Tortoise sitting!

[ILoveTorts&Gerbils]

Hi,

Sorry that I'm posting so much, I really hope I'm not making a nuisance of myself. The tortoises are coming today for us to look after for a while. The weather is alright here; it's quite warm on our patio, so I was thinking of letting them bask there with supervision (and our dog shut inside!) for a while. What weeds in our garden are suitable for them to eat? I'll probably be posting pictures so that you can help me identify their sexes and species.

Thank you!

 

[Lyn W]

Hi there The patio should be fine as long there is shade/water available as it is enclosed because tortoises move much faster than you think, you only have to take your eye off them for a moment and one or both could disappear. There are loads of posts from people who have lost torts saying one minute they were there and the next - gone. The torts you have could also be climbers so make sure whatever you use it has high enough sides. Some are also diggers - they can be excellent escape artists. Torts don't like change so they may be very withdrawn for a while. Did the owners give you a shelter for them to use?
Look at www.thetortoisetable.org.uk to find out what plants are safe or not. I hope that if you put them in your orchard as well as being secure it doesn't have any toxic weeds/flowers so you need to remove them if there are. Also make sure there is no pond near because they could drown. It is a huge responsibility looking after someone else torts especially out of their usual environment so I hope it all goes well for you.
Are you back in school next week? if so do you have someone to keep an eye on them?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Most broad leafed weeds are fine, but some flowers like daisies and buttercups, aren't great.
As Lyn says, check the tortoise table for details.

 

[wellington]

Also, if you have used weed killer or fertilizer within the last couple months, they won't be safe to feed.

 

[ILoveTorts&Gerbils]

This is an embarrassed emoji, for some reason they don't seem to be coming through.

We had Pepper and George yesterday for a few hours. Unfortunately, George (the bigger one!) managed to squeeze through our orchard fencing. We honestly have no idea how he managed it, the gap was about half the size of him and the fencing was dug into the ground. I watched him do it and couldn't believe he'd managed it!

I'm so thankful that we were there at the time because our garden is huge and full of bushes and a pond.

My mum and I would both have been at home anyway. I'm homeschooled due to anxiety.

I did take some pictures and I'll send them through.

I'm ready to get a grilling for this, and I accept responsibility for his escape and realise what a disaster this could have been. We're working to secure the orchard and we'll buy a tortoise run to go in it for our baby that we reserved. Fear not, we don't plan on putting him outside! He'll be living indoors in a tortoise table and will only come outside for short periods of time with supervision.

Which leads on to my next few questions. We're thinking of having the table in my room. My only concern here is of Salmonella, since I'm emetophobic. Is it possible to avoid with good husbandry when you're in such close proximity for the night?

 

[ILoveTorts&Gerbils]

Yeah, I had an inkling about the buttercups so I looked it up. I knew because I used to have rabbits. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Lyn W]

You shouldn't have any grilling for George's escape - it is the responsibility of the owner to make sure his torts environment is safe and you are doing him a favour! If they were mine I would be much happier knowing they were being cared for in their usual, safe environment.
It doesn't matter how big an enclosure they have, their main aim in life is to get out of it! They are amazingly strong and persistent animals. Where there's a will there's a way. climbing, digging or just pushing.

I think the chances of you catching anything from your tort that will make you sick is minimal, as long as you follow basic rules of hand washing after spot cleaning poop from the substrate, handling his dishes or plates etc. Torts don't like being handled too much, but same applies if you have to, and I have read its recommended you wash hands before handling them so you're not passing anything on to them either.
You will need a uvb bulb and a che with thermostat for night heat. If he is in your room please bear in mind that torts need complete darkness to sleep or they could be stressed.
Torts are not the easiest of pets - I worry about mine constantly!

 

[Lyn W]

What tort have you reserved?
You also have to make sure you get the humidity right as well as temps, so as big a tank/vivarium as possible may be better than a table to control that.

 

[ILoveTorts&Gerbils]

I'm using a tortoise table, and we've been advised to start small and upgrade in a few years. We've reserved a hatchling, 8 weeks old, from a tortoise breeder. She's registered with the Tortoise Protection group so I trust her knowledge. We've got mostly everything we need, just a water dish (shallow with flat ledges so the tortoise can climb in and out!) and thermometers to go.

 

[Lyn W]

You may want to get some plexiglass to part cover the table then otherwise if he is kept too dry you could end up with a tortoise with pyramiding on his shell.
You may be lucky and have found a good breeder but some breeders even if registered aren't always up to date with info so check what you have been told with the very experienced keepers here and learn from their mistakes and tried and tested advice. You won't go wrong then and it could save you money on equipment or vets bills. Don't waste money on expensive water dishes etc cheap terracotta plant saucers sunk in level with the substrate will be fine and a piece of slate (£2 in the Range for a heart shaped piece) is ideal for feeding on

You didn't say which species you are getting. There will be a care sheet for it under Species Specific to tell you what temps/humidity your tort should have
correct heat +humidity = healthy tort
wrong temp + humidity = sick tort. (RI)

Some golden rules to start you are
No coil, loop or any cfl type bulbs as these can damage the torts eyes
No sand or soil with white bits in it - Torts will eat them and they will cause the gut to become impacted
No pellets as these are too dry.
If you use soils make sure it is completely chemical free.
There will be recommended substrates on the caresheet.

An MVB will give you heat, light and vital uvb in one bulb
A CHE on a thermostat for night just gives heat to allow the tort stress free sleep with even temps
(Use a ceramic holder for safety and a wide dome will direct heat down. Deep domes could cause overheating).
Hanging both over the enclosure is better than the clamps which have been known to fail and cause fires - you can buy stands or modify your table.

There's lots to think about but important you get it right as babies are very vulnerable. Good luck

 

[ILoveTorts&Gerbils]

Sorry, he's a Hermann's. I should have mentioned.
And I spotted that slate and snapped it up!

The breeder has advised that I use Wickes Sterlilised and lime free Topsoil, without any children's play sand. However, the Tortoise Protection Group advise the use of both. Help?!

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

No sand.
sand can cause impaction which can result in huge vet bills or death if ingested.
I have no idea about that first product, most members here uses coco coir, orchid bark or Cypress mulch, though a good quality herbicide, pesticide and sand free topsoil is an alternative that many use.

 

[ILoveTorts&Gerbils]

Hmm, okay, I'll have a look at those.