IyzMykC
New Member
I am entirely new to this, and any research I've done was not exactly helpful given the amount of conflicting information. The previous owner knows roughly what I do.
I acquired George (TONIGHT) because a friendly acquaintance was no longer able to keep him.
She said he is a Greek tortoise, but does not know the subspecies. She received him from a friend, and has had him roughly 1 year. The guy she got him from had him for around 3 years, so he is probably 3.5 to 4 years old. She fed him a large leaf or two of collard greens every morning (and occasionally calcium supplements), and gave him a "bath" (meaning put him in a shallow bowl of water and let him wash his face) once a month. The enclosure is roughly 3ft by 6ft (a guess) and has aspen wood shavings 2 to 3 inches deep for the flooring. The lights that came with him are a UVB Reptisun tube, set on an automatic timer from 7am to 5pm or 6pm, and some unlabeled heating/basking lamp. Where his enclosure is positioned he will also get some degree of natural lighting, but the weather here is cloudy gray skies all year long.
I need to know if I have to keep the room at a specific temperature, and if I should find alternative floor coverings. Should he get "bathed" more often than once a month, and do I just let him "bathe" himself? How long and when should I keep the lights on?
As for feeding George, I do not have collard greens (yet), but I have kale, some other vegetables, and a few fruits that are said to be okay in small amounts, and I can get dandelion greens from the local Farmer's Market. Do I have what I need to feed him properly? How often should I give him the calcium supplement?
My apologies for the flood of questions, but I was not expecting to have him move in with me so soon, and so I am left considerably unprepared. I do not want any harm or illness to come to him, so advice is welcomed and much appreciated.
I will post a photo or two once I have the time to take them. I do not want to disturb his sleep, and I have school and soccer from 7:00am to 5:30pm until Saturday, so I will probably not get photos taken until tomorrow night.
I acquired George (TONIGHT) because a friendly acquaintance was no longer able to keep him.
She said he is a Greek tortoise, but does not know the subspecies. She received him from a friend, and has had him roughly 1 year. The guy she got him from had him for around 3 years, so he is probably 3.5 to 4 years old. She fed him a large leaf or two of collard greens every morning (and occasionally calcium supplements), and gave him a "bath" (meaning put him in a shallow bowl of water and let him wash his face) once a month. The enclosure is roughly 3ft by 6ft (a guess) and has aspen wood shavings 2 to 3 inches deep for the flooring. The lights that came with him are a UVB Reptisun tube, set on an automatic timer from 7am to 5pm or 6pm, and some unlabeled heating/basking lamp. Where his enclosure is positioned he will also get some degree of natural lighting, but the weather here is cloudy gray skies all year long.
I need to know if I have to keep the room at a specific temperature, and if I should find alternative floor coverings. Should he get "bathed" more often than once a month, and do I just let him "bathe" himself? How long and when should I keep the lights on?
As for feeding George, I do not have collard greens (yet), but I have kale, some other vegetables, and a few fruits that are said to be okay in small amounts, and I can get dandelion greens from the local Farmer's Market. Do I have what I need to feed him properly? How often should I give him the calcium supplement?
My apologies for the flood of questions, but I was not expecting to have him move in with me so soon, and so I am left considerably unprepared. I do not want any harm or illness to come to him, so advice is welcomed and much appreciated.
I will post a photo or two once I have the time to take them. I do not want to disturb his sleep, and I have school and soccer from 7:00am to 5:30pm until Saturday, so I will probably not get photos taken until tomorrow night.
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