Wardrobe Tortoises!
- Thread starter Smiggle & Button
- Start date
Looks nice but wish you would have done some research on here before building it not after
The pellet and sand substrate need to go. Sand causes impactions and pellets is not a proper substrate for tortoises.
Some of the stuff all over should be taken out. They don't need so much clutter but room to exercise.
The water dish needs to be big enough he can fit into it and self soak.
Can't tell how big/old he is but anything pretty much 3 years and under should be in a closed chamber with high humidity. Yours looks like it's closer to adult than hatchling, but with slight pyramiding, so be sure there is only one hide and that it's a humid hide. They don't need multiple hides.
The pellet and sand substrate need to go. Sand causes impactions and pellets is not a proper substrate for tortoises.
Some of the stuff all over should be taken out. They don't need so much clutter but room to exercise.
The water dish needs to be big enough he can fit into it and self soak.
Can't tell how big/old he is but anything pretty much 3 years and under should be in a closed chamber with high humidity. Yours looks like it's closer to adult than hatchling, but with slight pyramiding, so be sure there is only one hide and that it's a humid hide. They don't need multiple hides.
Smiggle & Button
New Member
Sand and topsoil mix is as recommended by Chris Leone at Hermanni Haven/Garden State Tortoise. There's no pellets in there, the repti bark holds plenty of moisture for the humidity, and the wardrobe being 8' X 4' gives them both plenty of room for exercise. Both tortoises are soaked regularly so we can check them over.
Again, tortoises should not be kept in pairs, you made it sound like you only had one though! 8x4 is minimum for one adult!
Sand, causes impactions, no matter what Chris says!
And the pic below is the pellets you are using as a substrate!
You no more though than all the years combined on this forum, so you continue on.
Good luck to your tortoises!
Sand, causes impactions, no matter what Chris says!
And the pic below is the pellets you are using as a substrate!
You no more though than all the years combined on this forum, so you continue on.
Good luck to your tortoises!
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Chris is a good guy and knows a lot, but he is wrong on this element of tortoise care. I too used to use soil and sand because that is what everyone said to use. I know better now, and so do you.
I agree with each of Barb's comments. The sand and the dry pellets need to go, and there is too much clutter in there for my liking. I only see one tortoise in the picture, but you are using two tortoise names. If they are housed together, they shouldn't be. Tortoises should never be housed in pairs. Groups can sometimes work, but not pairs.
Check this out:
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...
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I like that you re-purposed a wardrobe to use as an enclosure. Good thinking! Did you line it with plastic to protect the wood? Thanks for sharing the picture. Looks like a great place for a tortoise to live, but with all the rocks and wood you're giving them lots of places to get into trouble. Climbing over all that may cause them to tip over and land on their back, and some tortoises have a hard time tipping back upright.
You said you're not using pellets as substrate, but it sure looks like rabbit pellets in the picture. Reason you shouldn't use that is because it gets moldy when they pee on it and wet it.
So glad you've joined the Forum. Great to have you here!! Welcome!
You said you're not using pellets as substrate, but it sure looks like rabbit pellets in the picture. Reason you shouldn't use that is because it gets moldy when they pee on it and wet it.
So glad you've joined the Forum. Great to have you here!! Welcome!
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Welcome to the forum. Don't get concerned about all the criticism you are getting! It's what we all went through too at first, but we listened and learned, and our tortoises are the better for it!
I think what you put together yourself is a great idea. Its always good to see people go larger rather than smaller, too.
Yeah just because someone is popular online doesn't make them perfect. Garden State also promotes "tortoise houses" which are terrible in like 98% of circumstances for tortoises.
It does seem like there's a lot of "flip hazards" there, and as far as sand - can you use it? Of course. But why do something that causes a risk of impaction which can be deadly when you can just pick a better substrate?
If you haven't already read this, I recommend here as a good place to start:
tortoiseforum.org
Yeah just because someone is popular online doesn't make them perfect. Garden State also promotes "tortoise houses" which are terrible in like 98% of circumstances for tortoises.
It does seem like there's a lot of "flip hazards" there, and as far as sand - can you use it? Of course. But why do something that causes a risk of impaction which can be deadly when you can just pick a better substrate?
If you haven't already read this, I recommend here as a good place to start:
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
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Welcome to the forum.
I'm going to make an assumption that ALL OF US that have kept tortoises for decades, at one time used soil and sand. I even remember when "Children's play sand" was a thing.
We learned a lot because of that. And we now know that sand should be avoided for small tortoises. And for any inside enclosure.
It's the same thing fir moss. We used to think it was a good thing to use. And collectively found out that it wasn't.
Hot rocks. Colored light bulbs. Water spraying. Compressed rabbit pellets. Etc. Same thing.
Please take our combined experiences into consideration. We're not trying to insult you. We're each taking our time to help.
There's no need to learn the hard way like we have.
I'm going to make an assumption that ALL OF US that have kept tortoises for decades, at one time used soil and sand. I even remember when "Children's play sand" was a thing.
We learned a lot because of that. And we now know that sand should be avoided for small tortoises. And for any inside enclosure.
It's the same thing fir moss. We used to think it was a good thing to use. And collectively found out that it wasn't.
Hot rocks. Colored light bulbs. Water spraying. Compressed rabbit pellets. Etc. Same thing.
Please take our combined experiences into consideration. We're not trying to insult you. We're each taking our time to help.
There's no need to learn the hard way like we have.
Yes your enclosure is all wrong and needs to be re researched immediately before someone gets sick!
