Sleeping 10 month Horsfield Tortoise

Cathie G

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Thank you angie! That’s really helpful.

I have utterly fallen in love with him, it is my first time having a tortoise and I’m so worried about him and constantly seeing if he is ok, so I think you are right, I need to leave him alone and let him settle. I bet he’s thinking “will this silly women leave me alone”! I will leave the food and put fresh food tomorrow so there is somthing there for when he is ready.
It never hurts to be sneaky about it.? Checking and all that. I still do that with my 20 year old. I try to never interrupt him if he's eating. I recently bought a Mobi Cam that I really like. It's a pretty cheap baby cam. I can watch him or check on him any time and anywhere I am now from my smartphone hehehe. Welcome to the forum ?
 

Charlotteandherbert

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Hello again - looking at your photo of Herbert's enclosure, I realise I should have made it clear what shape of water container you need - it should be a shallow saucer shape- you can get terra cotta ones that are for putting under flower pots - that way Herbie can get in and out easily.
How is Herbie getting on?
Angie
Thank you!
I came home from work to find herbie upside down yesterday as only just seen your posts. So now I fully understand and they are no longer in his home!
They really shouldn’t sell these!
I now have the proper bowls thanks angie x
 

Charlotteandherbert

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Herbie now no longer has a feeding bowl but a stone, Iv started putting slate around the food to stop him from getting the substrate all over his food.

he hates the vitamin and calcium powder and goes for the food around it, not sure how to get him the right nutrients. I have heard cuttle fish is good to get?
 

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Charlotteandherbert

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It never hurts to be sneaky about it.? Checking and all that. I still do that with my 20 year old. I try to never interrupt him if he's eating. I recently bought a Mobi Cam that I really like. It's a pretty cheap baby cam. I can watch him or check on him any time and anywhere I am now from my smartphone hehehe. Welcome to the forum ?
Thanks lovely! A tortoise cam! I love it!
 

Yvonne G

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Herbie now no longer has a feeding bowl but a stone, Iv started putting slate around the food to stop him from getting the substrate all over his food.

he hates the vitamin and calcium powder and goes for the food around it, not sure how to get him the right nutrients. I have heard cuttle fish is good to get?
You may be using too much. Only a small "pinch" between your thumb and index finger, with the emphasis on SMALL.
 

zolasmum

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Herbie now no longer has a feeding bowl but a stone, Iv started putting slate around the food to stop him from getting the substrate all over his food.

he hates the vitamin and calcium powder and goes for the food around it, not sure how to get him the right nutrients. I have heard cuttle fish is good to get?
What a lovely photo - I love Herbie's little legs - it's great that you are getting things sorted out so well for him. Cuttlefish bone is very good both for the calcium and for keeping his beak trimmed. Zola used to love his when he was little, and I had to take it away sometimes, for fear he would wear his mouth down too far, but although he has some still, he completely ignores it. We take him to the vet once or twice a year to get his beak done now - we could probably do it ourselves, but I am a bit nervous of maybe hurting him. He is a very laid-back tortoise, and very easy for the vet to handle.
With cuttlefish you can scrape a little bit of it on his food,too.
Best wishes to you and Herbie from Angie
 

Cathie G

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Thanks lovely! A tortoise cam! I love it!
Yes I love that camera. I bought it for bird watching but it's strictly indoor and needs to be plugged in. That was a hassle to take it in and out on only good days so I bought an outdoor wireless camera for bird watching. It was on sale so I only payed around $29 on Amazon for it. I can take pictures, video, and other things right from my smartphone. I have it on a tripod that can watch every area of his enclosure and has night vision too.?
 

Cathie G

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Herbie now no longer has a feeding bowl but a stone, Iv started putting slate around the food to stop him from getting the substrate all over his food.

he hates the vitamin and calcium powder and goes for the food around it, not sure how to get him the right nutrients. I have heard cuttle fish is good to get?
Too cute ?
 

Charlotteandherbert

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What a lovely photo - I love Herbie's little legs - it's great that you are getting things sorted out so well for him. Cuttlefish bone is very good both for the calcium and for keeping his beak trimmed. Zola used to love his when he was little, and I had to take it away sometimes, for fear he would wear his mouth down too far, but although he has some still, he completely ignores it. We take him to the vet once or twice a year to get his beak done now - we could probably do it ourselves, but I am a bit nervous of maybe hurting him. He is a very laid-back tortoise, and very easy for the vet to handle.
With cuttlefish you can scrape a little bit of it on his food,too.
Best wishes to you and Herbie from Angie
Thank you Angie, I am learning to see what he likes and how he works.
Great too re cuttle fish I will get some tomorrow on my way home from work.

Herbie has a bits of loose, almost like skin tags, not sure where this where he is growing. Iv tried to see if I can wipe them off whilst in the bath but is fully attached. It’s on his back legs
 

Charlotteandherbert

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Thank you Angie, I am learning to see what he likes and how he works.
Great too re cuttle fish I will get some tomorrow on my way home from work.

