Tortoise Smell/Weigh/Diet Questions Help!!

Andrew Porter

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Hey Everyone, it's Kerry

Couple of questions regarding Sheldon:

1.We have had Sheldon coming up to a month now, and i weighed him when i first got him and i'm almost sure he was 141g, i have weighed him tonight and he is 145g, is this normal? He will be 1 on 30th January and his shell is about 3.5 inches in length.

2. As i was weighing him i noticed he smells really bad, like horse manure & he never usually smells. I spot check his table everyday and he rarely poos in it so i'm unsure of why he smells so bad. He get's bathed 2-3 times a week.

3. Over the last couple of weeks around this time he digs in the same corner and constantly scratches as if he's trying to get through although he should know he can't by now? His substrate is pretty deep and he sometimes burys himself in other places but it seems to be the same place at the same time and i'm worried that he is unhappy or stressed and feels trapped? His table is 27 x 14 inches but when i researched i don't think this is too bad for his age however we will be looking to get him a larger enclosure soon.

4. Diet - He currently has a mix of Kale, Carrot, Cucumber, Tomatoes (once a week) , baby red leaf, spinach and rocket. He also had some dandelion pellet's from pet's at home as dandelions aren't growing in the uk yet. Is this all okay?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance
 

dmmj

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@ 3.5 inches your tortoise is a lot older than one year. Regarding diet it sounds a little wet to me probably needs more fiber that might make it smell better you know. As for digging they're stubborn they like to dig they're not going to stop, how big is the enclosure overall?
 

Andrew Porter

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@ 3.5 inches your tortoise is a lot older than one year. Regarding diet it sounds a little wet to me probably needs more fiber that might make it smell better you know. As for digging they're stubborn they like to dig they're not going to stop, how big is the enclosure overall?
Thank you! How old do you think he is and what length should he be for a year old?

What foods are best to give him for fibre?

His table is a around 2.5ft long and just over 1ft wide.. he has plenty of bark and a wooden tunnel to climb over and through and he has a separate hide for night time.
 

Yvonne G

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Hey Everyone, it's Kerry

Couple of questions regarding Sheldon:

1.We have had Sheldon coming up to a month now, and i weighed him when i first got him and i'm almost sure he was 141g, i have weighed him tonight and he is 145g, is this normal? He will be 1 on 30th January and his shell is about 3.5 inches in length.

They gain a lot of weight when they're young. Actually, three grams is not very much. That's about as much as a good poo or pee. You may have weighed him right after a poo or pee at the 141g weight. To know his actual birthday, do you have paperwork that tells you his age? Three and a half inches is doable, but on the large side for a year.


2. As i was weighing him i noticed he smells really bad, like horse manure & he never usually smells. I spot check his table everyday and he rarely poos in it so i'm unsure of why he smells so bad. He get's bathed 2-3 times a week.

He might have some poo stuck around his tail, but I like David's answer about adding more fiber to the diet.


3. Over the last couple of weeks around this time he digs in the same corner and constantly scratches as if he's trying to get through although he should know he can't by now? His substrate is pretty deep and he sometimes burys himself in other places but it seems to be the same place at the same time and i'm worried that he is unhappy or stressed and feels trapped? His table is 27 x 14 inches but when i researched i don't think this is too bad for his age however we will be looking to get him a larger enclosure soon.

Russian tortoises bury themselves when it's time to go to bed. He would dig down further if the substrate were deeper. They don't seem to have any concept of the bottom of the enclosure. He's just trying to bury deeper. No stress or unhappiness involved. Just instinct.

4. Diet - He currently has a mix of Kale, Carrot, Cucumber, Tomatoes (once a week) , baby red leaf, spinach and rocket. He also had some dandelion pellet's from pet's at home as dandelions aren't growing in the uk yet. Is this all okay?

I wouldn't give carrot, cucumber or tomatoes very often. About once a week is good enough. See if you can find escarole, endive and turnip greens. Any dark leafy greens.
 

Jodie

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My guy, I hatched him 10/14/15. So he is 1 year and 3 months. He is 4.5 inches and 264 grams.
Diet is the only thing I can think of to cause the smell.
 

dmmj

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diet and or parasites can sometimes cause bad smelling poop. :-(
 

RosemaryDW

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I wouldn't feed any tomato; it's a fruit and they aren't built for it.

I rarely feed cucumber either. It is also a fruit (even though we think of it as a vegetable!).

And I don't feed carrot. Sorry! But I would feed carrot tops! And radish tops, along with turnip greens. The escarole and endive mentioned above are good.

Rocket is good. Can you get any watercress?
 

JoesMum

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Hi there.

I guess I got a mention because I'm in the UK too and you're right that picking weeds is impossible at the moment.

Have you considered growing your own in pots on a windowsill? Tortoise-safe seeds can be bought in the UK from the Shelled Warriors Shop http://www.shelledwarriorsshop.co.uk/seeds---grow-your-own-food-302-c.asp

Tortoise manure does smell very like horse manure as the diet is very similar.

I use Komodo pellets for Joe when the weeds are in short supply. Let them soften in plain water before feeding.

I think you're feeding sweet foods too often. Russians cannot digest sugars properly - they cause digestive and kidney problems - so fruit, tomato, carrot and peppers should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally if at all. I limit Joe to once a month (he's a Greek, but the same applies)

I tried Joe on dried greens of various types, but he won't touch them dry or soaked. So it has to be store bought supplemented with Komodo for Joe until the weeds are growing again.

To get variety in your greens check them out for suitability on The Tortoise Table Plant Database
like.
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp

If you happen to have access to an asian/african market or store (I don't) you will find a bigger range than in your supermarket.
 

Andrew Porter

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hey all, apologies for the late response!

Thanks so much for all the advice regarding Sheldon, i have stopped the tomato/cucumber and carrot and Sheldon doesn't seem to smell anymore so it could of been the sugar etc.

I'm going to order Sheldon some Komodo pellet's also as a substitute for the tomato as he loves it!

I have attached two pics to this post for everyone to get a closer look at Sheldon as i have had mixed reviews on his age and would be keen to know peoples thought's with a closer pic. I have also added a pic of his home so you can see his living conditions. He also has a hide to the left of the pic (not in the pic, with is filled with the same substrate as his enclosure (coco coir) and also filled with moss for him to bury under.

any advice is greatly appreciated! :)

Thanks,

Kerry
 

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JoesMum

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Andrew Porter

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Hi,

He has a cover over his hide but the rest of his enclosure is open. We are looking to get a bigger one for him very soon! Any idea on his age?

Also yes i have read the above links
 

JoesMum

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Hi,

He has a cover over his hide but the rest of his enclosure is open. We are looking to get a bigger one for him very soon! Any idea on his age?

Also yes i have read the above links
A cover over the hide isn't enough for humidity. The detail is in the second link.

We cannot even start to guess at his age as they all grow at different rates.

You're in the UK. You should have paperwork for this tortoise with a hatch date on. It's illegal to sell one here without it being microchipped and paperwork.

Our tort is very old, pre CITES, and we can evidence having had him since 1970 so we need no paperwork. However, we cannot sell him or sell any offspring if we bred from him.
 

Andrew Porter

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Okay thanks i'll take another look. What is joe's enclosure like?

With regards to the paperwork, we found out thid was illegal after we bought him so unfortunatly we just have to go by word of mouth from the lady stating he is 1 on 30th January :(

Thanks
 

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