- Joined
- Apr 1, 2010
- Messages
- 10
Hello everyone! I am a brand new owner of a tortoise. I am not the original owner so I know less about him (or her) than I would like, but I am willing to learn from here. His original owner had purchased him about 1 year ago. Well, we won't talk about his severe lack of planning but he has moved to the Caribbean to attend vet school, and they did not want the tortoise to come with him so I offered to give him a second home.
I am not entirely sure what species Franklin is. I think he was supposed to be a red footed tortoise, but I am not so sure. He seems to have the wrong coloration and shell pattern for a red footed. If anyone can help me identify him that would be great. I want to make sure he is getting the proper husbandry. I suppose he is a little over a year old as I am fairly certain he was purchased as a hatchling. He is about 5 3/4 inches long, but I am not sure how much he weighs. Oh, and if he is obviously a female let me know and I can change his name.
I have so much to learn about diet, proper substrate, lighting, and behavior. I was given the instructions (feed him these pellets, give him a lettuce leaf once in awhile and feed him meat once a week.) And he came in a laundry basket. He does enjoy cactus, romaine lettuce, and chicken, but I don't do meat once a week as my initial reading indicated that was way too much protein. I have given him a small amount of chicken twice and he really dug it. He will nibble at a few of the other greens and veggies I have tried but romaine and cactus seem to be his favorites so far. I did give him a small amount of clementine orange one day, which he enjoyed, but then I read it may give him diarhhea. Oops. Luckily he seemed to stomach it well.
I currently have him in a large under bed storage box on my kitchen table. Unfortunately I have to have a lid or I risk cats using his enclosure as a litter box or dogs pestering or even hurting him. I have the coconut husk substrate, a heat lamp, and a small bowl for water and a small bowl for his tortoise pellets. This summer we have plans to build him a large outdoor enclosure so he can enjoy the warmth and natural sun but we are still having some yucky days so he is inside for the time being.
I am here to learn to be a good tortoise mommy so please don't hesitate to teach me, correct my misunderstandings, etc. I know very little about reptiles in general and their signs of health and behavior are all a little mysterious to me right now.
I just took these pictures this evening on our wood floor.
Thanks for checking out Franklin!
Does his shell look normal and healthy? I am not sure how to tell.
I am not entirely sure what species Franklin is. I think he was supposed to be a red footed tortoise, but I am not so sure. He seems to have the wrong coloration and shell pattern for a red footed. If anyone can help me identify him that would be great. I want to make sure he is getting the proper husbandry. I suppose he is a little over a year old as I am fairly certain he was purchased as a hatchling. He is about 5 3/4 inches long, but I am not sure how much he weighs. Oh, and if he is obviously a female let me know and I can change his name.
I have so much to learn about diet, proper substrate, lighting, and behavior. I was given the instructions (feed him these pellets, give him a lettuce leaf once in awhile and feed him meat once a week.) And he came in a laundry basket. He does enjoy cactus, romaine lettuce, and chicken, but I don't do meat once a week as my initial reading indicated that was way too much protein. I have given him a small amount of chicken twice and he really dug it. He will nibble at a few of the other greens and veggies I have tried but romaine and cactus seem to be his favorites so far. I did give him a small amount of clementine orange one day, which he enjoyed, but then I read it may give him diarhhea. Oops. Luckily he seemed to stomach it well.
I currently have him in a large under bed storage box on my kitchen table. Unfortunately I have to have a lid or I risk cats using his enclosure as a litter box or dogs pestering or even hurting him. I have the coconut husk substrate, a heat lamp, and a small bowl for water and a small bowl for his tortoise pellets. This summer we have plans to build him a large outdoor enclosure so he can enjoy the warmth and natural sun but we are still having some yucky days so he is inside for the time being.
I am here to learn to be a good tortoise mommy so please don't hesitate to teach me, correct my misunderstandings, etc. I know very little about reptiles in general and their signs of health and behavior are all a little mysterious to me right now.
I just took these pictures this evening on our wood floor.
Thanks for checking out Franklin!
Does his shell look normal and healthy? I am not sure how to tell.