Hi Guys,
I posted about a sad tortoise and was asked for some pics. So here goes... This is Norma (was Norman until last Septembers trip to the vet!). We think she is 18-24 months old.
She is a much loved class pet in a challenging school. She lives in her viv mostly through the winter as the temp in school drops during the evening and weekends. Our caretaker has made her a table and is in the process of setting up lights and lamps so she can spend the summer term and warmer weather in here. The children have been growing weeds in shallow trays to put in with her and they have been designing different ideas to make her table more tortoise friendly - different substrates, digging materials.
Each September the new class spends half a term researching tortoises and their care and the special needs children arrange and take her to the vet for a check up. They take her outside at lunch time and allow her to roam on the field. They are careful not to over handle and are very possesive!
They feed her mainly on weeds, grown in school or picked from the school allotment (organic). She also has some of the complete food every 3 or 4 days and they give her a warm bath on a Friday during their earned golden time.
On the whole she seems a very contented tortoise
We are still having issues with her viv temperatures as they are easily effected by the heating/or lack of in school. We had issues with her timer last week which I think has meant a little over heating as she is peeling around the face - we have been bathing her every few days and also supplemented her greens with a few water based leaves to get her right. After talking to a fellow tortoise owner we are looking at a thermostate to regulate the day and night temperatures.
Would be lovely to get any advice, feedback!
xxx
I posted about a sad tortoise and was asked for some pics. So here goes... This is Norma (was Norman until last Septembers trip to the vet!). We think she is 18-24 months old.
She is a much loved class pet in a challenging school. She lives in her viv mostly through the winter as the temp in school drops during the evening and weekends. Our caretaker has made her a table and is in the process of setting up lights and lamps so she can spend the summer term and warmer weather in here. The children have been growing weeds in shallow trays to put in with her and they have been designing different ideas to make her table more tortoise friendly - different substrates, digging materials.
Each September the new class spends half a term researching tortoises and their care and the special needs children arrange and take her to the vet for a check up. They take her outside at lunch time and allow her to roam on the field. They are careful not to over handle and are very possesive!
They feed her mainly on weeds, grown in school or picked from the school allotment (organic). She also has some of the complete food every 3 or 4 days and they give her a warm bath on a Friday during their earned golden time.
On the whole she seems a very contented tortoise
We are still having issues with her viv temperatures as they are easily effected by the heating/or lack of in school. We had issues with her timer last week which I think has meant a little over heating as she is peeling around the face - we have been bathing her every few days and also supplemented her greens with a few water based leaves to get her right. After talking to a fellow tortoise owner we are looking at a thermostate to regulate the day and night temperatures.Would be lovely to get any advice, feedback!
xxx
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