kind of thing done? Like the vet? And is it necessary?

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than myself will enlighten you...

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Alexis

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome.
Better and MUCH cheaper substrate can be found at places such as the Home Depot and Lowes. Orchid bark or small mulch. I use orchid bark.
It sounds like you've been using pine chips. Not only is it expensive, but pine is mildly irritating.
When I had my tortoises beak trimmed, a vet did it because it was a large tortoise and anesthesia was required. Some owners do it themselves but I wouldn't recommend trying it without at least ever seeing it done before.