Introducing Flash

Arran

New Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2021
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
York, UK
Hello all,
thank you for adding me and my mischievous Spur Thighed 5 year old tortoise Flash.
He currently is in a large table but is a climber and has toppled out a few times now. I am thinking of changing him to an open hide in the corner of the kitchen, which allows him to wander the kitchen, I am guessing he will still need his heat/UV lamp and water bowl, but does he need substrate? He doesn’t bury or dig, just climb. Ideas of what this might look like would be really appreciate, we are in the UK so he can only go outside in mid summer.
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Hi and welcome,
This is the caresheet you need for your tort
What you are planning could be pretty detrimental to you tort.
They need a safe enclosure with substrate and heat sources etc.
The temps are much lower at ground level and there are are far too many hazards to let him roam the kitchen - chemicals, dust, human and pet hair small objects that could cause choking or impaction ,the risk of being stepped on or kicked or crushed in doors - there are many sad stories of torts being lost because they have had free range of a house.

You could cap the edges of his table to stop him climbing out, if you post pics you'll get good feedback on how you could adapt it.
 

LJL1982

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2022
Messages
318
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Hello all,
thank you for adding me and my mischievous Spur Thighed 5 year old tortoise Flash.
He currently is in a large table but is a climber and has toppled out a few times now. I am thinking of changing him to an open hide in the corner of the kitchen, which allows him to wander the kitchen, I am guessing he will still need his heat/UV lamp and water bowl, but does he need substrate? He doesn’t bury or dig, just climb. Ideas of what this might look like would be really appreciate, we are in the UK so he can only go outside in mid summer.
I have an ikea wall cabinet with two doors, and thin backing pulled off. Doors are then screwed closed and entire thing flipped upside down.

It's on the floor in my spare room. Tortoise is 7 inch carapace (SCL). When he heats up in the day he is a speed demon and a climber, but has never flipped or got out. Sides are considerably deeper than him.

This set up is not big enough for him but he will be in the garden from April and as I work from home in a home with no children and a pretty empty lounge size room, he is out every day during the day wandering.

He has been allowed to go into the kitchen on occasion but I feel it is a risk of stepping on him/ his temperature dropping if out too long/ knocking items over, so he tends to be restricted to his safe spaces including his enclosure when others are around.

Yours would need UVB for bone vitamin metabolism in the absence of sun, but regarding UVA and basking heat, he can manage several hours without it at UK home heated temperatures of 21C. He would benefit from higher temperatures of around 35C so a basking spot under a UVA or Ceramic heat emitter for several hours during the day.

Tortoises should have a cold eve (down as far as 12C) so technically mine is kept too high overnight at 18C, but their routine is predominantly driven by light.

Doesn't need over thinking by any means. Mine is doing just fine indoors. Active adult spur thighs can walk up to 80km a day in the wild and will try to walk a lot if heated so be prepared to give them lots of space.
 

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Arran

New Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2021
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
York, UK
Hi and welcome,
This is the caresheet you need for your tort
What you are planning could be pretty detrimental to you tort.
They need a safe enclosure with substrate and heat sources etc.
The temps are much lower at ground level and there are are far too many hazards to let him roam the kitchen - chemicals, dust, human and pet hair small objects that could cause choking or impaction ,the risk of being stepped on or kicked or crushed in doors - there are many sad stories of torts being lost because they have had free range of a house.

You could cap the edges of his table to stop him climbing out, if you post pics you'll get good feedback on how you could adapt it.
Hi Lyn,
Thank you for attaching the care sheet, we do much of what is on there already, though we were advised to use a sandy soil substrate which I’ve used for the past 4 years, would he be happy being changed to a bark substrate? It would certainly cut down on how much muddy mess he makes.
He loves to run around and chase toes and is very active, so I’m guessing it’s a bigger enclosure that he needs with more stimulae.
 

Arran

New Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2021
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
York, UK
I have an ikea wall cabinet with two doors, and thin backing pulled off. Doors are then screwed closed and entire thing flipped upside down.

