ok, please bare with me on this coz its gonna be quite long but i really need some advice!!
My friends nan has had a tortoise for 50 odd years but she is getting old and has said that i can take the tortoise on! This is great as i have always wanted one but in actual fact i really don't know that much about them!
I know wot u are all thinking why don't i just speak to the nan? but these are the reasons why -
1. She feeds her tortoise dog food!
2. She has never once used a basking lamp or heat mat!
3. Her garden is apparently mostly in the shade!
I have done some reading and all these things are obvously not good so how is this tortoise still alive and what sort of condition will it be in?
My main questions right now are -
1. What sort of lighting should i rig up and how long should it be on for?
2. What temp should i keep her house at?
3. Does she need a heat mat?
4. i've learned what i should be feeding her but can i cut out the dog food instantly or should i wean her off it?
5. how good a climbers are they, could she climb over a loose 6 inch breeze block and more importantly could she pull it over on herself?
6. Most of my garden is flat lawn, what can i do to make it more interestin?
ok that should keep me busy for now as she isn't arriving untill the beggining of july.
Thanks guys!! xx
My friends nan has had a tortoise for 50 odd years but she is getting old and has said that i can take the tortoise on! This is great as i have always wanted one but in actual fact i really don't know that much about them!
I know wot u are all thinking why don't i just speak to the nan? but these are the reasons why -
1. She feeds her tortoise dog food!
2. She has never once used a basking lamp or heat mat!
3. Her garden is apparently mostly in the shade!
I have done some reading and all these things are obvously not good so how is this tortoise still alive and what sort of condition will it be in?
My main questions right now are -
1. What sort of lighting should i rig up and how long should it be on for?
2. What temp should i keep her house at?
3. Does she need a heat mat?
4. i've learned what i should be feeding her but can i cut out the dog food instantly or should i wean her off it?
5. how good a climbers are they, could she climb over a loose 6 inch breeze block and more importantly could she pull it over on herself?
6. Most of my garden is flat lawn, what can i do to make it more interestin?
ok that should keep me busy for now as she isn't arriving untill the beggining of july.
Thanks guys!! xx