Don't add mud.
Decaying vegetation forms something special. It's very soft and doesn't compact. That's the stuff you need at the bottom, the stuff that forms naturally when you have plants in the pond.
The winter I lost all my goldfish was the year I cleaned the pond. Last year the fish...
Looks like growth lines to me. Anyone else?
That substrate needs to be replaced with something that holds moisture. Coconut coir is a good choice. No wood chips are okay, and cedar (Is that cedar?) is particularly bad.
Don't you hate it when you think you have a problem but you don't have the...
An animal that is new to you should not hibernate its first year. It's too dangerous. Any health issues can become fatal. The prep for hibernation- good food- should have started months ago.
There is nothing wrong with your tortoise preferring weeds. There are, however, many choices of weeds and flowers to add variety. The grocery store sells a lot of good ones, too. Romaine is like crack. Tortoises love it and become picky eaters. Cut it up and mix it into other foods. Gradually...
It's a native turtle, a cuora amboinensis. Semi aquatic. Best to let her go. The species is threatened, and considered vulnerable in your country.
I don't see the point in taking her to a vet.
A tub would be better than an aquarium. She needs both land and water. Water area should be as...
It's going to be cold. There is a microwavable disk that works, but you won't be able to recharge it. Hot water bottles can be refilled from any tap. Plastic bottles work fine, or you can use a dedicated hot water bottle.
Things turn on a dime. Everything seems fine and then suddenly it isn't. It's the old joke about the guy falling off the empire state building. He passes the 15th floor and another guy asks him how it's going. He answers, it's alright so far.
So, it is interesting that the system (in general...