New member meet frank

Frankthetort

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
25
Location (City and/or State)
Bolton
Hi guys just joined as I’m new to tortoises always been a dream since I was a child to own one and now I do here is frank not sure of the sex so frank for now and if turns out to be a girl then frankie haha 7 month old hermann beautiful little guy hope I can learn new things from you guys.

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Frankthetort

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
25
Location (City and/or State)
Bolton
Il be honest I’m always taking pics of him and just watching when he does his patrols around his home hahah
 

Ink

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
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Jun 10, 2016
Messages
2,453
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
Welcome. FYI -You should change out the substrate he can eat the white things and get impacted. On the forum look up the care sheet for him. Make sure you soak him too. I have an eastern and a western Hermann plus a leopard. They have great personalities. Enjoy
 

Frankthetort

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
25
Location (City and/or State)
Bolton
Haha my wife must think that of me lol like today he hasn’t been to the toilet for 2 days no sign of poo or urine he drinks like a fish and eats like a pig so I’m there watching thinking why hasn’t he pooped just monitoring him haha
 

Frankthetort

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
25
Location (City and/or State)
Bolton
Yeah it’s pro rep life substrate little bits of like stone that would be found in the wild same same as Arcadia earth pro arid that has volcanic stones that break down with the bodies natural acids
 

Nickolas

Active Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2020
Messages
130
Location (City and/or State)
Pennsylvania
Hmm...that is strange. Try soaking with warm water. It is imperative for hydration and stimulates them to go to the bathroom.?
 

Frankthetort

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
25
Location (City and/or State)
Bolton
Lime stone I meant to say natural minerals that found where is came from a breeder in Croatia
 

Frankthetort

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
25
Location (City and/or State)
Bolton
Yeah I bath him every 2 days he drinks from his dish every day and also has wetter foods on the second day plus I do find him having a soak in his dish when I’m not looking haha
 

Hutsie B

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5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2013
Messages
471
Location (City and/or State)
NC
Welcome and your tortoise is beautiful. Enjoy and look forward to updates.
 

Nickolas

Active Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2020
Messages
130
Location (City and/or State)
Pennsylvania
My 4 inch sulcatas poop probably at LEAST 5-6 times every day. They are almost always doing something. They do sleep, sometimes?
They LOVE their food.
I actually had a scare today with over heating them. My mom was out watching the tortoises graze in the yard. I was inside taking care of the cats, we foster stray/feral cats. When I went outside, they were running around frantically and foaming at the mouth. I immediately put them into a cool soak for about an hour. I then put them in their separate enclosures where they started eating some garden lettuce and purslane. They seem to be acting normal. I have my local vet on hand just in case. My vet and his assistant both have huge sulcatas, so they know what they are doing. Just do not make the mistake of not having shade nearby for a tortoise. I do not mean to sound like a hypocrite, but losing any animal feels like CRAP.
 

Frankthetort

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
25
Location (City and/or State)
Bolton
I wish I could have a sulcata but I live in the uk they are too big for most houses over here haha and yeah they poo a lot becouse of the amount of food they have haha becouse they know they need it for the size they will get haha
 

Frankthetort

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
25
Location (City and/or State)
Bolton
Just an update frank did a 2 today on top of his hide haha so he is fine guess he goes every 2-3 days he drinks by him self so I know he’s hydrated and eats well apart from being a little picky haha
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Yeah it’s pro rep life substrate little bits of like stone that would be found in the wild same same as Arcadia earth pro arid that has volcanic stones that break down with the bodies natural acids
We know what it is and we're telling you its a problem. Like most people you've gotten bad advice and the wrong products from the pet shop. Seems like most UK members that come here have all been sold that stuff. Its dangerous. It is a bad idea to encourage a tortoise to eat dry sandy substrate to satisfy its calcium cravings. Think about that for a minute. And there are not little bits of limestone in the sandy areas in the wild, and your enclosure is not the wild. We are trying to save you from some serious heartbreak and guilt, and literally save your tortoise's life.

Most of the tortoise care info you find out in the world is wrong. We've been doing it wrong for decades, but some of us have been doing some study and experimentation to figure out what works best and why. Your tortoise is being raised too dry and irreparable damage is being done. It needs the correct dampened substrate, moderate humidity, daily soaks, and the ability to find or create little humid microclimates like what it would find and utilize in the wild. It appears that you also have the wrong bulb over your tortoise. You don't show the bulb in the pictures, so how could I know that?

Here is the correct care info, including substrate and lighting info:
 

Frankthetort

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
25
Location (City and/or State)
Bolton
I’m using Arcadia pro t5 12% uvb desert recommended on the Arcadia website with a deep heat projector as a basking area which he is super active after basking under for a little while
 
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