Complete newbie

[Angelica]

Hi guys

We have just become proud owners of a Testudo Spur Thighed tortoise and love her to bits. We've been doing lots of reading as want to give her the best possible care, but am still a bit comfused. she weighs 4oz and is 18 months old and we have had her for 2 days. She seems to be settling in well but is sleeping quite a lot! is this normal? we came home this afternoon and she was alseep. I woke her up (scared in case she had died) and she was active for about an hour and then went to bed!! Also, i know that the UV light needs to be on for 14hrs, but how long should the heat light be on for? cannot seem to find this anywhere! Finally...am being told to give 80% of one group type of food, 20% of another and 5% protein, but not sure the quantity i should be feeding her. Any information would be greatfully recieved as we are completely new to this and want to give her the best care.

 

[purpod]

Greetings and welcome to the Tortoise Forum! I think if you look under the food/diet section here, you will find all of the possible advice you'd need on feeding your new buddy.

Also, since torties are ectothermic, you should have the heat on your scaled friend at all times, as they do not produce their own heat as warm blooded animals do; providing the heat aids in the enzymes doing their job to digest the food.

I hope the person you got your lil' cutie from let you know about all of the requirements that will be needed for housing as he/she grows!

Bestest wishes and again, welcome. {By the way, what did you name your little critter?}
Purpod

 

[katesgoey]

Welcome! You'll find a great group of fellow tort lovers here and a wealth of information.

Sandy
and
1 male Leopard Tortoise ("Tank")

 

[Isa]

Welcome to the forum Angelica.

Your new little one is a real cutie

 

[Crazy1]

Angelica, welcome to the forum.
Here is a good place to get some infor on Greeks, including diet, housing etc. http://www.tlady.clara.net/id16.htm
also you can do a search or look in the Food section of this forum.

 

[spikethebest]

awwww so cute. got any more pics? we all love pics here. i love face shots especially.

 

[TortGirl]

Welcome! Congrats on your little one. What a little cuttie!

 

[Jentortmom]

Hello and welcome to TFO!! She is really cute!!

 

[Angelica]

Aw thats everyone for all your advice and warm welcome. Tiffany is settling in well, and seems to be getting used to me. She is full of adventure and loves exploring - she had a wander round the living room this evening and is now happily sleeping. I love taking pics of her so more will be posted soon. Feeling less anxious with her now, and am learning not to panic everytime she has a nap, plus have been looking at the links provided and have ordered a couple of books just for good measure.

Ange xx

 

[Jacqui]

Glad to hear both of you are relaxing and getting used to each other. Hard not to worry about them isn't it, just like having a baby in the house. Looking forward to seeing some of those photos.