Marginated tortoise

lynng

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hi, I have just recently got 2 year old marginated, I have looked through tonnes of literature but can't find many answers anywhere! I've took him/her to the vets who thinks he could be male, is there anyway to tell at this age? He's also addicted to tortoise pellets and not keen on dandelion, plantain etc, how can I swap his diet over without starving him!
When will he/she be classed as an adult, and at what ages should be his correct size and weight, does anyone know of any referencing sites so I can compare.
When should I consider hibernating? And how much calcium powder should I put on food weekly. At present I've been doing twice weekly and there is a cuttlefish in the enclosure.
I really appreciate help

Thank you :)
Please accept my apologies for marinated title, auto correct drives me bonkers
 

Lyn W

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Hi lynng from Lyn W,
When I saw the title I thought it was a cookery thread! Which made me smile. :)

I'm afraid I can't answer many of your questions as I'm a novice myself but what about smearing some soggy pellets onto a few weeds etc so he gets the smell and taste of them, then gradually ease off the pellets. If you do a search there will be a few answers to gradually introducing new foods.

The first vet I saw thought my tort (which was found and never claimed) could be 10, He also said it was female so I called it Lola. Since then judging by its tail and the 'flashing' it's done it looks like she's a he and could be any age from 2 up. So it's quite hard even for vets.

Anyway I'm sure there will be help from lots more experienced keepers soon and if you have any pics they will help them answer your questions but meanwhile welcome and I hope you find the forum as invaluable as I have done.
 

Tom

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hi, I have just recently got 2 year old marginated, I have looked through tonnes of literature but can't find many answers anywhere! I've took him/her to the vets who thinks he could be male, is there anyway to tell at this age? He's also addicted to tortoise pellets and not keen on dandelion, plantain etc, how can I swap his diet over without starving him!
When will he/she be classed as an adult, and at what ages should be his correct size and weight, does anyone know of any referencing sites so I can compare.
When should I consider hibernating? And how much calcium powder should I put on food weekly. At present I've been doing twice weekly and there is a cuttlefish in the enclosure.
I really appreciate help

Thank you :)
Please accept my apologies for marinated title, auto correct drives me bonkers


I've got limited marginated experience, but your questions a pretty general for all the common Testusdo species.

1. Sometimes you can tell sex at two years old. Post a pic showing the tail and anal scutes and we can guess. Sometime you just have to wait a few years. And be carefu trusting someone's word just because they are a vet. There is no semester on tortoise care in vet school. People who know things about tortoises know these things from years of experience keeping them, whether they are a vet or not. People who have not kept them usually have no idea what they are talking about whether they are a vet or not.
2. Your tortoise is not addicted to that food. Its just what he is used to eating. To get him used to new stuff, chop up a very small amount and thoroughly mix it in with the old stuff. Just use a tiny bit at first and gradually use more and more as your tortoise gets used to it. This process can take weeks or months, so don't give up on day 3.
4. Sexual maturity is determined by size and not age. They all grow at different rates depending on many factors, so don't worry about size, worry about health. The size will come.
5. I hibernate all my hibernating species every year. No reason not to. It must be done correctly, and that would take a whole page to describe.
6. Twice a week is a good standard for your calcium supplement and offering the cuttlebone is great.

And I'm glad you are not marinating your tortoise! :)
 
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