seeking LOTS of (Home's?) hingeback help & advice

[ErinB]

As an update, I still do not have a suitable indoor enclosure for Jenny :-/
No tanks close enough have come up and most are too narrow anyway. The closest I've come was a boaphile enclosure, but it definitely didn't end up sounding like a great idea for a tortoise.

On a much, much better note - Jenny has been spending her days outside in the garden! It's secured already to keep rabbits out, so I finished some tortoise-proofing at the entrance and set up some water and a hiding spot for her. It's not secure enough for me to trust it overnight, but it will keep her in and our dog out. She seems to love it and spends a lot of time wandering around the perimeter or hanging out under tomato plants. The other plants are small now but she hasn't done any trampling, and it will get even better as they grow.

Her walking problem has to be splayed legs. It's caused by the exact conditions she has been under, and it's definitely happened over a long period of time. I feel so terrible watching her drag the end of her shell around, but at least she's getting exercise now and we're working on it. Two weeks ago I don't think she ever really stood completely upright, but now she'll put much more weight on her back legs with a little guidance, especially in the water.

Diet wise, I've started mixing less commercial food and more mushrooms & greens in with less pumpkin. She's still eating the same, which is not very much but it depends on the day.
The soaking has also definitely improved her skin. No more sores on her neck, and her hinge looks less flaky and irritated. I got a thermometer/hygrometer, and her enclosure is typically about 80F and 40% - too dry, but at least the temperature is reasonable.

 

[NudistApple]

It sounds like things are beginning to improve for her. If you are really having trouble finding tanks, don't count out large bins or stock tanks! They tend to be a lot cheaper (and lighter!) for a much larger area anyhow.

 

[Jacqui]

It sounds like things are beginning to improve for her. If you are really having trouble finding tanks, don't count out large bins or stock tanks! They tend to be a lot cheaper (and lighter!) for a much larger area anyhow.

They also don't break like the tanks do. One nice thing with tanks, is you can usually find premade lids to fit. Using a stock tank, if you want a lid, you have to make them yourself.

Sounds like exercise is helping!

Remember, hingebacks are good at climbing, so keep a close eye on her while outside. This one climbed into a bush/tree and was about two feet up, when I found him.

 

[ErinB]

A stock tank sounds like the best plan, but I haven't had any luck finding one of those either. I live in the suburbs of Chicago, so there isn't much in the way of farm supply stores here. Any advice on locating one? What gallon size would you recommend?

I did check out the big plastic bins at home depot, but I'm not sure how to go about cutting up and reassembling those. I've already moved Jenny from the tiny glass tank she was in into a plastic bin - it's not much improvement in surface area but is more square shaped so she can at least turn around a little bit better. If I could cut it and combine it with another plastic bin that would be better, but I don't think we have an xacto knife sharp enough to cut through such thick plastic. I asked at home depot if there was some way someone there could cut them for me, but the guy wasn't very helpful.

...and also, that tortoise in a shrub is wild! I'll definitely keep an eye on her as things begin to grow in. Right now she's still hesitant to stray too far from her hiding spots and the plants are all more at risk for trampling than climbing, but once things get bigger we'll have to be careful. Not to mention the fact that we're growing things like tomatoes and squash, which she has no interest in eating for now but will maybe (hopefully!) find delicious in the future.

 

[ErinB]

Someone just emailed me about another enclosure - I attached the pictures. He's asking $100 and says it cost $300 to make.

It's home made, 3'x3', and opens on the side. I'm not thrilled by it, but since I'm having so much trouble I thought I'd get some more opinions. I was hoping for larger and I'm worried that it will be too difficult to maintain warmer/cooler areas and keep everything clean, both of which wouldn't be a problem if I can find a stock tank. I'm a little worried it may actually get too hot, but it would certainly be easier to maintain humidity. It also seems like I could drape something across the top UV light to partially shade the entire enclosure, which would be nice.

Kristina's article suggests 4'x2' as the absolute minimum space for an adult Home's, and I prefer something square like this so she can turn around. Her current bin is 2' across and it's really too narrow.

 

[Itort]

What suburb of Chicago do you live in ? Menard's has or can order what I call a sheep waterer dimension approx 50" x 30" x 12". I have several and feel they make excellant habitats.

 

[ErinB]

I live ~30min north of the city, I would go to the Menard's in Morton Grove.

I don't know if I'm crazy or what, but when I search for stock tanks at Menard's they only have deicers, and the same kind of thing happens with Home Depot (only a pump) and Lowe's (nothing at all). If I search google for the company & 'stock tank' it will come up with some for all of these stores, but I can't figure out how to go about ordering a tank to my location! Maybe I'll just have to start calling stores and see what they carry or if they can order something in for me. It just keeps telling me they're unavailable for any form of store pick up or delivery.

 

[Itort]

You can also find them at Blain's Farm & Fleet. I don't if any are near you but it's worth a try. I bought mine at Menards about two years ago but at the site it seems they have moved away from ag toward a more urban theme. In addition to Rubbermaid, Agrimaster is a brand.

 

[Jacqui]

Hmmm looks like the closest Orscheln's is over 200 miles away in Flora.

---

I wonder if you asked Rubbermaid itself about the nearest location selling their sheep tubs.

 

[lynnedit]

If you can't fine one locally, there are some stock tanks on Amazon, some qualify for free (Prime) shipping.

Rubbermaid totes are fairly inexpensive at places like Home Depot, and if you get a hack saw (or borrow one), you can remove the ends of two Rubbermaid 50 gal totes and nest them together. It is hard to cut them, as they wiggle around, but if someone holds on really tight and you persist....
If you can drill holes, you can connect them with zip ties.

