Recent content by Tamie

3 months??? Please read through this: http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/disease.html Based on 30 years experience with chelonia, the TT has to be the most well respected organisation dealing and desperately trying to educate on all tortoise matters. Tamie

As Julie has said the TT recommends a min quarantine period of 6 months. The length of quarantine really has to depend on where the tortoises came from - min of six months but longer if you are not 100% certain of the history of the second tort. HTH Tamie

You cannot release this tortoise back into the wild I am afraid - no one can say 100% what the tortoise has been subjected to. As you do not know it's exact history you could be jeopardising both your tortoise and those in the wild. Please try and accomodate the tortoise, a tortoise table with...

You really need to be careful as some flowers are toxic, not 100% sure tortoises can eat begonias (I think that is what they are) and if the yellow is part of the daisy family be careful as they are very rich in tannins and saponins - which are not good for a young tortoise. Tamie

Simply the best has to be: http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/kandb.htm Worth reading through the site as it is filled with facts from a man who has dedicated his life to tortoises and turtles. Tamie

Then I suggest you get it to a vet as soon as possible, I understand that this may be difficult because of the circumstances it was brought in under but for this tortoises sake you really need to get this tortoise checked. I know this as I have recently dealt with over 100 wild caught...

No, if this is the tortoise you brought into the country then you need to use top soil. Garden soil can contain small stones etc which will be detrimental to your tortoises health. Have you taken the tortoise to the vets for a poo sample to be taken to check for worms? Wild caught...

Well, I will correct you as you are WRONG - not "everybody" said they fed their tortoises tomatoes, a few did and I say again just because some do it does not make it right. Please accept that you have listed incorrect items as suitable for tortoises. As for bringing up Shellwarriors, one...

Just because people have said they feed tomatoes to their tortoises does not make it right for the tortoise. Tamie

Cpx, here's what you actually said: Other: you can feed occassionally tomatoes, cucumber, and cabbage when your out of weeds. but do not feed this daily other wise your tortoise will become unhealthy. Feed cucumber daily if you want to, but never feed tomatoes or cabbage daily. Once a week...

Hi, my name is Tamie and I am in the UK, have almost two decades of experience with torts and love to be able to pass on correct diet and husbandry advise. Nothing more upsetting than seeing a tort suffering from MBD and deformities caused by incorrect advise re: diet/husbandry - all of...

Tortoises take heat from above not below, heat mats effectively cook the tortoises organs. I have recently had to rehome a tortoise that had burns on his plastron from living in a viv on a heat mat for 6 years! Tamie

I would never feed cabbage to a tortoise, it is from the brassica family and therefore prevents the tort absorbing the calcium from the other healthy foods, tomatoes are not good for med species either - they are a fruit and therefore upsets the gut flora. Tamie

The best substrate is playsand/topsoil (50/50 ratio) with an area of hemp - hermanns love it. Mist the topsoil/playsand to avoid it drying out, and it is akin to their natural environments. Tamie