Tortoise eating

[chubu]

Hello, i noticed when my tortoise eat, his head goes back in the shell trying to cut the lettuce im not sure. But he never did that before it just happens to be recently !! I have a video but i cant upload so i uploaded in pic form hope u can tell the movements…

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

You should first post the video on social media like youtube and then send us a link. Does the tortoise do this with all foods? Does he do it every time now?

 

[chubu]

You should first post the video on social media like youtube and then send us a link. Does the tortoise do this with all foods? Does he do it every time now?

Yes he just recently started doing it. When he has the food in his mouth, he doesn’t let go of it and tries to cut it even tho its cut and i have to step in to help

 

[wellington]

Very normal.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome to the forum! Doesn’t sound out of the norm to me, sometimes our will tuck in and swipe at the leaf, helps them tear it apart😊

Whilst you’re here I don’t suppose you’d mind including some more information on how you’re keeping you tortoise? It’s so helpful with new members🥰

What are you temperatures like? Ie basking area?(directly under the bulb) overall day temp? Night temp?
What do kind of heating/lighting are you using? Packaging photos are great!
What kind of indoor uv if any?
What’s your humidity like and what do you use for substrate?

Any answers to the above questions would be great, along with any additional pics of your set up if you’re willing to share!😊

Oh also I noticed what look like a pair of tortoises being house together in your profile pic?
tortoise of any species should never be housed in pairs under any circumstances, they’re incredibly territorial, behaviours that look cute to us really aren’t, following one another and sleeping huddled up is all bullying the the tortoise world, you’ll eventually see more extreme signs of aggression. Anyone who tells you pairs are fine, have no idea what they’re talking about.

Small groups are ok when there’s lots of land and the correct male to female ratio.

If you only have two, they need separating asap, just thought I’d give you a heads up🙂

 

[chubu]

Hello and welcome to the forum! Doesn’t sound out of the norm to me, sometimes our will tuck in and swipe at the leaf, helps them tear it apart😊

Whilst you’re here I don’t suppose you’d mind including some more information on how you’re keeping you tortoise? It’s so helpful with new members🥰

What are you temperatures like? Ie basking area?(directly under the bulb) overall day temp? Night temp?
What do kind of heating/lighting are you using? Packaging photos are great!
What kind of indoor uv if any?
What’s your humidity like and what do you use for substrate?

Any answers to the above questions would be great, along with any additional pics of your set up if you’re willing to share!😊

Oh also I noticed what look like a pair of tortoises being house together in your profile pic?
tortoise of any species should never be housed in pairs under any circumstances, they’re incredibly territorial, behaviours that look cute to us really aren’t, following one another and sleeping huddled up is all bullying the the tortoise world, you’ll eventually see more extreme signs of aggression. Anyone who tells you pairs are fine, have no idea what they’re talking about.

Small groups are ok when there’s lots of land and the correct male to female ratio.

If you only have two, they need separating asap, just thought I’d give you a heads up🙂

Hello, sorry i have just seen your message.
First of all, no they aren’t housed together, there is a separation between the enclosure 🤣. As of the substrate i tried different ones but pure soil seem to work perfectly for them where they wont pick at it and just seem to enjoy it more. The uv, i dont have a picture of the box for now, i took it from the vet shop specialized in reptiles. As for the temperature i keep it balanced since they are indoor because of the extreme heat in Oman. So far they look happy being very active and eating well. I also take them outside (being supervised!!) for 2 hours or more every evening. Also every clean up da which is every Friday, i change the style of their enclosure so they dont get bored with it.

 

[Tom]

Hello, sorry i have just seen your message.
First of all, no they aren’t housed together, there is a separation between the enclosure 🤣. As of the substrate i tried different ones but pure soil seem to work perfectly for them where they wont pick at it and just seem to enjoy it more. The uv, i dont have a picture of the box for now, i took it from the vet shop specialized in reptiles. As for the temperature i keep it balanced since they are indoor because of the extreme heat in Oman. So far they look happy being very active and eating well. I also take them outside (being supervised!!) for 2 hours or more every evening. Also every clean up da which is every Friday, i change the style of their enclosure so they dont get bored with it.

Many mistakes here. I point them out in an effort to help, not to criticize. If you don't know what is wrong, you can't fix it.