A unused window screen over the top covered with plastic, or of course, the plexiglass.

 

[ErinB]

RE: seeking LOTS of (Home's?) hingeback help & advice

I went ahead and ordered a 2'x6' stock tank on Amazon, and despite prime shipping it wont be here until mid-July at the earliest. I'll keep looking around locally since I can always just cancel the order if something turns up before then.

Another quick question - is there a point where it would be too hot to keep her outside? It's been well into the 90s the past few days, so I was curious if that would be better or worse than just keeping her in all day. I've been at work so she hasn't been out much. I feel like exercise might be more important that the temperature, but I wanted to be sure.

 

[Jacqui]

Mine tend to become less active when it gets that warm out.

 

[Itort]

In the 90's mine are in the hides or shaded pool. They do enjoy the afternoon mist shower. A grape vine overhangs about half the enclosure and this is the area they hang out in. They are active at sunset and sunrise.

 

[Kristina]

Same here. If it is hotter than aboput 83*, you can look in my enclosure and not know that it contains tortoises. They will all be under logs and plants. My enclosure only gets sun until about 12, and then is in the shade for the rest of the day. So far it has been perfect for them.

If you have to tough it out until the stock tank arrives, so be it. You have already immensely improved her care, and in my opinion another month isn't going to harm her. The diet and hydration that you provide is the most important thing.

 

[ErinB]

RE: seeking LOTS of (Home's?) hingeback help & advice

As long as it's not dangerous or anything, I feel more comfortable with her having the option to walk around than keeping her stuffed in a bin all day. It's probably good practice for when her enclosure is suddenly bigger in a few weeks.

My mom fed Jenny yesterday and went back to just commercial X canned pumpkin "because she doesn't eat the mushrooms". She also accidentally used pumpkin pie mix, which has 5x the sugar.

Is there any way someone could maybe just tell me exactly what/how much they feed so I can give my family a specific recipe to move towards? I'm getting very frustrated with different people in my family feeding differently when I'm not around! And thanks again everyone for everything. I don't want to think about how much worse I would feel about this without your help.

 

[Jacqui]

Hmmm something simple is what your needing, right? Your tortoise is not a mushroom fan?

The very simplest thing would be to have them give her a mushroom, a chunk of muskmelon, a chunk of precooked sweet tater, and a leaf or two of either a spring mix or romaine (those two seem to be the best accepted my the majority of tortoises). That would give a wide variety and certainly it doesn't have to be all of them every day. Then sorta see what he does like to eat. I used these because you can have them made before hand, they will last awhile in the fridge, and are easy to handle.

Then when your home you could do the more mixing things up, trying new things, even if you end up using the pumpkin to coat the new foods.

 

[ErinB]

RE: seeking LOTS of (Home's?) hingeback help & advice

I was going to wait until I had some new pictures (the new enclosure should be here tomorrow!), but after an argument with my mother I need to ask some more about diet.

My mom believes that two or three mushrooms and some sweet potato (which has only been nibbled at so far but we're getting there) a day "is not enough to keep a tortoise alive" and wants to continue feeding commercial since it "can't hurt."

So basically, is Jenny eating enough? It's not like she ate any more on pumpkin & commercial - my family fed her every other day at most and not a great quantity. I'm going to go look at the nutritional info on everything & see if it's comparable, which I suspect it is.

I just wish she had thought of all this before buying an animal that lives upwards of 40 years! What on earth was she thinking?

Also - the tortoise chow we have is just freeze dried cactus, mushrooms, hibiscus, etc. Could it alright?

 

[Jacqui]

Actually those ingredients are not bad sounding. What brand is this? As a rule, adding commercial food is like adding another food variety, which means it's not bad. Some of course are better then others, just like with any plant or fruit.

 

[ErinB]

It's "Healthy Herp", which seems to be manufactured by San Francisco Bay Brand. In the past I know we used to feed some random colorful pellets, but this stuff actually doesn't look miserable. We have two different kinds right now that Jenny is fed randomly. We've never noticed a preference for one mix over the other but she does eat inconsistently. I suspect that she probably likes the "tortoise food" more since she has taken to mushrooms so quickly and it has those in it. All of the veggies are freeze dried and the plants are dried - you just add water to the mix for a few minutes to rehydrate it, then strain it out.

"Veggie Mix" - dandelion greens, red clover tops, leeks, carrots, zucchini, corn, peas, green beans, calendula flower petals, & calcium carbonate

"Tortoise Food" - corn, carrots, dandelion greens, hibiscus powder, organic cactus leaves, pumpkin, green beans, mushrooms, & calcium carbonate

I also know we have had a similar mix in the past that had freeze-dried insects. I think it must have been their box turtle food.

"Box Turtle Food" - Grasshopper Pieces, Mealworms, Strawberries, Bananas, Dandelion Greens, Corn, Carrots, Beef, Calendula Flower Petals, and Calcium Carbonate.


What if I combine that veggie mix and tortoise food, then get some of that box turtle food for once a week or so for protein? I talked it over with my mother and she thinks she could keep doing fresh sweet potato and mushrooms after I'm gone since they do keep fairly well, but she has said previously that it might not happen. Would every other day with mixes vs. a few mushrooms & some sweet potato be reasonable? We've had no luck on getting her to touch any greens so far but we could keep tossing those in every day as well. I'm not entirely convinced that my mom will stay on top of fresh foods but I think that the odds are better if I can get a set schedule going.

 

[NudistApple]

Those mixes sound pretty solid actually. If it is the best your family can/will do, it could definitely be a lot worse. Fresh is always better, but at least the ingredients are real foods and not mostly chemicals.

I think one of the most important things for her will be continuing to get outside for exercise and having lots of fresh water to soak in and drink from.