Hi everyone,
There are so many great types of tortoises, all of them unique and all of them wonderful. I was wondering if anybody thinks there is a 'best tortoise' just overall. I don't mean to be divisive but I thought it might be interesting to see what people think, just answer as objectively...
"I suspect your sulcata tortoise can't -- not won't -- open his eyes. Eyelids swollen shut are often a result of vitamin A deficiency. The liver stores vitamin A in the hatchling. As the body uses it up, the hatchling tortoise may show signs of hypovitaminosis A if the nutrient is not...
It's about 95˚ in the basking spot and 75˚ on the coolest end. I have a heating pad under some substrate in the upper level hide which keeps it in the high seventies to low eighties. I turn everything down a little bit in summer months because of how hot it gets here.
I primarily feed lettuce which is Tortellini's favorite vegetable but for variety, I mix in things like carrot (just shavings for now), and spineless prickly pear on occasion. Sometimes I chop up fruits like papaya (tort's favorite fruit), apple or melons as a treat and squashes when they're in...
My tortoise (Tortellini, 5 months old) does spend a lot of time napping, often while basking. What times of the day does Shelly nap? For Tortellini, there doesn't seem to be any pattern.
For my tort, I get these colorful ping pong balls and plastic easter eggs from online but you can also find them at just about any dollar store. They're really cheap and my tort spends loads of time just rolling them around. If you want to stick with a more natural look, you can probably find...
Can you describe the decor you haven't put in? Or attach pictures? Also, hermann's torts do eat earthworms, which might actually be fun for her to catch but for moving soil around, you might be better off using your finger.
This is good, I believe she's the right size for her age and it seems like her calcium intake is excellent! Don't worry about her outgrowing her shell, shells grow with the torts inside them the same way our spines grow with us. Even if she was unhealthy, she could never outgrow her shell.
There is some significant pyramiding in her shell which is something to watch out for. Try feeding foods higher in calcium or using calcium powders. How big is she now?