im getting a tortoise today, i know the basics, any tips on keeping it really healty & happy?

Question

ive wanted a tortoise since i was a little girl. i just want to do everything right for it so it has a long happy life, whats the best diet, i heard the tortoise pellets are actually quite bad for them and fresh fruit & salad is best also grass. also whens the best time to hybernate them.

i got the tortoise off a friend. its a horsfield. he will go in the garden in the summer but will come in at night , when i go out and in the winter

Answer 1

First of all buy a book from a reliable pet shop about your type of tortoise it will tell you everything you need to know...Housing....it is important that they do not become chilled or damp as this can prove to be fatal, they can be accomodated in a typical vivarium equipped with a heat pad beneath part of the enclosure and a spotlight, a natural-spectrum fluorescent tube will be necessary to ensure the healthy development of the tortoises shell and appetite. The hide box to give the tortoise somewhere to retreat to, there should be a temp gradient across the vivarium and good ventilation is also important. Old newspapers which will be absorbent are easy to change when soiled make an adequate floor covering. Be sure not to feed him damp food on the paper as he may eat the paper aswell, use a dish. Bark can be difficult to clean when soiled and sand can irritate the torty's sensitive eyes if it attempts to burrow, so be careful. Friut should not be offered, instead provide a wide variety of vegetables including wild plants such as dandelion leaves and flowers or chick weed and cultivated crops such as alfalfa tomatoes and cabbage, while ordinary lettuce contains little other than water. The red varietes of lettuce have a much higher nutritional content, always provide the food on a low sided tray such as those used on plant stands. They need fed on a daily basis. If you are relying on a diet consisting of fresh food then the use of a special vitamin and mineral mix will be essential as a supplement especially for young ones. should you decide to use a complete food it will not be necessary for you to add a supplement aswell. Dry foods can be improved by soaking in water to soften the texture, whatevers left at the end of the day has to be removed a heavy weight bowl of drinking water should be accessible in the viv at all times but make sure the bowl is shallow so the torty can't fall in and drown. Hibernation, prepare a cardboard box lined with sheets of newspaper fast your torty beforehand so his digestive tract is empty when he is ready to settle for hibernation it will not move around much when placed in box, you will need a tea chest that can be lined with straw avoid using hay as it has fungal spores that could cause infection leave a space at the top of the tea chest so you can place the torty and his box there don't seal the box. To make sure he can't climb out of the tea chest and to protect him from harm fit a mesh lid. Wrap sheets of newspaper round the tea chest to provide further insulation holding them in place with string a blanket or polystyrene can also be used for insulation, but it is important to make sure he has air supply.

Answer 2

Fresh food is best.

Hybernation:
It depends on the type of cage you have. If it's outdoor only, he will naturally start hybernating in late fall. Catch him before then, he will hide, and you don't want that. Put him in a Rubbermaid container covered with a towel into a shed or garage. Make SURE he can't get warm. Warmth during hybernation will cause all sorts of problems with digestion. If you're interested I can go into more detail.

If he's indoors only, skip hybernation. Keep his temperature and light sourses going at a constant rate. It's better for him NOT to hybernate. It's not necessary and better for their overall health.

Here are some of my favorite hints:
Keep all light/heat sourses at one end of the cage. That way there is a super warm basking spot, a cool "shady" spot at the other, and the middle, is well, the middle. He can pick where he is the most comfortable at any given time of the day.

Scheduled meal times make it easy to tell when and what the tortoise is eating. That's important for monitoring health, and making sure he gets all the vitamins he needs. Also, you will know for sure if he starts refusing food, which is a sign of illness. It also insures he won't accidentally eat spoiled food. Morning and night put food out for 45 minutes. Note what and how much he eats, then wash the dishes. He will learn to eat during the time limit, taking the guess work out of the whole thing.

Get a plant mister and some moss from a garden store. (Not chemically treated, of course) Use the mister to keep the moss moist everyday. It provides enough humidity for comfort, but eliminates the dangers/problems of standing water.

Good luck.

Answer 3

There are a lot of tortoise sites out there that have some good info, but the ones that I would go by Tortoise Trust and Chelonian Trust.....Most of the people invoved with both of these sites have had or been invoved with tortoises 4 years.....They give good diet, housing, and care discriptions anlong with general help Q&A......I used these sites when I 1st got in to tortoises.....Now I have 2 Leopard tortoises and 2 Red Foots and the way it looks soon to be getting a few more tortoises......Tou may want to also get invoved with some of the on line tortoise orginizations, there are some knowlagable people that freqeint them.....It depends on the tortoise(you didn't specify) that you get weather or not you will need to let them hibernate or not , many don't hibernate...Good luck with your new tortoise!!!!

Answer 4

I'm constantly amazed that people will give detailed advice about hibernation and humidity without having any idea what species of tortoise they are talking about. Putting a redfoot or leopard tortoise in a rubbermaid with no heat will kill these species. They, and a number of other common pet species do not hibernate. Similarly, daily misting for desert and semi-arid species is ill-advised. Please let us know what species you are getting so more specific advice can be given. The required diet and environment differs dramatically between species.

Answer 5

I got a tortoise last year and she is brilliant,
tortoise pellets are not good fpr them my vet told me theres no goodness in them really.
fresh food is best i give mine things like rocket watercress spinach as a treat shredded carrot apple grapes or strawberries a treat cucumber tomatoes,melon,clover,dandelion leaves etc

my tortoise hasnt hibernated yet as i was too nervous to do it last winter, but tortoises usually hibernate when it starts to drop dark and cold etc y not buy a tortoise owner book just so you can glance at things in advance if u have any worries.

Answer 6

ok. pay attention up solid cuz I certainly have a tortoise. For housing you may desire to placed a great aquarium tank someplace risk-free and fill it with sand. some one million-2 inch layer will do. It would not swim because of the undeniable fact that's what TURTLES do. For food you could feed it : WASHED lettuce, strawberries, carrots, and cherry tomatoes are solid on your tortoise. you additionally can provide it keep offered food. Feed your tortoise on a daily basis it is going to wish a dish for water, and a dish for food. Fill the water bowl on a daily basis and sparkling the food dish as quickly as a week. you will additionally might desire to scoop this is poop. so so which you could use a kitty muddle scooper to shield that. as quickly as each and every 2 months you may desire to replace the sand in this is cage. BTW, it is going to wish a heater lamp.

Answer 7

You dont have to hibernate all tortoises. Do all the research you can on the type you want to get before getting one. You will need a large enclosure, heat and UV lights. I feed my tortoise spring mix.

Answer 8

i don't know much about tortoises, but if you follow this link, the people there are very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful for anything you need to knowhttp://www.chelonia.org/

Answer 9

Hello...ASK the store you're buying the tortoise from, they will have all the answers you need ....if they don't have a Fact/Care sheet, it's NOT the store to buy from !! Take Care & Enjoy :)

Answer 10

normally if there a good dealer they will give you a fact sheet , in advance so your ready to bring home your new shell baby. perhaps go ogle it for info, i wish i was getting one like you always wanted one.