- Joined
- Dec 22, 2012
- Messages
- 4
Hello everyone, I am new to the forum. Some of my questions may seem silly but kindly bear with me, I am in desperate need of your help.
Long story short, I bought two adorable torts from a pet shop in Jeddah Saudi Arabia (I believe them to be horsefields). Before the purchase, I was told by the customer reps that all they need to eat, is lettuce, once a day and that they should be kept away from direct air conditioning. How difficult can that be right? so I bought them.
After the purchase, out of curiosity i surfed the internet regarding the maintenance of tortoise. I was shocked at how the pet shop missed out on all the important stuff. The appropriate substrate, UV lighting, the optimum temperature, the variation in diet. Unbelievable!
I decided to return them back to the shop, but then I realized the incompetence and lack of knowledge displayed the customer reps in the shop was definitely going to kill the adorable little reptiles so i decided to keep them and provide all the necessary stuff they need for their well being.
I was able to form a substrate for them consisting of soil and sand (50-50). The sand is of some special sort for the reptiles and includes calcium as well. As for the diet, I have made a weekly schedule, comprising of a variety of greens.
The issue is the lighting. I have searched quite a few shops (including electric supplies) but they don't seem to have UV lamps or UV bulbs for reptiles. I even called my pet shop to ask them what they were using, and they said it was a normal bulb. Fortunately here in Saudi Arabia, reasonable amount of direct sunlight is available. But I don't really want to depend on that alone.
I know this might be extremely random, but do you know where I can purchase a UV lamp and a heat lamp in Jeddah? Or are there any shops outside the country that may DHL such products to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (the postal system here may take months).
All sorts of Opinions and comments are welcome. Thank You
Long story short, I bought two adorable torts from a pet shop in Jeddah Saudi Arabia (I believe them to be horsefields). Before the purchase, I was told by the customer reps that all they need to eat, is lettuce, once a day and that they should be kept away from direct air conditioning. How difficult can that be right? so I bought them.
After the purchase, out of curiosity i surfed the internet regarding the maintenance of tortoise. I was shocked at how the pet shop missed out on all the important stuff. The appropriate substrate, UV lighting, the optimum temperature, the variation in diet. Unbelievable!
I decided to return them back to the shop, but then I realized the incompetence and lack of knowledge displayed the customer reps in the shop was definitely going to kill the adorable little reptiles so i decided to keep them and provide all the necessary stuff they need for their well being.
I was able to form a substrate for them consisting of soil and sand (50-50). The sand is of some special sort for the reptiles and includes calcium as well. As for the diet, I have made a weekly schedule, comprising of a variety of greens.
The issue is the lighting. I have searched quite a few shops (including electric supplies) but they don't seem to have UV lamps or UV bulbs for reptiles. I even called my pet shop to ask them what they were using, and they said it was a normal bulb. Fortunately here in Saudi Arabia, reasonable amount of direct sunlight is available. But I don't really want to depend on that alone.
I know this might be extremely random, but do you know where I can purchase a UV lamp and a heat lamp in Jeddah? Or are there any shops outside the country that may DHL such products to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (the postal system here may take months).
All sorts of Opinions and comments are welcome. Thank You