Coconugget
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2016
- Messages
- 27
Hi. Apologies for leaving after a month participating in the site, last summer I was in desperate need and needed help making a lot of my decisions. It was wrong of me to leave so soon since this community is really nice and welcoming, which I have forgotten in my chaos. However, I am making a return in hope I can be more open, so I can learn in my process of caring for Coconut, who will four years old in June.
I would like to introduce myself again. I own one red foot tortoise that is currently three, but as stated will be turning four quite soon. I joined this forum last summer, around August 2016, with some issues I needed to address. Now, Coconut is well and healthy, better than she probably has ever been throughout my care. I would like to state that I am young (I don't feel comfortable to reveal my age, but less than 18 to give you the idea) and is still going through the process of learning about myself as well as caring for my tortoise. I go through minor depression, hence why I was extremely nervous to post threads on the forum when I first joined. I was afraid for criticism, I still am, but I want to learn because I feel like I make many mistakes while caring for Coconut.
I live in a major city in the US, which, in my opinion, is definitely not a suitable place for a tortoise. It is extremely busy and crowded here, with only one vet that specializes in tortoises in the center of the city. Houses here are typically very small and mine sets off a good example. Coconut can still manage living in her current enclosure, but is growing at a rapid rate so her enclosure will be upgraded very soon. Her enclosure is similar to a tortoise chamber, except the roof is not fully closed. I am coming back to face a minor problem. She no longer has the respiratory infection but is extremely curious. Her water and food dishes are in front of the door/opening to her enclosure and she likes to climb on top of them, push the door open, and attempt to go out. This problem can be easily fixed by moving or removing her dishes but it confuses me a bit. I'm not sure why she would want to leave, I let her out to explore some areas of my house and keep an eye on her on what she does about once or twice every other day, about 2-4 times a week (I do try to do it everyday and maintain a steady schedule for her). Yes, she can see through her enclosure (the front is glass, which is the one she is attempting to climb out of).
Another thing is that she is extremely picky. I want her to get used to being fed food that is dusted with calcium powder but she doesn't quite like eating it. I let her try new vegetables and fruits very often but she likes her fruits more than her vegetables it seems. Of course, she does like vegetables, but only certain ones, and is eh about a lot. Currently, she eats a lot of spring mix greens (all of them are safe), chicory, mustard greens, and dandelion greens, all occasionally dusted with calcium. She's satisfied with chicory and some lettuces in spring mix, okay with mustards, and neutral about dandelions along with many other lettuces. She's satisfied with almost any safe fruit I give her. I'm not sure if I can fix this problem, but I'm just wondering if there is any way to get a tortoise to be more eager in the different varieties provided. I don't quite enjoy feeding only the greens she likes, and I also limit the amount of fruits I give her.
Again, these are minor problems that I could fix alone, but I would like to participate in the forums more often and learn from one another. Possibly, over time, I would be comfortable sharing images of Coconut and her enclosure, but I'm a bit uneasy currently. I appreciate all advice. Thank you again! I'm grateful for this community.
I would like to introduce myself again. I own one red foot tortoise that is currently three, but as stated will be turning four quite soon. I joined this forum last summer, around August 2016, with some issues I needed to address. Now, Coconut is well and healthy, better than she probably has ever been throughout my care. I would like to state that I am young (I don't feel comfortable to reveal my age, but less than 18 to give you the idea) and is still going through the process of learning about myself as well as caring for my tortoise. I go through minor depression, hence why I was extremely nervous to post threads on the forum when I first joined. I was afraid for criticism, I still am, but I want to learn because I feel like I make many mistakes while caring for Coconut.
I live in a major city in the US, which, in my opinion, is definitely not a suitable place for a tortoise. It is extremely busy and crowded here, with only one vet that specializes in tortoises in the center of the city. Houses here are typically very small and mine sets off a good example. Coconut can still manage living in her current enclosure, but is growing at a rapid rate so her enclosure will be upgraded very soon. Her enclosure is similar to a tortoise chamber, except the roof is not fully closed. I am coming back to face a minor problem. She no longer has the respiratory infection but is extremely curious. Her water and food dishes are in front of the door/opening to her enclosure and she likes to climb on top of them, push the door open, and attempt to go out. This problem can be easily fixed by moving or removing her dishes but it confuses me a bit. I'm not sure why she would want to leave, I let her out to explore some areas of my house and keep an eye on her on what she does about once or twice every other day, about 2-4 times a week (I do try to do it everyday and maintain a steady schedule for her). Yes, she can see through her enclosure (the front is glass, which is the one she is attempting to climb out of).
Another thing is that she is extremely picky. I want her to get used to being fed food that is dusted with calcium powder but she doesn't quite like eating it. I let her try new vegetables and fruits very often but she likes her fruits more than her vegetables it seems. Of course, she does like vegetables, but only certain ones, and is eh about a lot. Currently, she eats a lot of spring mix greens (all of them are safe), chicory, mustard greens, and dandelion greens, all occasionally dusted with calcium. She's satisfied with chicory and some lettuces in spring mix, okay with mustards, and neutral about dandelions along with many other lettuces. She's satisfied with almost any safe fruit I give her. I'm not sure if I can fix this problem, but I'm just wondering if there is any way to get a tortoise to be more eager in the different varieties provided. I don't quite enjoy feeding only the greens she likes, and I also limit the amount of fruits I give her.
Again, these are minor problems that I could fix alone, but I would like to participate in the forums more often and learn from one another. Possibly, over time, I would be comfortable sharing images of Coconut and her enclosure, but I'm a bit uneasy currently. I appreciate all advice. Thank you again! I'm grateful for this community.