-Soil is not a safe substrate to use for a tortoise. There is no way to know what is in that bag, and sometimes it is something dangerous.
-You need to know what type of UV bulb you are using. Some of them are bad. Vets and pet shops usually don't know what types to use over tortoises.
-You keep the temperature "balanced"? What does that mean to you? What are your four temperatures? Warm side, cool side, basking area and over night low?
-They should each have a large enclosure outside. Free roaming isn't safe and you will eventually lose one or have a problem.
-Tortoises don't get bored and don't like change. They are most comfortable in a familiar environment where they know where everything is. Its certainly okay to clean things, but I'd put their "furniture" back where it was.
-In the picture above, the tortoise look very thin. Are you soaking them regularly? It looks like the tortoise is eating plain lettuce. This is not a good food for them. If you must feed them lettuce from the store, it needs amendments added. There are many ways to do this, but it appears that improvements are needed in the diet.

More info here:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions welcome.

 

[chubu]

Hello, sorry i have just seen your message.
First of all, no they aren’t housed together, there is a separation between the enclosure 🤣. As of the substrate i tried different ones but pure soil seem to work perfectly for them where they wont pick at it and just seem to enjoy it more. The uv, i dont have a picture of the box for now, i took it from the vet shop specialized in reptiles. As for the temperature i keep it balanced since they are indoor because of the extreme heat in Oman. So far they look happy being very active and eating well. I also take them outside (being supervised!!) for 2 hours or more every evening. Also every clean up da which is every Friday, i change the style of their enclosure so they dont get bored with it.

Many mistakes here. I point them out in an effort to help, not to criticize. If you don't know what is wrong, you can't fix it.

-Soil is not a safe substrate to use for a tortoise. There is no way to know what is in that bag, and sometimes it is something dangerous.
-You need to know what type of UV bulb you are using. Some of them are bad. Vets and pet shops usually don't know what types to use over tortoises.
-You keep the temperature "balanced"? What does that mean to you? What are your four temperatures? Warm side, cool side, basking area and over night low?
-They should each have a large enclosure outside. Free roaming isn't safe and you will eventually lose one or have a problem.
-Tortoises don't get bored and don't like change. They are most comfortable in a familiar environment where they know where everything is. Its certainly okay to clean things, but I'd put their "furniture" back where it was.
-In the picture above, the tortoise look very thin. Are you soaking them regularly? It looks like the tortoise is eating plain lettuce. This is not a good food for them. If you must feed them lettuce from the store, it needs amendments added. There are many ways to do this, but it appears that improvements are needed in the diet.

More info here:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions welcome.

Thank you so much for the help, i will take the advice for sure!! The problem over here is that where i live we get little to no sources about how to actually take care of tortoise and I rescued them since they were in a very bad condition, dry skin not active annd more. good thing i found this website to change these mistakes. About him looking skinny, when i took him to the vet last month i think (i forgot how much he weighed) but the doc said he was in good shape and everything is fine soo im not sure rn😅. And to clarify about the free roaming, i have a large space for them to free roam without getting lost and i also keep an eye on them regardless. been doing it for 3 years now. About their diet, im taking advices from this website since over here where i live, i was told lettuce and calcium powder was good but turns out thats not really it😅

 

[Tom]

The problem over here is that where i live we get little to no sources about how to actually take care of tortoise...

That is the same all over the world. Most sources give the same old wrong info.

About him looking skinny, when i took him to the vet last month i think (i forgot how much he weighed) but the doc said he was in good shape and everything is fine soo im not sure...

Most vets know very little about tortoise and tortoise care. If this vet told you that this tortoise is in good shape, that confirms that this vet does not know about tortoises.

And to clarify about the free roaming, i have a large space for them to free roam without getting lost and i also keep an eye on them regardless.

Everyone thinks this is safe, everyone keeps a close eye on them, and no one would do this if they thought it wasn't safe. The problem is that it is NOT safe and can't be made safe. Eventually, it causes a problem. Make them both a secure enclosure that is dedicated to them. Be sure it has plenty of shade, and be sure they can't escape from it.

About their diet, im taking advices from this website since over here where i live, i was told lettuce and calcium powder was good but turns out thats not really it😅

Certain weeds, leaves, and flowers are best. Grocery store bought lettuce can work if you add the right amendments to it.

 

[chubu]

That is the same all over the world. Most sources give the same old wrong info.