It's on the floor in my spare room. Tortoise is 7 inch carapace (SCL). When he heats up in the day he is a speed demon and a climber, but has never flipped or got out. Sides are considerably deeper than him.

This set up is not big enough for him but he will be in the garden from April and as I work from home in a home with no children and a pretty empty lounge size room, he is out every day during the day wandering.

He has been allowed to go into the kitchen on occasion but I feel it is a risk of stepping on him/ his temperature dropping if out too long/ knocking items over, so he tends to be restricted to his safe spaces including his enclosure when others are around.

Yours would need UVB for bone vitamin metabolism in the absence of sun, but regarding UVA and basking heat, he can manage several hours without it at UK home heated temperatures of 21C. He would benefit from higher temperatures of around 35C so a basking spot under a UVA or Ceramic heat emitter for several hours during the day.

Tortoises should have a cold eve (down as far as 12C) so technically mine is kept too high overnight at 18C, but their routine is predominantly driven by light.

Doesn't need over thinking by any means. Mine is doing just fine indoors. Active adult spur thighs can walk up to 80km a day in the wild and will try to walk a lot if heated so be prepared to give them lots of space.
Thank you for the advice, Flash is definitely very active and spends a lot of time chasing toes and the dog (a tiny chihuahua). I love your enclosure it looks like an amazing sized home
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Hi Lyn,
Thank you for attaching the care sheet, we do much of what is on there already, though we were advised to use a sandy soil substrate which I’ve used for the past 4 years, would he be happy being changed to a bark substrate? It would certainly cut down on how much muddy mess he makes.
He loves to run around and chase toes and is very active, so I’m guessing it’s a bigger enclosure that he needs with more stimulae.
Sandy substrate or anything with little white bits is not recommended because if it is ingested with food it can cause impaction which can be very panful and even fatal. It is also too dry and can irritate skin and eyes.
Unfortunately there is a lot of old outdated information still being passed around but if you follow the caresheet I linked which was written and is updated by a member with decades of experience and who has been involved in research, he should thrive and be fine with any of the substrates recommended.
If he is old enough to live outdoors in the summer, this will also help you provide a good environment for him, but because our climate is so inconsistent it's always good to have a an indoor back up.
Meanwhile if you cap the edges or maybe just the corners of his current table and move any hides etc that he could use to raise himself up you will make climbing more difficult for him - or maybe try to raise all the sides.
My tort has his own room because he is too big for a table or viv and he wanders around that but it is his room only so no hazards, so if you have a spare room that is another option for him.
 

LJL1982

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2022
Messages
318
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Thank you for the advice, Flash is definitely very active and spends a lot of time chasing toes and the dog (a tiny chihuahua). I love your enclosure it looks like an amazing sized home
If you have an ikea nearby it's well worth looking at bookshelves/ wall cupboards/ kids wardrobes etc that are relatively cheap and can be simply adapted to a tortoise enclosure use...owning a tortoise is definitely about thinking outside the box...mine loves climbing the log hide which is a pets at home rabbit thing! Anything that breaks their line of sight is their enclosure will stop them climbing the edges so much...make him an assault course!
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
If you have an ikea nearby it's well worth looking at bookshelves/ wall cupboards/ kids wardrobes etc that are relatively cheap and can be simply adapted to a tortoise enclosure use...owning a tortoise is definitely about thinking outside the box...mine loves climbing the log hide which is a pets at home rabbit thing! Anything that breaks their line of sight is their enclosure will stop them climbing the edges so much...make him an assault course!
.....or use Freecycle and charity shops to look for large book cases that you could lay flat - even cheaper!
 

LJL1982

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2022
Messages
318
Location (City and/or State)
UK
.....or use Freecycle and charity shops to look for large book cases that you could lay flat - even cheaper!
Yes absolutely! Or gumtree...mine was in the recycle part of IKEA where old stock is held and was reduced to £25! It's a nice wipeable surface too!
 

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