shelli82
New Member
Super excited to welcome our first tortoise to our family. Introducing...Oogway π’
My name is Michelle and we live in the county of Hampshire, in England. We now have πββ¬οΈπππππ’... think we're on the way to creating a mini zoo π€£
Never thought we'd have a tortoise, never looked after one and before now I've even seen one up close, but I am besotted! We currently dont have all the info about this little chap (last owner who gave him to us has moved away) he had him for about 5 years, and he's a male and thats all we really know. I think he might be a Russian!?!? But if anyone can correct that please let me know...
He has been kept in a vivarium for all his life so far, but this is all changing π It makes me sad to see him in such a small enclosure (approx. 40cm x 70 cm), but I have plans to create him not 1, but 2 grand new π’ π° π° he'll have an bigger indoor table for everyday accommodation and a outdoor one for sunny days. I dont think he had ever been outside before, never had the sun on him, never stretched his little legs and felt the natural ground beneath him. I know this isn't always an option for some owners, and I don't judge, there are some lovely indoor tortoise homes π but I really want my tortoise to experience the outdoors. I plan to make both his enclosures safe, roomy and interesting spaces for him to roam in, and I've been scrolling through posts on this site to get my inspirations π
We were told the only food Oogway has been fed is Romaine lettuce! I am currently doing as much research as I can. My understanding is that this isnβt the best food for them to be eating all the time?
Oogways first outdoor experience ππ»π·πΌ We had a 30 minute bask in the sun, he kept close to me but was very inquisitive and he ate Dandelions and Clover! Think I'll be able to add them to his salad plate list...
I put together a temporary enclosure for our second outdoor trip as I was so paranoid he would run off, or the birds would get him. This way I could sit close to him and he could have a bit of a roam... he loved it....
I've also had to temporarily tackle the indoor enclosure!! I read somewhere that tortoise don't like sudden changes to their living areas, so to be safe I am changing his enclosure gradually. His bedding was simply wood pellets! Not seen anyone use this substrate in my research. I have introduced coco coir, mixing it with the wood pellets, because firstly I didn't want to suddenly change the substrate he was accustomed to, and my theory is that it might absorb some moisture from the coir, as humidity was really high with only coir laid in the glass fronted tank. I won't use the pellets in new enclosure. I have brought a humidity monitor and with a bit of a jiggle with sensor postion and heat controls I now have it down to about 70% but I think this humidity level is still too high still? It is really hard to have warm and cool spots in such a small area and also get the humidity right! I have opened the vents to let some of the damp air escape, but not sure if there is anything else I can change?
I have created a tunnelled area which he loves to snooze in and he loves the mound of coir I have put one end, as he can now get closer to the heat from the light.
The light and heater are what came with him. The temperature from the "basking" light is only hitting about 80df on top of mound, I have ordered a temp gun to check, but before I created the mound Oogway was getting less than 80df! So hes currently getting more than he had begore. My understanding is that the basking area should be 90 to 100 df? I do have a overhead one coming with the new enclosure, which arrives in a couple of weeks, so im just trying to keep him more comfortable until its here.
Completely open to care advice, corrections, tips and suggestions, and thanks for letting me be apart of the group. I'm looking forward to reading through others experiences and sharing our own adventure with Oogway π’
Michelle & Oogway
Notes
Im a new π’ owner.
I'm unsure of species.
I may need help with light, heat, humidity and basking setup.
Vivarium, lights etc came with π’ its not staying like this.
New open top enclosure is ordered π
Advice welcomed
My name is Michelle and we live in the county of Hampshire, in England. We now have πββ¬οΈπππππ’... think we're on the way to creating a mini zoo π€£
Never thought we'd have a tortoise, never looked after one and before now I've even seen one up close, but I am besotted! We currently dont have all the info about this little chap (last owner who gave him to us has moved away) he had him for about 5 years, and he's a male and thats all we really know. I think he might be a Russian!?!? But if anyone can correct that please let me know...
He has been kept in a vivarium for all his life so far, but this is all changing π It makes me sad to see him in such a small enclosure (approx. 40cm x 70 cm), but I have plans to create him not 1, but 2 grand new π’ π° π° he'll have an bigger indoor table for everyday accommodation and a outdoor one for sunny days. I dont think he had ever been outside before, never had the sun on him, never stretched his little legs and felt the natural ground beneath him. I know this isn't always an option for some owners, and I don't judge, there are some lovely indoor tortoise homes π but I really want my tortoise to experience the outdoors. I plan to make both his enclosures safe, roomy and interesting spaces for him to roam in, and I've been scrolling through posts on this site to get my inspirations π
We were told the only food Oogway has been fed is Romaine lettuce! I am currently doing as much research as I can. My understanding is that this isnβt the best food for them to be eating all the time?
Oogways first outdoor experience ππ»π·πΌ We had a 30 minute bask in the sun, he kept close to me but was very inquisitive and he ate Dandelions and Clover! Think I'll be able to add them to his salad plate list...
I put together a temporary enclosure for our second outdoor trip as I was so paranoid he would run off, or the birds would get him. This way I could sit close to him and he could have a bit of a roam... he loved it....
I've also had to temporarily tackle the indoor enclosure!! I read somewhere that tortoise don't like sudden changes to their living areas, so to be safe I am changing his enclosure gradually. His bedding was simply wood pellets! Not seen anyone use this substrate in my research. I have introduced coco coir, mixing it with the wood pellets, because firstly I didn't want to suddenly change the substrate he was accustomed to, and my theory is that it might absorb some moisture from the coir, as humidity was really high with only coir laid in the glass fronted tank. I won't use the pellets in new enclosure. I have brought a humidity monitor and with a bit of a jiggle with sensor postion and heat controls I now have it down to about 70% but I think this humidity level is still too high still? It is really hard to have warm and cool spots in such a small area and also get the humidity right! I have opened the vents to let some of the damp air escape, but not sure if there is anything else I can change?
I have created a tunnelled area which he loves to snooze in and he loves the mound of coir I have put one end, as he can now get closer to the heat from the light.
The light and heater are what came with him. The temperature from the "basking" light is only hitting about 80df on top of mound, I have ordered a temp gun to check, but before I created the mound Oogway was getting less than 80df! So hes currently getting more than he had begore. My understanding is that the basking area should be 90 to 100 df? I do have a overhead one coming with the new enclosure, which arrives in a couple of weeks, so im just trying to keep him more comfortable until its here.
Completely open to care advice, corrections, tips and suggestions, and thanks for letting me be apart of the group. I'm looking forward to reading through others experiences and sharing our own adventure with Oogway π’
Michelle & Oogway
Notes
Im a new π’ owner.
I'm unsure of species.
I may need help with light, heat, humidity and basking setup.
Vivarium, lights etc came with π’ its not staying like this.
New open top enclosure is ordered π
Advice welcomed