Homing for my horsefield friend

Lovemytortoise

New Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2021
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Ramsey
Hello,
I got a 2 horsefield tortoises 3 weeks ago. One is putting on weight and doing really well. The other is smaller, not eating a lot and has lost weight. How can I make him put on weight?? I have a basking light on the 10-11 hours per day at 34c and at night I have a heat mat under their sleeping area. I wake them up at 7.30am, bath them for 10-15 mins then feed them everyday.
I have read into the humidity and for horsefield they should have a dry flooring? Am I doing anything wrong or can I do anything better?? I really want to have happy healthy tortoises
Thanks
 

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
Hello,
I got a 2 horsefield tortoises 3 weeks ago. One is putting on weight and doing really well. The other is smaller, not eating a lot and has lost weight. How can I make him put on weight?? I have a basking light on the 10-11 hours per day at 34c and at night I have a heat mat under their sleeping area. I wake them up at 7.30am, bath them for 10-15 mins then feed them everyday.
I have read into the humidity and for horsefield they should have a dry flooring? Am I doing anything wrong or can I do anything better?? I really want to have happy healthy tortoises
Thanks
The smaller one is being bullied. They need to be separated asap...it really is just that simple...
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Not only separated but the heat mat needs to go unless you have a heat source above it on a thermostat.
They need a humidity of 80% you can do this by first making sure it's a closed chamber, with correct temps and wetting the bottom layer if substrate, by putting warm water slowly in the corners to run under the substrate.
Please read our caresheet and forget anything you might have read outside this forum
Btw, tortoises do not do good in pairs as you are finding out.
 

Lovemytortoise

New Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2021
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Ramsey
Really! I have not seen any aggression, the little bugger. Thank you. Better order a new table for him. Can tortoises live together or better for them to be on their own?
 

Lovemytortoise

New Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2021
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Ramsey
Not only separated but the heat mat needs to go unless you have a heat source above it on a thermostat.
They need a humidity of 80% you can do this by first making sure it's a closed chamber, with correct temps and wetting the bottom layer if substrate, by putting warm water slowly in the corners to run under the substrate.
Please read our caresheet and forget anything you might have read outside this forum
Btw, tortoises do not do good in pairs as you are finding out.
Thank you I have the heat mat on at night as was worried they were getting too cold at night (as told by someone in pets are home) I have a heat light for during the day. So should I get rid of heat mat? It’s so hard as you get much conflicting information. Thanks for advice really helpful
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Most important is to seperate them. Then get rid of heat mat.
The temps need to be 95-100 basking area. 75-80 all over day temp and can drop into 60's at night.
The heat mat is dangerous.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
If you need added heat at night to keep it in the 60's use a che or a radiant heat panel.
 

Jan A

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2021
Messages
1,808
Location (City and/or State)
Boulder, CO
Really! I have not seen any aggression, the little bugger. Thank you. Better order a new table for him. Can tortoises live together or better for them to be on their own?
When you get the chance, read thru forum threads on bullying. Something we humans think is cute like sleeping together is really aggression, challenging the smaller one to get out of the enclosure. This is what they do in the wild. They meet to fight over territory or to mate but then go their separate ways. But the smaller one has nowhere to go in captivity.

So read thru the care sheet that's been linked. It's up-to-date & will answer a lot of questions. And please ask more questions. We'd love to see photos of your torts & photos of your enclosure & lights. Welcome to the forum.
 

Lovemytortoise

New Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2021
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Ramsey
When you get the chance, read thru forum threads on bullying. Something we humans think is cute like sleeping together is really aggression, challenging the smaller one to get out of the enclosure. This is what they do in the wild. They meet to fight over territory or to mate but then go their separate ways. But the smaller one has nowhere to go in captivity.

So read thru the care sheet that's been linked. It's up-to-date & will answer a lot of questions. And please ask more questions. We'd love to see photos of your torts & photos of your enclosure & lights. Welcome to the forum.
Thank you! I have separated them just a quick fit and will make them a table each over the weekend. Just need to get another water bowl and a light for each side and heat mat is out but temperature is getting back up. Hopefully will be happy now. Do you think I need to get a tube light? I have the mercury vapour basking lamp
 

Attachments

  • E3A39AEE-46AF-4E17-BA91-33A2879E5F66.jpeg
    E3A39AEE-46AF-4E17-BA91-33A2879E5F66.jpeg
    1.9 MB · Views: 13
  • 6CF8AC8D-2D53-4B97-BDE2-A13AE85A6A47.jpeg
    6CF8AC8D-2D53-4B97-BDE2-A13AE85A6A47.jpeg
    2.4 MB · Views: 13

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
While I like and have used mvb over the years, it is thought that those bulbs dry the carapace over time causing some damage and pyramiding...so it is recommended to use a 10.0 tube...
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Hi and welcome,
This is the most up to date caresheet you need to help your torts thrive. Read that and ask as many questions as you need.

I'm glad you're separating them. Torts are territorial and solitary creatures who don't like sharing their space, food and basking spots etc. Bullying behaviour can be very subtle to start with and includes staring, following, nudging and mounting - often mistaken for affection. The dominant tort will hog the food and best basking spot and crowd the other to try to get him to leave. It eventually gets more aggressive with barging and biting which can cause serious injury and even death. The stress of sharing a small space alone can cause serious illness for both torts.

MVB bulbs are convenient but they have been found to dry and damage tort shells so aren't recommended anymore. You would be better off with TF HO tubes for UVB, and maybe flood basking bulbs (I use Arcadia), with a CHE run through a thermostat for night heat and extra heat when needed.

You'll find this website useful for diet too
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk
 
Top