new

[voggy]

View attachment 144339
This is great for torts View attachment 144340
This is bad for torts

think ive got it now I am taking out the coil bulb I will order a MVB for day time and I have a CHE to use on a night.

 

[voggy]

hi jeffjeff I live in north yorkshire will have a look at home bargains and pound land you said you get it from these guys but there is no link? thanks

can I ask what you use to feed yours here in the uk been picking dandelion and clover but not sure what else weed wise?

 

[voggy]

hi jeffjeff I live in north yorkshire will have a look at home bargains and pound land you said you get it from these guys but there is no link? thanks

ok just noticed there is a store here sorry

 

[jeffjeff]

hi jeffjeff I live in north yorkshire will have a look at home bargains and pound land you said you get it from these guys but there is no link? thanks

sorry about that. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-x-70lt-...REE-COMPOST-/121078234056?hash=item1c30d33bc8

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

A good food list is http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-diet-sheet.64290/
Just don't feed so much grass for your species.

 

[voggy]

Yup! The coil-shaped compact fluorescent bulbs emit very strong rays that cause baby tortoises' eyes pain similar to snow blindness. If caught soon enough, the baby will recover in about a week. If not caught soon enough, it causes permanent blindness. Once "they" discovered this fact, the manufacturers corrected the problem, however, the bulbs were not pulled from the store shelves. So one doesn't know if he's bought a new or an old bulb. I like to use the Mercury Vapor bulb for UVB. Or you can also use the tube type fluorescent bulb. But the Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) puts out UVB and heat, so you only need the one bulb for daytime.

MVB:

View attachment 144266


TUBE TYPE UVB:

But with the tube type, you'll also need a heat source.

Hi again pam do you have any idea what size bulb I would need for 3ft viv

 

[voggy]

ok so I ade a small box for charlie put him outside as it was a sunny day he had water food shade and sun he opened his eyes walked about put him back in his viv he closed eyes went back in his corner! thinking its not hot enough yet cos not got me MVB bulb yet so just got his CHE on at mo! The temp says its 80?

 

[Angel Carrion]

This is "stridulation" and is normal. My boxie does it sometimes when he yawns or bites.

Does your boxie also make obnoxiously loud squishy-swallowing sounds while chewing/eating?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

ok so I ade a small box for charlie put him outside as it was a sunny day he had water food shade and sun he opened his eyes walked about put him back in his viv he closed eyes went back in his corner! thinking its not hot enough yet cos not got me MVB bulb yet so just got his CHE on at mo! The temp says its 80?

Basking spot should be 100° and fading as you go away from this.

 

[Loohan]

Does your boxie also make obnoxiously loud squishy-swallowing sounds while chewing/eating?

Haven't noticed any. He's only a couple inches long.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Haven't noticed any. He's only a couple inches long.

Reason I asked is because one of my boxies makes really loud obnoxious squishing noises when chewing/eating. He's an older adult though (I tend to think anywhere between 25-40 years) so maybe it's an adult thing. My other boxies that are younger than him (I'm guessing between 8-15 years) do make these noises, but much much MUCH more quietly and nowhere near as obnoxious.

 

[Loohan]

Boxies CHEW? Mine bites off chunks and gulps them down. He will usually swallow a big superworm in one piece, like a snake eating a snake. After biting its face.
I presume he has good digestive juices.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Boxies CHEW? Mine bites off chunks and gulps them down. He will usually swallow a big superworm in one piece, like a snake eating a snake. After biting its face.
I presume he has good digestive juices.

Well, he doesn't "chew" like we do, but yeah, kind of. It's more like grabbing it and changing its position in his mouth, maybe?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Boxies CHEW? Mine bites off chunks and gulps them down. He will usually swallow a big superworm in one piece, like a snake eating a snake. After biting its face.
I presume he has good digestive juices.

Tortoises and turtles cannot chew.
Chewing is a side motion of the jaw that they cannot do.
Mammals, like cows, do a lot of this, wifey too, but not reptiles.
They bite and swallow.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Tortoises and turtles cannot chew.
Chewing is a side motion of the jaw that they cannot do.
Mammals, like cows, do a lot of this, wifey too, but not reptiles.
They bite and swallow.

Is my description accurate, then? Because it honestly looks like my one boxie does something like chewing.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Is my description accurate, then? Because it honestly looks like my one boxie does something like chewing.

Not everything goes down first bite.
They can move the head sharply to move objects that are stuck in the jaw or mouth and gulp, but it's not technically chewing, just repeated biting.
Food is not fully masticated but saliva is added as in mammals.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Not everything goes down first bite.
They can move the head sharply to move objects that are stuck in the jaw or mouth and gulp, but it's not technically chewing, just repeated biting.
Food is not fully masticated but saliva is added as in mammals.

No, he doesn't move his head sharply, he just opens him mouth and kind of moves his tongue a bit before chomping it again. Usually does this like two or three times, then swallows. My other boxies do it do, just not as obnoxious with the noises.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

No, he doesn't move his head sharply, he just opens him mouth and kind of moves his tongue a bit before chomping it again. Usually does this like two or three times, then swallows. My other boxies do it do, just not as obnoxious with the noises.

Yes, they use the tongue to move the food around, pull it into the mouth and moisten it, much as we do .
Just a noisy eater, I suppose.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Yes, they use the tongue to move the food around, pull it into the mouth and moisten it, much as we do .
Just a noisy eater, I suppose.

He is soooooooooooo loud. I can hear him across the room! Haha.

 

[ILoveTorts&Gerbils]

Hi Voggy. If you haven't already, please remove that water dish. I bought one and put pebbles up the sides for easy access in and out. Or so I thought. Herbert (also just a hatchling) was on his back in it yesterday. If the water had been deeper he could have drowned, and being on their backs is a health risk to torts without the added danger of water! With tortoises this tiny, anything is a flip hazard. So please just use a terracotta plant dish, buried into the substrate.