advice

Hello! Is Terry's shell damaged or is this normal growth?

I've looked through the threads on enclosures for babies and they've been very helpful, but I have a bit of a unique idea in mind and I want to make sure this will work for my prospective tort. I live in a very old house in New Hampshire and I have a large blocked off brick fireplace that I...

I won't need to build this for many years as Durda is only 7 months old, but I want all the plans set and ready so I don't have to struggle with it when the time comes. Here are my plans, what should I change or add? I want to have a pen that is approximately one of these sizes: either 12'x12'...

hey everyone my name is Jessie and about 6 months ago my boyfriend and I jumped head first into being new tortoise owners. We made an extremely rash decision and bought two tortoises from a shady at best exotic pet store. One of them is a lovley Russian named wrinkles that I am estimating to be...

Hey guys. I know I've posted alot about my baby but he really needs help. I don't think he has hatching failure syndrome, and if he does there is something more to it. He really needs help and i dont know how much longer he will make it. Ive typed this once before but lost all my progress so i...

Hi. I have 2 baby slider turtles, both boys, both about the size of a quarter. One is a Red Ear Slider, I call him Sheldon. The other is a Cumberland Slider, I call him Leonard. They’re in a 20 gallon tank for now, but I know as they grow I’m going to have to upgrade a good bit. They have...

Hi all, I need some words of wisdom as to why my tort spends all of its day burrowed in sphagnum moss. Humidity is consistently above 80%, the warm side of its enclosure is in the mid 80's, cool side is in the low 70's. I do use a mercury bulb (which I've heard aren't the best) but for our...

Hi, so I've recently, accidentally, come into care of what I think is a Russian tortoise. The previous owner abandoned him and I don't know very much about him apart from he's (probably) a boy, around 5 years old, his name is Flynn, he has always been kept indoors and didn't hibernate last year...

I found this little one crossing a semi-busy street on my way to work about a month ago. I live in Orange County so this isn't something you see every day. He/she (I think he..) is pretty tiny, about the size of a burger, so I'm thankful I was able to spot him! I've had a Russian my whole life...

Hey I live in Massachusetts and it gets real cold for most of the year. Really it's only consistently hot enough (80+) from June to August. What size enclosure would be recommended for a full grown adult? Should it be enclosed or just a standered table? I've been doing lots of research on a few...

Hi there everyone, I was living in the Netherlands for a few years with my boyfriend but we broke up recently, so I moved back to the USA. Problem is, I have a Russian tortoise that I wasn't able to take with me when I left. Is it possible to ship him safely from The Netherlands to the USA? I'd...

Hi everyone, I’m the proud owner of a new Horsefield Tortoise named Dash. He is only 5 months old and I only got him this October. I’ve read conflicting advice about when to have lamps and and whether or not to hibernate. He lives indoors as we have no suitable outdoor environment and we only...

Hi all I’ve had winston for about a year and a half now. No idea how old he is sadly :-( he was pretty tiny when I got him from a pet shop so can’t be too old...... he was sold to me in a viv, and after getting him home and doing more research (I know I should’ve done more first!) he’s now in...

Hello all! I am new to this forum, but I need some advice. I have had a russian tortoise for six years and I've never had this problem before. Since about July I have noticed my tort, Sheldon, has scabs on her face, neck, and her 'armpits', all in places either her shell rubs or where her skin...

Hi all, new to the forum! Just after a little bit of advice - after returning my two boys (a mississippi map and a yellow belly slider) to their brand new tank today (after smashing their old one by dropping their basking rockery platform yesterday) I noticed that on the back leg of my map, a...

My dog is obsessed with my new baby turtle. And sits outside his house watching him. I don’t want my dog to scare him, is it ok to put a thin sheet over the glass whilst I’m not in so my dog won’t do anything to scare him?

Hello all im new to the forum and Harley is my first tortoise! He was badly neglected in his last home so i have my hands full rehabilitating him. i was hopping you all could help me judge his beak. i had it trimmed once already because he couldn't even eat properly when i got him but do you...

My western box turtle has these weird slits on the sides of her mouth, and when she eats they seem to bleed a little. i see no signs of mouth rot and just looked inside her mouth less than a half hour ago, but its definitely frightening. it got better with some peroxideneosporin but every time i...

Hi all, I'm new to the tortoise scene but I'm loving being a tortoise mummy. When I bought Rupert, I was told he was born in the back end of 2016 early 2017 which would make him at least a year old. He sleeps ALOT and he really doesn't eat all that much, maybe a few bits of leaves. Also when...

Hello. I don’t not have a tortoise yet. I am still doing my research on what’s the right fit for my family. I visited our local animal teaching zoo (moorpark) and asked the staff some questions. I have a few questions and hope you guys can help. Few questions I had were already answered. We...