So I get a phone call from a young lady who is getting ready to go away to college (this time of year??) and has to give up her box tortoise. Trouble is, the poor turtle has some damage to its beak. She took the turtle to a vet who told her it needed more calcium. Thank goodness the pet store she bought it from gave her the correct diet for the tortoise, even though they gave her the wrong name for it. She's been feeding it different types of greens with calcium powder and a "vitamin light" (whatever that is).
Don't worry about the tortoise's eyes in the pictures. Its 7:30 in the morning and quite cold in my house. He's very cold and asleep. I'll get him fixed up with a hospital habitat after I do my morning chores. The lower beak is cracked all the way up into soft tissue on both sides. I'm going to have to see if my vet can stabilize it with dental glue or something. Plus it is in dire need of being trimmed. The tortoise's problem is no sunshine.
He came with a rock like what you put in water turtle's tanks, and two feeding bowls plus a 20 gallon aquarium.
But she really loved her tortoise. This is what the note she gave me said, "Than you so much for taking Boulder. I know he will be better off in your caring hands. I wish I could keep him, but I will be off to college in January and don't have the means to treat him. I hope he gets better and I will miss him. Thank you again"
It just kills me to know that there are so very many turtles and tortoises out there that people really love, but don't know a thing about caring for them. All this tortoise needed was a bigger habitat and some outside time.
Don't worry about the tortoise's eyes in the pictures. Its 7:30 in the morning and quite cold in my house. He's very cold and asleep. I'll get him fixed up with a hospital habitat after I do my morning chores. The lower beak is cracked all the way up into soft tissue on both sides. I'm going to have to see if my vet can stabilize it with dental glue or something. Plus it is in dire need of being trimmed. The tortoise's problem is no sunshine.
He came with a rock like what you put in water turtle's tanks, and two feeding bowls plus a 20 gallon aquarium.
But she really loved her tortoise. This is what the note she gave me said, "Than you so much for taking Boulder. I know he will be better off in your caring hands. I wish I could keep him, but I will be off to college in January and don't have the means to treat him. I hope he gets better and I will miss him. Thank you again"
It just kills me to know that there are so very many turtles and tortoises out there that people really love, but don't know a thing about caring for them. All this tortoise needed was a bigger habitat and some outside time.
