Horsefield Tortoise

[Williammurphy]

Hi!

My name is William, I am 21 from Glasgow Scotland. I purchased my first ever tortoise, Chelly (I'm creative can't you tell ). The breeder told me she was a Horsefield Tortoise from Russia and provided certificates showing her egg number and DOB etc. So I am certain that this correct.

I have had Chelly a little over a year now. She is incredibly healthy, active and has a healthy appetite (stools and urine are all healthy looking).

I joined this as it seemed like a family of fellow minded people who share the same passion for Tortoises, I had a question.

Whats the easiest way to tell if Chelly is at a healthy weight? Or if she is under/overweight. I weigh her every week to keep progress. She's is turning 2 in December and is currently at 210 grams. Is this healthy? I worry sometimes I am not doing the right thing which is why I thought there wasn't a better place to check than here.

Also in terms of substrate/enclosure, can anyone recommend an upgrade to what she currently has? She has a 30" by 20" by 35" enclosure. The breeder told me she was too small for a tortoise enclosure, but I feel she is close to outgrowing her enclosure and may need a new one soon, very soon infact. Any recommendations?

Please see attached a photo of chelly for you to enjoy. (This was taken when I first got her, I will get an up to date one today so you can see the difference in her!)

Kind regards,

William

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi William, and welcome to the Forum!

Chelly is awfully cute! I love the look on his/her face in that picture.

I like using orchid bark (fir bark). You can find it in plant nurseries. It usually comes in three sizes, fine, medium and large, and I like the fine. It seems easier for them to walk on.

I don't go by weight charts or 'normal' I just go by if the tortoise feels comparable to a rock of the same size when I pick it up. If it feel light, it probably needs to gain weight.

Here's a link to a care sheet that will help you take care of CHelly:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Hello and welcome from South Florida USA