jaybee
New Member
A few months ago, a coworker offered me a tortoise his parents were trying to rehome, as they had both just retired and wanted to travel. They said as long as they owned her they were unable to do so. I happened to have lived on a farm my whole life(animals of all sorts I currently own a goat, 4 guinea hens, 6 ducks, 12 chickens, 2 dogs, 4 house cats, and a rabbit) and my curiosity was peaked by the offer of her knowing that I have the space available for her outside without a doubt and an unfinished basement to aid me in the harsh New England temps and weather when needed. The tortoise was not brought up again till about 5 days ago when my co worker asked me if i was willing to take her. I had done some brief research on tortoises when the offer first came up and had only seen one picture of her with my coworkers children, she appeared to be somewhere around 20-25lbs and when I had asked my coworker if that was as big as she got he replied with a simple yes...
FAST FORWARD to today: my coworkers parents drove approx 4 hours to drop Mackzine off to me, upon their arrival I was shocked to say the least when a 50lb tortoise was removed from her plastic travel pool from the bed of their pick up truck and placed in my lawn. As her owners handed me a UVB lamp, some food to get me started(kale, butternut squash and some cherry tomatoes) informed me she was an African desert tortoise and that she is 10 years old and full grown at 50lbs(which i later learned was beyond a false statement), according to them she LOVES kale and should never be allowed near water besides a dish(pie dish they also gave me), as well as she was attacked by a bear a few years back at their house in Maine and thats the reason her shell is deformed on the top back part of her and because of that she ONLY has lived in their basment since. They then hurried off on their way without even giving me a chance to breathe, Im not even sure if I was able to tell them my name in the whole exchange, they more threw information at me and ran off.
Shes very sweet but upon actually getting a chance to sit down and research I am well aware I currently may be in over my head, but am very ambitious and want to give this little lady the best life she deserves. with that said I have a number of concerns and questions.
She has severe pyramiding happening, I attribute this to the apparent high consumption of kale perhaps? and what I can also only assume would be a lack of calcium supplement in her diet.
with that being said I was able to find a few suggestions in my internet searching for calcium supplements, these included: cuttlebones, calcium blocks, limestone powder that you can buy in feed stores, human calcium pills and oyster shells. I read you need to caution yourself in what you choose as some and most of these have some sort of metals also with them which can be harmful. I also read that the calcium blocks are only about 40% useable calcium for them as it contains plaster of paris which depleates the amount that benefits the tortoise. I was just wondering what others use and what seems to work well for them if they had tried multiple things?
because they had been using the UVB lamp thats why I am under the impression it was lack of calcium. however it could have been the lack of the good ole natural sunlight? and if not at least a combo of both?
now on to my soaking question, how and what do I even do? what do others use for theirs? I saw someone had used a snow sled saucer style and had made it flush with the ground so the tortoise could enter it, my only concern was that perhaps that would be too deep?
my next giant hurdle is trying to figure out a living situation for her, she is currently in my basement bathroom with her uvb lamp, water pie dish and I went and got her some turnip greens to at least get me through till tomorrow. her previous owners told me she knocked down a fence they constructed of 2X4 pannels and chicken wire around their garden, so I am a bit fearful of placing her in my extra duck enclosure that has a canopy to keep the menacing hawks out for fear she will knock it down while Im off doing other things and I will never find her again, she will get eaten, or wander off to the road and get killed by one of the many cars constantly going by.
Ill be sure to get a photo of her tomorrow so I am able to show you all what she currently looks like.
Any and all input and advice is beyond appreciated so im able to give this sweet lady the best life possible.
FAST FORWARD to today: my coworkers parents drove approx 4 hours to drop Mackzine off to me, upon their arrival I was shocked to say the least when a 50lb tortoise was removed from her plastic travel pool from the bed of their pick up truck and placed in my lawn. As her owners handed me a UVB lamp, some food to get me started(kale, butternut squash and some cherry tomatoes) informed me she was an African desert tortoise and that she is 10 years old and full grown at 50lbs(which i later learned was beyond a false statement), according to them she LOVES kale and should never be allowed near water besides a dish(pie dish they also gave me), as well as she was attacked by a bear a few years back at their house in Maine and thats the reason her shell is deformed on the top back part of her and because of that she ONLY has lived in their basment since. They then hurried off on their way without even giving me a chance to breathe, Im not even sure if I was able to tell them my name in the whole exchange, they more threw information at me and ran off.
Shes very sweet but upon actually getting a chance to sit down and research I am well aware I currently may be in over my head, but am very ambitious and want to give this little lady the best life she deserves. with that said I have a number of concerns and questions.
She has severe pyramiding happening, I attribute this to the apparent high consumption of kale perhaps? and what I can also only assume would be a lack of calcium supplement in her diet.
with that being said I was able to find a few suggestions in my internet searching for calcium supplements, these included: cuttlebones, calcium blocks, limestone powder that you can buy in feed stores, human calcium pills and oyster shells. I read you need to caution yourself in what you choose as some and most of these have some sort of metals also with them which can be harmful. I also read that the calcium blocks are only about 40% useable calcium for them as it contains plaster of paris which depleates the amount that benefits the tortoise. I was just wondering what others use and what seems to work well for them if they had tried multiple things?
because they had been using the UVB lamp thats why I am under the impression it was lack of calcium. however it could have been the lack of the good ole natural sunlight? and if not at least a combo of both?
now on to my soaking question, how and what do I even do? what do others use for theirs? I saw someone had used a snow sled saucer style and had made it flush with the ground so the tortoise could enter it, my only concern was that perhaps that would be too deep?
my next giant hurdle is trying to figure out a living situation for her, she is currently in my basement bathroom with her uvb lamp, water pie dish and I went and got her some turnip greens to at least get me through till tomorrow. her previous owners told me she knocked down a fence they constructed of 2X4 pannels and chicken wire around their garden, so I am a bit fearful of placing her in my extra duck enclosure that has a canopy to keep the menacing hawks out for fear she will knock it down while Im off doing other things and I will never find her again, she will get eaten, or wander off to the road and get killed by one of the many cars constantly going by.
Ill be sure to get a photo of her tomorrow so I am able to show you all what she currently looks like.
Any and all input and advice is beyond appreciated so im able to give this sweet lady the best life possible.