BladeBitten
New Member
Hello guys.
I bought my fiancee and I a Horsfield at the start of the year (it was via www.thetortoiseshop.com) and we've called him Peewee.
When we got him, he came with a tortoise table, a lamp with a combination UVA/UVB bulb, bedding (I think it was aspen) and the food bowls etc.
(I've attached images of his current setup, including the height of his combi lamp)
We've added a few small decorative items, swapped a feeding bowl for a flat piece of slate, and we cut a plant pot in half and put that in there so he has a shaded area to cool off and tunnel - he spends a lot of time sleeping in a tunnel he dug at the back of it.
Now, we have had him since January, and up until recently we've not had a problem really (he's a slightly fussy eater - he doesn't like dried or fresh flowers except for the occasional rose leaf, he'll sometimes eat dandelion leaves, and he'll usually munch on some salad and veg like rocket, watercress, spinach, cucumber, kale etc) and we always sprinkle some Nutrobal calcium powder on his food.
There are some days when he hardly touches his food. Being only 11 months, I thought I'd read that you should feed them daily when they're still at such a young age.
He does sleep quite a lot.
It came time to change his bedding completely around a month ago or more, and we used "Tortoise Terrain" from Pets at Home (which is a mix of sterilized top soil, sand and limestone grit) mixed with "Hemp Bedding" from ProRep.
I've recently read that hemp has started to be recognized as a potentially harmful bedding due to how sharp it can be and possible fumes it gives out when heated... True?
(article: http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/hemp.htm )
Also, his combi lamp is turned on around 8am and then turned off around 8pm.
Today is a Sunday and my local vets shop is closed, so I will be making an appointment for him tomorrow. But over the last few days, Peewee has been rubbing his eyes a lot (one more than the other). It's gotten to a point where he only seems to open his eyes once he's had a soak in water for a while, and even then one eye only opens a small amount and the other still doesn't open fully. It also looks like there's a small light raised area under his right eye (picture attached) I'm unsure if he's scratched his eye and it's irritated or if it's something more sinister.
I'm just worried as we don't know anyone else who owns tortoises, and there are so many conflicting opinions online as to whether you should do this or do that.
Is one combi lamp enough lighting and heating for him?
Is he not eating enough?
Is he sleeping too much?
Is his bedding suitable?
Is his SETUP suitable?
If you guys could help me out I would be very grateful. Thank you very much.
I bought my fiancee and I a Horsfield at the start of the year (it was via www.thetortoiseshop.com) and we've called him Peewee.
When we got him, he came with a tortoise table, a lamp with a combination UVA/UVB bulb, bedding (I think it was aspen) and the food bowls etc.
(I've attached images of his current setup, including the height of his combi lamp)
We've added a few small decorative items, swapped a feeding bowl for a flat piece of slate, and we cut a plant pot in half and put that in there so he has a shaded area to cool off and tunnel - he spends a lot of time sleeping in a tunnel he dug at the back of it.
Now, we have had him since January, and up until recently we've not had a problem really (he's a slightly fussy eater - he doesn't like dried or fresh flowers except for the occasional rose leaf, he'll sometimes eat dandelion leaves, and he'll usually munch on some salad and veg like rocket, watercress, spinach, cucumber, kale etc) and we always sprinkle some Nutrobal calcium powder on his food.
There are some days when he hardly touches his food. Being only 11 months, I thought I'd read that you should feed them daily when they're still at such a young age.
He does sleep quite a lot.
It came time to change his bedding completely around a month ago or more, and we used "Tortoise Terrain" from Pets at Home (which is a mix of sterilized top soil, sand and limestone grit) mixed with "Hemp Bedding" from ProRep.
I've recently read that hemp has started to be recognized as a potentially harmful bedding due to how sharp it can be and possible fumes it gives out when heated... True?
(article: http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/hemp.htm )
Also, his combi lamp is turned on around 8am and then turned off around 8pm.
Today is a Sunday and my local vets shop is closed, so I will be making an appointment for him tomorrow. But over the last few days, Peewee has been rubbing his eyes a lot (one more than the other). It's gotten to a point where he only seems to open his eyes once he's had a soak in water for a while, and even then one eye only opens a small amount and the other still doesn't open fully. It also looks like there's a small light raised area under his right eye (picture attached) I'm unsure if he's scratched his eye and it's irritated or if it's something more sinister.
I'm just worried as we don't know anyone else who owns tortoises, and there are so many conflicting opinions online as to whether you should do this or do that.
Is one combi lamp enough lighting and heating for him?
Is he not eating enough?
Is he sleeping too much?
Is his bedding suitable?
Is his SETUP suitable?
If you guys could help me out I would be very grateful. Thank you very much.