MilesSince24
New Member
This is an SOS post, but first… Hello - meet Miles (see Photos 1 and 2)! We (my fiancé and I) got him from a PetSmart on 03/12/24.
I apologize in advance for the length of this post, and also if any of these questions are stupid. We thought we were prepared after numerous discussions with the people at PetSmart, only to do research after the fact and realize that those people were uneducated (you will see why). That being said, my fiancé and I are asking for any and all info this community is willing and able to give us!
Species Info
First Question: We were wondering what species Miles is. He LOOKS like an Afghan Tortoise [Testudo horsfieldii] (based off research, not me knowing anything about what different tortoises look like), but the best the lady at PetSmart could say was that he was a testudo which didn’t give us a lot of information (or it did and we’re silly, please advise). I know many of the questions I later ask in this post depend on his species. Also, we were told he was “about a year old” but we read somewhere that they cannot sell year-old tortoises so does anyone have a best guess?
Enclosure
Second Question: What type of “structures” (for lack of a better word) and accessories do you folks use for your tortoises? We were told he should be able to scale the rocky terrain (on the right of his terrarium - see Photo 3) to bask at the top (he can’t). He also does not scale the log-like thing (on the left of his terrarium - see Photo 4), but he did try to his first day and he got stuck (I didn’t know not to put those things near the edge of the terrarium until after, but we don’t really have room until we get a bigger terrarium - more on that in a minute). He also NEVER gets water on his own (we soak him every other day and he drinks some), I think because he doesn’t like the texture of the bowl (he slips and slides on it when he gets out - which he does do on his own). We are looking for recommendations for a basking spot, hide(s), accessories, and a water container?
Third Question: We got the size terrarium we got because that’s all we could afford at the time, but we plan on getting a bigger one with a stand in the coming months. Anyone have an opinion on this: Mojave Reptile Enclosure (https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/tuc...re-and-stand-w100521401.html?piid=1183607820?). We’ve also looked into this: Oiibo Enclosure (https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/oii...uctionId=8e497f7d-466d-4b6f-92b2-1bba5fc2adef) but we would also need to find a stand to fit this, of course. We live in an apartment in New England if that influences the feedback.
Fourth Question: Doing what we were told, we currently use a combination of ReptiBark (https://zoomed.com › premium-reptibark) and EcoEarth (https://zoomed.com › eco-earth-coconut-fiber-substrate) for his floor/bed. We fill his terrarium about 2-3 inches. Again, I’m skeptical about the information we received and just want to make sure we’re doing the right thing. We’re very open to any/all recommendations.
Diet & Feeding Frequency
Fifth Question: We are the most confused about his diet because we have been given so much conflicting information. We’ve fed him a variety of greens from supermarkets but I hear that’s bad, so please advise! What should he be eating? How often? Should we be adding supplements to his greens? Furthermore, we were recommended to give him Mazuri® Low Starch Tortoise food (https://mazuri.com/products/mazuri-tortoise-ls-diets) but he has eaten absolutely none of it and has avoided the bowl entirely. Any and all information is welcome!
Temperature/Lighting
Sixth Question: We are equally confused about the temperature and lighting requirements. We currently have a basking bulb and a UV bulb that we put on from 6:00am to 6:00pm, and a heating lamp that we use from 6:00pm to 6:00am. We only have two bulb holders, so we switch out the basking light for the heat lamp at night, then vice-versa. We are looking to condense the lighting, so as to not have to switch the bulbs out every night. We were told to get this a T5 UV-B lamp (https://www.arcadiareptile.com/lighting/prot5/ / https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/en...tile-prot5-uv-b-kit-65058.html?fmethod=Search) which seems to combine the effects of the basking bulb and the UV bulb (correct me if I am wrong). If we were to get this, would we run this for the same 12 hours cycle, then switch on the heat bulb as it normally is? If this isn’t a good system, could someone please advise us on a better one?
Seventh Question: I have read that our boy is more sensitive to lights than humans. That being said, sometimes we like to check on him at night, which is difficult with no accent lighting. I got this light strip (https://nanoleaf.me/en-US/products/...trips&standard=matter&pack=smarter-kit&size=2) to put in his terrarium as the PetSmart lady stated it would not disturb him. Is that true? Are there certain colors that would disturb him? If we installed this, could we keep the lights at a certain color and brightness that wouldn’t disturb him?
Behavior
Lastly, we have some behavioral questions...
Eighth Question: He tends to come out for “breakfast” (we feed him once a day), then he sits out for about an hour, then goes into his hide for the next 22 hours. He doesn’t bask (as mentioned earlier) but hopefully that changes once we get him the right structure?
Ninth Question: How often should he poop? What’s too much?
Tenth Question: How often should he drink?
Eleventh Question: How often should he soak?
