A little advice please

[Tortillax]

Hello i am due to get my first ever tortoise in a few weeks time so doing lots of research and gathering info

Due to where i live i dont have any weeds/flowers that i can forage for as i live in a city and wouldnt want to trust them around here

i plan to grow my own but obviously that will take some time, and i do have some family members when they visit they will bring some from there garden

so in the meantime what can i feed to make sure my little shell friend has a complete diet and everything they need

i have seen lists of safe things from the supermarket which i can get, but i have seen online pellets or dried flowers does anyone have a brand they use and would recomend ?

i have also seen calcium powder which brand would you recomend please

thanks in advance

 

[Tom]

Hello i am due to get my first ever tortoise in a few weeks time so doing lots of research and gathering info

Due to where i live i dont have any weeds/flowers that i can forage for as i live in a city and wouldnt want to trust them around here

i plan to grow my own but obviously that will take some time, and i do have some family members when they visit they will bring some from there garden

so in the meantime what can i feed to make sure my little shell friend has a complete diet and everything they need

i have seen lists of safe things from the supermarket which i can get, but i have seen online pellets or dried flowers does anyone have a brand they use and would recomend ?

i have also seen calcium powder which brand would you recomend please

thanks in advance

What species are you getting? What size and age?

Here is a care sheet for temperate species. The way to feed them is explained in there. Any reptile calcium powder should work for you. Due to where you live and the fact that your tortoise will be indoors most of the time, I would get calcium with D3 added. I like the Repcal or the ZooMed brands, but any will work. ZooMed also make a new "Flower Topper" dried food that you should be able to get over there too.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Be aware that most of the tortoise info sources you find are going to give you the wrong info and recommend the wrong products. Pet shops tend to be horrible, breeders and vets aren't much better. Almost everything is wrong on FB or YT, so it is great that you found our community here. Questions are welcome.

 

[Tortillax]

What species are you getting? What size and age?

Here is a care sheet for temperate species. The way to feed them is explained in there. Any reptile calcium powder should work for you. Due to where you live and the fact that your tortoise will be indoors most of the time, I would get calcium with D3 added. I like the Repcal or the ZooMed brands, but any will work. ZooMed also make a new "Flower Topper" dried food that you should be able to get over there too.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Be aware that most of the tortoise info sources you find are going to give you the wrong info and recommend the wrong products. Pet shops tend to be horrible, breeders and vets aren't much better. Almost everything is wrong on FB or YT, so it is great that you found our community here. Questions are welcome.

Thank you so much for your info i have started to read through the care guides on here but was wanting more specifically the brands that people use as that isnt in the guides i have seen ZooMed stuff over here so thank you for recommending them, i also plan on getting some live edible plants for in the table

I am getting a Hermann tortoise there are 2 breeders close by to where i live they are 2021 hatchlings and come with there paperwork, I havent got a date of when im picking them up as i have a custom table being made and want to get everything all setup for atleast a week to keep a eye on temps and humidity

I have another question i have seen some people on there tortoise tables use slate or some other things for the basking area and others nothing which is best i would be worried that slate would get too hot underneath for them ?

 

[zolasmum]

Hello and welcome, also from Devon (near Holsworthy ) - we have a Hermanns tortoise ,who is 21 years old now. He is a great little companion. He has a double-glazed heated conservatory, which he allows us to sit in to keep him company - as you know, the weather around here is often not suitable for him to be outside.
He has a piece of wood with a cork tile on it under his lamp - I think if you used a stone or slate, you wouldn't have a problem with the heat, - if it gets that hot, it would be far too hot for your tortoise on top of it too !! They do like somewhere to lie flat and stretch their legs.
Best wishes from Angie

 

[Tortillax]

Hello and welcome, also from Devon (near Holsworthy ) - we have a Hermanns tortoise ,who is 21 years old now. He is a great little companion. He has a double-glazed heated conservatory, which he allows us to sit in to keep him company - as you know, the weather around here is often not suitable for him to be outside.
He has a piece of wood with a cork tile on it under his lamp - I think if you used a stone or slate, you wouldn't have a problem with the heat, - if it gets that hot, it would be far too hot for your tortoise on top of it too !! They do like somewhere to lie flat and stretch their legs.
Best wishes from Angie

nice to meet a fellow Devon person thank you for the advice and welcome

 

[Tom]

I have another question i have seen some people on there tortoise tables use slate or some other things for the basking area and others nothing which is best i would be worried that slate would get too hot underneath for them ?