Most vets know very little about tortoise and tortoise care. If this vet told you that this tortoise is in good shape, that confirms that this vet does not know about tortoises.


Everyone thinks this is safe, everyone keeps a close eye on them, and no one would do this if they thought it wasn't safe. The problem is that it is NOT safe and can't be made safe. Eventually, it causes a problem. Make them both a secure enclosure that is dedicated to them. Be sure it has plenty of shade, and be sure they can't escape from it.


Certain weeds, leaves, and flowers are best. Grocery store bought lettuce can work if you add the right amendments to it.

Sure, thank you for the advice 🙏

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you so much for your responses! As Tom says there are a few things that can do with tweaking, bless you for rescuing them though! I’m glad they’re kept separate too🙂
Hopefully some of this following info can help you with any adjustments you need to make to your indoor set ups😊

As adults they need a minimum of an 8x4 foot enclosure, roaming is vital to tortoise health, it aids digestion and strengthen their muscles.
Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, a lot of vets, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of people who have spent years finding the best ways to care for them that actually result in healthy tortoise, so im glad you made your way here!

I’m going to include some information below on an example of an appropriate indoor set up, it includes the correct levels and equipment etc, including the appropriate indoor uv, you may know/have some of it already, but I cover all basis for any new members reading the threads, hopefully you find the information useful!😊

Basking light should be an incandescent floodlight(example attached) on a 12 hour timer.

Basking temperature directly under the floodlight should be 95-100f, The rest of the enclosure should be ranging 75-80 during the day.

You may also wish to add ambient lighting on the same timer, providing shady areas with hides and safe plants.

Then CHE/CHE’s(ceramic heat emitters) always on a thermostat, for night heat if your house drops below 60’s at night. Set the thermostat for a night temperature place the probe in their cooler end, plug the che into it and the thermostat into the mains, it’ll be plugged in 24/7 but will only turn on when the temperature drops. If in a warmer climate, you probably don’t need these.

Large wide domes will help project the heat down, just don’t rely on the clamps that come with them, always hang securely.

Indoor Uv should be a t5 fluorescent tube, avoid the compact and coil uv bulbs, they don’t give out enough uv and can hurt the tortoises eyes. The uv can be on a 4 hour timer from noon. I’ve attached examples of the two brands to go for and some examples of how to mount them. I’d personally go with Arcadia if you can as it comes with the reflector fitting

With lighting always avoid anything labelled halogen or mercury vapour.

For substrates, either coco coir, dampened and packed down by hand as a base, with a layer of orchid(fir not pine) bark or forest floor on top, or just the orchid bark/forest floor. Never use anything with sand mixed in, no top soils and no kinds of moss. The problem with top soil is unless you’ve composted it yourself, you don’t know what kind of plants have gone into it, it could be something toxic. Sand can irritate the eyes and be an impaction risk, moss is an impaction risk too.

You want to aim to have the bottom layer of substrate damp, to do this pour lukewarm water into the corners, not loads but enough to dampen the entire bottom layer. To stop that top layer getting a little too dry/dusty, mix the substrate now n then. Check your monitors and substrate to do the pours as and when needed.

I’d personally recommend you make your own base to go as big as you possibly can for the space you have. The closer you can get to an 8x4 size the better.

When making your base, just make sure the material is safe, some use flower beds, or take a large bookcase, take out the shelves and lie flat, or just make their own, for all these options I’d line with cheap pond liner to protect the base, making sure the liner goes up the sides too and make sure those sides are deep enough! They can be professional escape artists😂

I’ve also included examples of stands people make/buy to hang their lighting, use a temperature gun to determine how high the basking bulb needs to be, the uv I suggested needs to be mounted 18-20 inches from the top of the torts shell.

For a water dish a shallow terracotta saucer sitting flush with the substrate is considered safest, they have grip in the event your tortoise flips themselves, most pet store options are a known hazard.

