Am I Murdering my Tortoise

Chefdenoel10

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OH SNAP! You are correct Micheal; stupid flower names. I've pulled em' out. He didn't really eat them, thankfully, just enjoyed the cushioning.

hi and welcome to you!!
Your tortoise is gorgeous.
Please do right by him as you will have him for a long time . Seems you are getting great info on here. Listen.....
Happy to know you! And good luck!
?
 

Chefdenoel10

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Haha ? well, I mean... I thought, does my Pearl want a ball too? Am I being mean because I haven’t given her a toy?

?????????????
Always....ALWAYS .. glad to know someone who’s funny. It makes for great posts!
????????
Yes your mean ...
She wants a unicorn ? stuffed toy
(Like my husband got mine ?).
I am just kidding !!!
Please don’t do that....
as all kinds of objects like these are dangerous for them.
 

MemeTheory

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I would like to take a second and thank everyone for the constructive feedback; its night and day from what I got over at ol' Reddit town.
 

Chefdenoel10

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I would like to take a second and thank everyone for the constructive feedback; its night and day from what I got over at ol' Reddit town.

TRUST ME.
This is the only place to BELIEVE what they are saying. They speak ONLY FROM EXPERIENCE.
They raise them, they Sell them and they all know their stuff.
They really are so nice .
Your tortoise will love you for listening to their words and praise you with nice poops and a healthy system .
That means.. NO VET VISITS.
and that should be music to your ears ?
 

MemeTheory

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Man these guys like to stalk people around the internet - it's not healthy. And I mentioned, up front in that first thread, that I was looking to build a new one, you and your goon-squad just decided to ignore that and be pretty much the worst human's I've experienced in 2020 - so thanks for that.
 

Golden Greek Tortoise 567

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Im in utter disbelief that he’s acting as a victim here. And hiding absurd, publicized truths about how he kept that animal. And his atrocious behavior about it.
Nonetheless, I’d love to get this forums opinion on how he kept, and degradingly defended, his enclosure 50 days ago. Insisting it was fine at half the current size, and belittling anyone who suggested it should be larger. Never mind the fact that he DID double it’s enclosure size, and he’s still being told it’s probably too small by respected members here.

and LOL. My post was deleted from earlier. I guess no one wants to see how he really kept this tortoise.
Actually a mod probably deleted your post because of the language in it. There are kids in this forum so we try to not use words as much as possible.
 

jmaneyapanda

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Actually a mod probably deleted your post because of the language in it. There are kids in this forum so we try to not use words as much as possible.
Fair enough. I have no dog in this fight, save to 1) not let someone belittle myself or others unjustly, and 2) point out that that 5-6” leopard tortoise has no place in a 75 gallon glass aquarium.
 

wellington

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As already stated by Moderstor Jaizei. Keep reddit on reddit and not on this forum!
Any more reddit talk or member bashing will continue to be deleted and possibly member banning!
This forum is to help educate on better care. If someone learns they are wrong and decides to make improvements then this forum has done its job. Some people take longer then others to admit they were wrong.
 

Blackdog1714

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In lieu of the MVB, what's the best recommendation?
A T5 fluorescent in a a fixture with a reflector. Although if you can get your baby outside a few hours every few days you could do without the UVB bulb.
 

Sue Ann

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> So... what’s the ping pong ball about?

I just figured he'd like to have something to mess around with. He likes to roll it around, and who am I to tell him no.

And thanks NewCH - noted. Its just being used as a part of the landscape, so I'll swap it out for something more generic.
I think the ping pong ball is a great idea!
 

Olivertort1

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Reddit (i.e. one or two strangers on the internet) have decided that they need to tell me, in a million different ways, that I am an animal abuser.... Its been... something. So, people of Tortoise Forum; am I abusing Sir Digby Chicken Ceaser?

Enclosure info - its 4'x4' until we move to a more yard accessible area in the next year or so. I used a raised garden planter, bonded to 4'x4' MDF board, and pond liner to start. The Cork I got from an etsy shop that sells corkwood panels (there is 4; they're super nice) and some Fur tree inserts to fill in some gaps. His cave is fully accessible (he pushed that moss in front of it) and is supplanted with some moss. (I used red moss several months ago... DON'T!!! Ever see a red tortoise? Its shocking to say the least.)

Substrate - I mixed a natural substrate with Coco Coir, Pumice, Charcoal (for the plants), Orchid Bark, and Peat Moss. It is also inhabited by about 100 worms and 10 rolly pollys to help manage the plant life. (The rolly-pollys are colored like cows... they are ADORABLE).

Environment - it grades from 70° - 80° depending on location, from the front right to back left. There is a basking rock by the pingpong ball (covered with dirt at the second, so not doing a great job as a basking rock) with a ceramic heater tethered to a 95° regulator (i'm considering upping that to 105 or so, but he doesn't seem to be jonesing for heat). I'm using a reptile humidifier and have a 80% meter to limit the humidity. It usually doesn't hit the limit during the day, but keeps it nice consistent at night. He generally conks out in or on top of his cave (there is a sneaky heat pad just to the right of his face up top). The portion cut off in this photo has his water bowl (shallow, he "could" take a dip, but I haven't seen him do so - I bathe him every few days so he may not feel the need). And his Mazuri - though he eats prefers the flower to the mazuri.

Plants - Vary, but right now some Orange marigold, destroyed Purple Violet, and a Kale plant centerpiece. The left grass is Mondo grass I picked up from Armstrong's, but the grass on the right is from seedling drought resistant grass. Its really there to just hold stuff together, but he finds it tasty. That "tree" up front is a Desert Rose, and there is a baby palm in the back which is being used as support more than foliage.

Heat - There are two Mercury Vapor lights on a 14 hour timer for day / night. I have several thermometers around, and if it peaks above 90° I'll turn one off. A ceramic heat bulb and 5 heating pads hidden against the walls keep everything constant. Its actually been increibly easy to maintain temp inside the Kingdom, so that's been nice.

So? Is this a terrible enclosure, because some strangers on the internet really want me to feel bad about it. ?Most of the criciticsm is the firm belief that humidity willmurderr poor Sir Digby.... I think they're being a "bit" dramatic.

View attachment 307694
Sorry to say Mindo grass is also a no feed
 

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JMM

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I second Tom's concern with the humidifier--it can aerosolize some bad bugs that should not be inhaled.
 

NovasArk

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A T5 fluorescent in a a fixture with a reflector. Although if you can get your baby outside a few hours every few days you could do without the UVB bulb.
Perfect thank you! We live in southern Az so we can do the outside treatment!
 

Mrs.Jennifer

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How lucky that you can do the “outside treatment” year-round! I’m in Connecticut, and we definitely have 4 seasons. This week my Russian has been soaking up the last rays of the season.
 

newCH

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We do the outside treatment in So. FL also. ???Lots of warm weather.
 

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