For every enclosure the basking bulb height must be set using a thermometer. If its too hot on a slate, its also too hot with no slate. The slate simply warms up and radiates a nice even heat into the enclosure, and also provide a safe way to get belly heat that simulates how they would do it outside in the sunshine over warmed earth.

Open tables are not good for babies. Its too difficult to maintain the correct temperatures and humidity. That is like trying to heat your house in winter with no roof. Adult tortoises can handle room temps and humidity okay with the proper heat during the day, but not so much for babies. Find a large vivarium instead.

Most of the info you get about tortoise care from pet shops, breeders, vets, YT and FB is all wrong. Its been wrong for decades, and it just keeps getting repeated. If you've been taking advice from any of the above, you are likely going to need to change some things, like the table idea for example. Here is the current and correct care info for your species:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tortillax]

For every enclosure the basking bulb height must be set using a thermometer. If its too hot on a slate, its also too hot with no slate. The slate simply warms up and radiates a nice even heat into the enclosure, and also provide a safe way to get belly heat that simulates how they would do it outside in the sunshine over warmed earth.

Open tables are not good for babies. Its too difficult to maintain the correct temperatures and humidity. That is like trying to heat your house in winter with no roof. Adult tortoises can handle room temps and humidity okay with the proper heat during the day, but not so much for babies. Find a large vivarium instead.

Most of the info you get about tortoise care from pet shops, breeders, vets, YT and FB is all wrong. Its been wrong for decades, and it just keeps getting repeated. If you've been taking advice from any of the above, you are likely going to need to change some things, like the table idea for example. Here is the current and correct care info for your species:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

hello thank you for your reply, yes had some bad information from a pet store earlier i was buying fine orchid bark and they said that wasnt good coz it would be too much humidity, i replied that what they need so stuck with buying the orchid bark.

ok i will get a slate to put under the heat lamp.

2 other questions please i have been looking at infrared therometers and have seen some that say reptile but have found cheaper ones made for food and pizza ovens would this work or do i need one for reptiles, i have brought heat and humidity ones that will be in there all the time to keep a eye on things

and my other question i am going to get a humid hide and i have seen easy diy ones but there is one i have seen that i really like with moss on the top would this work please ?

thank you

 

[Tom]

hello thank you for your reply, yes had some bad information from a pet store earlier i was buying fine orchid bark and they said that wasnt good coz it would be too much humidity, i replied that what they need so stuck with buying the orchid bark.

ok i will get a slate to put under the heat lamp.

2 other questions please i have been looking at infrared therometers and have seen some that say reptile but have found cheaper ones made for food and pizza ovens would this work or do i need one for reptiles, i have brought heat and humidity ones that will be in there all the time to keep a eye on things

and my other question i am going to get a humid hide and i have seen easy diy ones but there is one i have seen that i really like with moss on the top would this work please ?

thank you

Any infrared thermometer should work for you. No need to pay more money for a reptile branded one.

Tortoises will eat that moss and it can cause impaction. I wouldn't use anything with moss on it. I prefer a plastic tub of some sort flipped upside down with a small door hole cut out.

 

[Tortillax]

Any infrared thermometer should work for you. No need to pay more money for a reptile branded one.

Tortoises will eat that moss and it can cause impaction. I wouldn't use anything with moss on it. I prefer a plastic tub of some sort flipped upside down with a small door hole cut out.

ok thank you again for the great advice

 

[Tortillax]

hello another question from me, would this be ok to put under the basking area, thought it looked nice ?