Herbie has a bits of loose, almost like skin tags, not sure where this where he is growing. Iv tried to see if I can wipe them off whilst in the bath but is fully attached. It’s on his back legs
Sent that before finishing! It’s like dry skin in his folds, I’ll try get a picture tomorrow x
 

Charlotteandherbert

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Herbie (Herbert) this evening. Waiting for slate to arrive for him to bask in. But he’s a very much loved tortoise
 

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zolasmum

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Herbie (Herbert) this evening. Waiting for slate to arrive for him to bask in. But he’s a very much loved tortoise
He looks extremely cute lying like that. I don't think the bits of skin are anything to worry about- tortoises do shed bits of skin quite often as they grow - you should see Zola's sometimes. It will dry up and fall off eventually.
He is going to have a great life with you, I am sure.
Angie x
 

Charlotteandherbert

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He looks extremely cute lying like that. I don't think the bits of skin are anything to worry about- tortoises do shed bits of skin quite often as they grow - you should see Zola's sometimes. It will dry up and fall off eventually.
He is going to have a great life with you, I am sure.
Angie x
Do you have a picture of zola? Is she a Russian as well?
Herbies slate has arrived, for some reason he still is drawn to the temporary wadding! So I have cut a section and left it next to the slate.
 

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zolasmum

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Do you have a picture of zola? Is she a Russian as well?
Herbies slate has arrived, for some reason he still is drawn to the temporary wadding! So I have cut a section and left it next to the slate.
Your pictures of Herbie are so sweet - it's funny about him preferring the wadding - rather like a little child who wants to play with the box his present came in, and not with the carefully chosen present !
Here is a photo my husband put together of Zola - the main photo is of him a year or two ago at Fowey in Cornwall, and the little chap on the left is him at 2 years old , and the one on the right is him at about 3. He is 21 now, and as you can see, the pattern on his shell has faded a lot, but he has a lovely shiny shell from lots of stroking.
I think Russian tortoises keep their pattern very well, usually, however, so that won't happen with Herbie.
By the way, Zola is a boy - like Gian-Franco Zola the footballer and Emil Zola the writer. His name just came into my mind - I think he told me that's what it was !
Angiegrowing-up_sm.jpg
 

zolasmum

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I forgot to say that Zola is a Hermanns tortoise - they are very similar in most ways to Horsfields tortoises like Herbie - but one thing Horsfields are well- known for is their ability to climb and escape - I thought I should mention it in case you didn't know this - obviously that shouldn't be a problem while Herbie is small, but you will need to keep it in mind when he gets a bit bigger ! Zola tries to climb, and I have found him on his back sometimes, but he doesn't usually get obsessed by it, fortunately.
Angie
 

Charlotteandherbert

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Your pictures of Herbie are so sweet - it's funny about him preferring the wadding - rather like a little child who wants to play with the box his present came in, and not with the carefully chosen present !
Here is a photo my husband put together of Zola - the main photo is of him a year or two ago at Fowey in Cornwall, and the little chap on the left is him at 2 years old , and the one on the right is him at about 3. He is 21 now, and as you can see, the pattern on his shell has faded a lot, but he has a lovely shiny shell from lots of stroking.
I think Russian tortoises keep their pattern very well, usually, however, so that won't happen with Herbie.
By the way, Zola is a boy - like Gian-Franco Zola the footballer and Emil Zola the writer. His name just came into my mind - I think he told me that's what it was !
AngieView attachment 336611
Oh wow!!! Look at the size difference!! Do you keep zola inside? X
 

zolasmum

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Oh wow!!! Look at the size difference!! Do you keep zola inside? X
Her has a double glazed and heated conservatory leading off our living room, with sliding glass doors in between - with a low wooden barrier separating it from the living room, so we can keep the glass doors open most of the time. One or other of us in in with him a lot of the time. We have a garden where we can take him out, though we watch him every moment - and then we take him out in the car every day (sitting on my lap) to look at the sea or somewhere nice - like Dartmoor, for instance. He loves doing all this, but I know a lot of tortoises hate going in a car, and wouldn't like it at all. But we know he enjoys his adventures, and we have the time to give him, so why not. Except if it is really cold, of course.
Angie x
 

Charlotteandherbert

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Her has a double glazed and heated conservatory leading off our living room, with sliding glass doors in between - with a low wooden barrier separating it from the living room, so we can keep the glass doors open most of the time. One or other of us in in with him a lot of the time. We have a garden where we can take him out, though we watch him every moment - and then we take him out in the car every day (sitting on my lap) to look at the sea or somewhere nice - like Dartmoor, for instance. He loves doing all this, but I know a lot of tortoises hate going in a car, and wouldn't like it at all. But we know he enjoys his adventures, and we have the time to give him, so why not. Except if it is really cold, of course.
Angie x
Angie he sounds so loved, what a lucky guy xx
 

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