need comments to improve (pics)

[monsteramp]

Not enough substrate I know, will be getting more. As well as a water dish and a hide. Any pics of your hides so I have an idea what to get? Also tips on beautifying the enclosure.
Sometimes i take them out and let them roam around in the day.
Thanks for reading!!

 

[Lyn W]

Hi monsteramp you have come to a great place for advice!
It may be the angle of the camera but your enclosure looks a bit small for 2 - especially when you add hide, plants and water bowl - but I'm no expert - just thinking about what I've read on the threads since I joined. Or do they each have their own enclosure to stop bullying?

I'm sure someone will be along soon to point you in the right direction but meanwhile have a look at

• the enclosure thread for some great ideas
• the care sheet for your species
• the beginners mistakes thread

all of which have been a great help to me and will help your torts stay happy and healthy and save you money. Happy tort keeping!

 

[Lyn W]

p.s. they should always have access to water and a shallow terracotta plant saucer sunk into substrate would be ideal and cheap.

 

[monsteramp]

i do let them roam around the house almost daily for a few hours. yes i will be adding a water dish and maybe some small plants. is a hide really necessary (from what i read they are) because they have been living without a hide.

there's no bullying! sometimes the male follows behind the female walking around my house. she laid an egg last week.

 

[Lyn W]

I would say definitely yes to make them feel safe, as they don't like to feel exposed and could be stressed without you even knowing which could make them ill. So I think you need to get everything you need as soon as possible to make sure that doesn't happen and save yourself a fortune on vets bills.

Don't let pet store owners who are out to make a profit talk you into buying stuff without checking what to get on here first to save you money.

A few golden rules I've learned are:
The best water bowl is the plant saucer I mentioned above, very cheap and safer than a steep sided bowls for them to get in and out of.
No coil bulbs as they can damage the torts eyes
Use a CHE at night on a thermostat (so torts don't cook and they need complete darkness to sleep)
Humidity in the enclosure is a must to stop pyramiding of the shell
Keep an eye on your temps
The bigger the enclosure the better

There's lots more but if you read the threads I suggested then they should answer all your questions and they have been written by very experienced keepers. They give freely of their time and we may not always like or agree with what they say but they are straight talking people who do this for the love of torts. I'm sure a few of them will have suggestions for you in good time.

I knew nothing when I got my tortoise - which wasn't planned - so I had nothing in place, but with the help and support of members I was quickly able to get the things I needed and There's a lot more to tortoise keeping than I thought but I am learning all the time.

 

[Lyn W]

Congratulations on the egg are you going to try to hatch it? Keep an eye on that male following the female he could be harassing her which may stress her out.

 

[Yvonne G]

Whoa...beautiful tortoises, but way too small an enclosure for just one of them, let alone two. If you can't give them an enclosure outside, then you need at least 4'x8' indoors, with taller sides so you can have way more substrate. Here's an example of an indoor enclosure for a RF tortoise. You can do the same thing for your start with just a few less plants:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/heres-dales-new-enclosure-picture-heavy.11023/#post-95174

 

[monsteramp]

they are good together, no worries there. yes, i have a thread regarding the egg.
i kept them for some time without proper knowledge and enclosure (you wouldn't want to know!). i stumbled upon this forum and decided to do things right. the lighting and substrate was bought a day ago.
nice thread Yvonne, thats great. may start on a diy project myself.