To everyone that took the time to read all of this and offer their advice, we can’t thank you enough. Our goal is to be the best tortoise parents we can be and any support and guidance we receive is very much appreciated!
I apologize in advance for the length of this post, and also if any of these questions are stupid. We thought we were prepared after numerous discussions with the people at PetSmart, only to do research after the fact and realize that those people were uneducated (you will see why). That being said, my fiancé and I are asking for any and all info this community is willing and able to give us!
Species Info
First Question: We were wondering what species Miles is. He LOOKS like an Afghan Tortoise [Testudo horsfieldii] (based off research, not me knowing anything about what different tortoises look like), but the best the lady at PetSmart could say was that he was a testudo which didn’t give us a lot of information (or it did and we’re silly, please advise). I know many of the questions I later ask in this post depend on his species. Also, we were told he was “about a year old” but we read somewhere that they cannot sell year-old tortoises so does anyone have a best guess?
Enclosure
Second Question: What type of “structures” (for lack of a better word) and accessories do you folks use for your tortoises? We were told he should be able to scale the rocky terrain (on the right of his terrarium - see Photo 3) to bask at the top (he can’t). He also does not scale the log-like thing (on the left of his terrarium - see Photo 4), but he did try to his first day and he got stuck (I didn’t know not to put those things near the edge of the terrarium until after, but we don’t really have room until we get a bigger terrarium - more on that in a minute). He also NEVER gets water on his own (we soak him every other day and he drinks some), I think because he doesn’t like the texture of the bowl (he slips and slides on it when he gets out - which he does do on his own). We are looking for recommendations for a basking spot, hide(s), accessories, and a water container?
Third Question: We got the size terrarium we got because that’s all we could afford at the time, but we plan on getting a bigger one with a stand in the coming months. Anyone have an opinion on this: Mojave Reptile Enclosure (https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/tuc...re-and-stand-w100521401.html?piid=1183607820?). We’ve also looked into this: Oiibo Enclosure (https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/oii...uctionId=8e497f7d-466d-4b6f-92b2-1bba5fc2adef) but we would also need to find a stand to fit this, of course. We live in an apartment in New England if that influences the feedback.
Fourth Question: Doing what we were told, we currently use a combination of ReptiBark (https://zoomed.com › premium-reptibark) and EcoEarth (https://zoomed.com › eco-earth-coconut-fiber-substrate) for his floor/bed. We fill his terrarium about 2-3 inches. Again, I’m skeptical about the information we received and just want to make sure we’re doing the right thing. We’re very open to any/all recommendations.
Diet & Feeding Frequency
Fifth Question: We are the most confused about his diet because we have been given so much conflicting information. We’ve fed him a variety of greens from supermarkets but I hear that’s bad, so please advise! What should he be eating? How often? Should we be adding supplements to his greens? Furthermore, we were recommended to give him Mazuri® Low Starch Tortoise food (https://mazuri.com/products/mazuri-tortoise-ls-diets) but he has eaten absolutely none of it and has avoided the bowl entirely. Any and all information is welcome!
Temperature/Lighting
Sixth Question: We are equally confused about the temperature and lighting requirements. We currently have a basking bulb and a UV bulb that we put on from 6:00am to 6:00pm, and a heating lamp that we use from 6:00pm to 6:00am. We only have two bulb holders, so we switch out the basking light for the heat lamp at night, then vice-versa. We are looking to condense the lighting, so as to not have to switch the bulbs out every night. We were told to get this a T5 UV-B lamp (https://www.arcadiareptile.com/lighting/prot5/ / https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/en...tile-prot5-uv-b-kit-65058.html?fmethod=Search) which seems to combine the effects of the basking bulb and the UV bulb (correct me if I am wrong). If we were to get this, would we run this for the same 12 hours cycle, then switch on the heat bulb as it normally is? If this isn’t a good system, could someone please advise us on a better one?
Seventh Question: I have read that our boy is more sensitive to lights than humans. That being said, sometimes we like to check on him at night, which is difficult with no accent lighting. I got this light strip (https://nanoleaf.me/en-US/products/...trips&standard=matter&pack=smarter-kit&size=2) to put in his terrarium as the PetSmart lady stated it would not disturb him. Is that true? Are there certain colors that would disturb him? If we installed this, could we keep the lights at a certain color and brightness that wouldn’t disturb him?
Behavior
Lastly, we have some behavioral questions...
Eighth Question: He tends to come out for “breakfast” (we feed him once a day), then he sits out for about an hour, then goes into his hide for the next 22 hours. He doesn’t bask (as mentioned earlier) but hopefully that changes once we get him the right structure?
Ninth Question: How often should he poop? What’s too much?
Tenth Question: How often should he drink?
Eleventh Question: How often should he soak?
To everyone that took the time to read all of this and offer their advice, we can’t thank you enough. Our goal is to be the best tortoise parents we can be and any support and guidance we receive is very much appreciated!