I’d also always recommend getting your hands on a temp gun, they’re SO handy when setting up a new environment or for checking your monitors are correct🙂

For the diet side of things, avoid fruits, You want to stick with leafy greens and weeds for these guys. Perhaps you could get some seeds offline and plant into organic soil(no fertilisers or chemicals) in a planter the tortoise doesn’t have access to, forage them as they grow😊be very wary foraging elsewhere, you can’t be sure there’s no chemicals and they’re toxic lookalikes so always double check. I think you’ll find this link below useful👍

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

 

[chubu]

Thank you so much for your responses! As Tom says there are a few things that can do with tweaking, bless you for rescuing them though! I’m glad they’re kept separate too🙂
Hopefully some of this following info can help you with any adjustments you need to make to your indoor set ups😊

As adults they need a minimum of an 8x4 foot enclosure, roaming is vital to tortoise health, it aids digestion and strengthen their muscles.
Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, a lot of vets, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of people who have spent years finding the best ways to care for them that actually result in healthy tortoise, so im glad you made your way here!

I’m going to include some information below on an example of an appropriate indoor set up, it includes the correct levels and equipment etc, including the appropriate indoor uv, you may know/have some of it already, but I cover all basis for any new members reading the threads, hopefully you find the information useful!😊

Basking light should be an incandescent floodlight(example attached) on a 12 hour timer.

Basking temperature directly under the floodlight should be 95-100f, The rest of the enclosure should be ranging 75-80 during the day.

You may also wish to add ambient lighting on the same timer, providing shady areas with hides and safe plants.

Then CHE/CHE’s(ceramic heat emitters) always on a thermostat, for night heat if your house drops below 60’s at night. Set the thermostat for a night temperature place the probe in their cooler end, plug the che into it and the thermostat into the mains, it’ll be plugged in 24/7 but will only turn on when the temperature drops. If in a warmer climate, you probably don’t need these.

Large wide domes will help project the heat down, just don’t rely on the clamps that come with them, always hang securely.

Indoor Uv should be a t5 fluorescent tube, avoid the compact and coil uv bulbs, they don’t give out enough uv and can hurt the tortoises eyes. The uv can be on a 4 hour timer from noon. I’ve attached examples of the two brands to go for and some examples of how to mount them. I’d personally go with Arcadia if you can as it comes with the reflector fitting

With lighting always avoid anything labelled halogen or mercury vapour.

For substrates, either coco coir, dampened and packed down by hand as a base, with a layer of orchid(fir not pine) bark or forest floor on top, or just the orchid bark/forest floor. Never use anything with sand mixed in, no top soils and no kinds of moss. The problem with top soil is unless you’ve composted it yourself, you don’t know what kind of plants have gone into it, it could be something toxic. Sand can irritate the eyes and be an impaction risk, moss is an impaction risk too.

You want to aim to have the bottom layer of substrate damp, to do this pour lukewarm water into the corners, not loads but enough to dampen the entire bottom layer. To stop that top layer getting a little too dry/dusty, mix the substrate now n then. Check your monitors and substrate to do the pours as and when needed.

I’d personally recommend you make your own base to go as big as you possibly can for the space you have. The closer you can get to an 8x4 size the better.

When making your base, just make sure the material is safe, some use flower beds, or take a large bookcase, take out the shelves and lie flat, or just make their own, for all these options I’d line with cheap pond liner to protect the base, making sure the liner goes up the sides too and make sure those sides are deep enough! They can be professional escape artists😂

I’ve also included examples of stands people make/buy to hang their lighting, use a temperature gun to determine how high the basking bulb needs to be, the uv I suggested needs to be mounted 18-20 inches from the top of the torts shell.

For a water dish a shallow terracotta saucer sitting flush with the substrate is considered safest, they have grip in the event your tortoise flips themselves, most pet store options are a known hazard.

I’d also always recommend getting your hands on a temp gun, they’re SO handy when setting up a new environment or for checking your monitors are correct🙂

For the diet side of things, avoid fruits, You want to stick with leafy greens and weeds for these guys. Perhaps you could get some seeds offline and plant into organic soil(no fertilisers or chemicals) in a planter the tortoise doesn’t have access to, forage them as they grow😊be very wary foraging elsewhere, you can’t be sure there’s no chemicals and they’re toxic lookalikes so always double check. I think you’ll find this link below useful👍

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

This is going to be a huge change for them🤣 thank you so much for putting effort in helping me better their lifestyle 🙏🙏

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

This is going to be a huge change for them🤣 thank you so much for putting effort in helping me better their lifestyle 🙏🙏

No problem at all! We’ll always be here to help with anything, feel free to double check purchases here before buying, might be able to save you some time and money❤️