Tracy Bain
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2014
- Messages
- 7
Hi
Sorry this may be quite a long thread but i have just got a male horsfield tortoise from a friend as they couldnt look after him anymore he is around 3 or 4 years old and seems to be in pretty good shape, i got him with a 3ft by 1ft vivarium, he had very hard bark chips as substrate a tiny water dish and no working uv light or heat light, i cant really afford to buy him much until pay day at the end of the month so he is staying in the vivarium just now, i am planning on buying him a 5ft by 3ft tortoise table and have done alot of research on the internet and have learnt alot of info on how to look after him, i am trying to make his vivarium better for him in the meantime i have change the hard bark to a 50/50 mix of top soil and play sand, bought him bigger water and food dishes, installed a basking lamp but not a uv light yet,nd gave him a piece of bark and some stones for him to climb, i have also removed the front glass so some air can get into the vivarium, i was wondering if there is anything else i could do in the meantime to better his unsuitable vivarium just til i can buy him a table at the end of month. He does seem happy though, i know at my friends house he was left alone most of the time and seemed unenergetic only sitting in the corner most of the time, he is now sprinting constantly around the edge of the vivarium climbing on the bark and rocks as he goes, he runs round now from morning to night, also should i keep his basking lamp on in this enviroment all day or should i switch it on and off allowing for a cooling period. I am unable to put him outside at this time of year as i am in scotland and its starting to get pretty cold.
Sorry this may be quite a long thread but i have just got a male horsfield tortoise from a friend as they couldnt look after him anymore he is around 3 or 4 years old and seems to be in pretty good shape, i got him with a 3ft by 1ft vivarium, he had very hard bark chips as substrate a tiny water dish and no working uv light or heat light, i cant really afford to buy him much until pay day at the end of the month so he is staying in the vivarium just now, i am planning on buying him a 5ft by 3ft tortoise table and have done alot of research on the internet and have learnt alot of info on how to look after him, i am trying to make his vivarium better for him in the meantime i have change the hard bark to a 50/50 mix of top soil and play sand, bought him bigger water and food dishes, installed a basking lamp but not a uv light yet,nd gave him a piece of bark and some stones for him to climb, i have also removed the front glass so some air can get into the vivarium, i was wondering if there is anything else i could do in the meantime to better his unsuitable vivarium just til i can buy him a table at the end of month. He does seem happy though, i know at my friends house he was left alone most of the time and seemed unenergetic only sitting in the corner most of the time, he is now sprinting constantly around the edge of the vivarium climbing on the bark and rocks as he goes, he runs round now from morning to night, also should i keep his basking lamp on in this enviroment all day or should i switch it on and off allowing for a cooling period. I am unable to put him outside at this time of year as i am in scotland and its starting to get pretty cold.
