Tortoise-world Forum

Hi all. I need help!

The family that employs me, i have recently discovered, possesses what i have come to believe is a Meditteranean tortoise. I have been working for the family looking after their horses for many months and i can only assume he has been pretty much neglected, bless the poor little soul. I believe the gardener gives him fresh greens from the kitchen garden and water on a regular basis, but thats about it. Over time i plan to convince the family that he would be better suited to a home where his welfare is priority, and to have him adopted. until then i would like to take as good a care of him as i can! So, I'll tell you what I know.....

1. His faeces seem of a good consistency and his urine is mostly clear with some milky fluid occasionally. what is this?
2. If i give him a soak, how deep and what temperature?
3. He has been living out in a rabbit-type pen and i have been bringing him in at night when the sun goes down and he sleeps in a big trug with straw in. ATM he is wandering about my living room. I plan to build him a table with hidey places and a heat lamp and rocks and stuff to dig about in in the next couple of days. Whats the ideal gaff for a tortoise? (without too much detail!) what are the best plants to put in?
4. It concerns me that he cannot lift himself up and walk properly. What could be the cause of this? He seems to drag himself along....
5. He seems to puff occasionally. i noticed this when he was sitting on my lap the other day. Is this normal?
6.I do not believe he is strong enough to hibernate, is this correct?
7. I am feeding him fresh salad greens from the garden, and he seems to like cucumber and the odd piece of apple. Any tortoise superfoods out there? Anything to avoid?
8. do i need to worm him? how often should it be done?
Many thanks for your time on this, guys. If i had planned on getting myself a tortoise i would have done the research first, i can assure you. however this little guy and i need some help! I am really experienced in farming and veterinary care but have never had anything to do with reptiles. I only found out about this little dude a couple of days ago (and may i say he already seems perkier!) so learning about him has become a bit like cramming for a test! Many thanks in advance, Jess.

Hi Jess. Welcome to tortoise world. His wee and poo sound ok. When you bath him it should be luke warm and come to the bottom of is shell at the most. So he can left his head out of the water so he doesn't drown. As well as a heat lamp he also needs a uva light. Have a look at the housing section on here for ideas. He will need limestone flour/calcium powder and vitamins. Can you post a few pictures of him. Top of shell and bottom of shell and from the side. This will help loads. I think from what you said his shell is deformed from lack of vitamins and calcium. Apple is bad for him as well. Cucumber should only be given as a treat. Weeds are what he should be fed. You could put sedums in his enclosure,mine love them.

What are sedums? will sort out the supplements on monday, and will try and post pics as soon as i can. thanks for your swift reply!!!

Hi Jess i can give you some points but others with more experiance will be along as well and add more. If you want an accurate Id of the species of tortoise take some pictures and we can Id him for you this will determine the exact food and care he needs but in the mean time i will try and answer your questions.

1. The white milky stuff in his urine are urates this is perfectly normal they should be of a creamy rather than gritty consistancy.
2. The water should be luke warm and about as deep as the joint of his shell which would seperate the top and bottom halves. Ideally allow him to soak for about 15/20 mins you may need to top the water up to kep it warm.
3. Top soil makes a great base for tortoises it should be deep enough for him to dig into, i would add a hide make out of a plant pot or something he will fit under (sorry don't know how big he is). A piece of slate is great to feed on as it helps keep the beak trimmed, also a bowl with water for the tortoise to drink whenever they need to. Tortoises need Uv as well as heat so you might have to get a combined bulb.
4. It sounds as if he has been "grown" properly or given the right suppliments, it may be he's been kept on the wrong substrate and his leg muscles are not strong enough.
5. This may relate to his growth but he would probably need to see a specialist vet, i've no advice to give on this i'm afraid as i said someone else will be along soon.
6. No i wouldn't be hibernating this year.
7. Tortoises love weeds and it the best diet for them, there is a good data base on this site http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/Diet.htm#plantlist food should be washed and sprinkled with limestone flour 5 days out of 7 and nutrabol the other 2 days. Limestone flour should also be available for the tortoise whenever they need it. Cuttle fish can be placed in the enclosure tortoises love to nibble on it especially after its been outside for a while. Cucumber and fruit are not recommended for the majority of tortoises.
8. I would only worm if you can see them in the faeces, butternut squash is a natural wormer and others on here have used Panacur.

I hope this is enough to get you going good luck and shout if you need anything.

Take good care

Wendy

Jess we can give better advice when we identify what tortoise you have got there.

great advice there Jess, calcium is high priority

Ok, so.... this morning Sheldon is now sunbathing on a piece of slate in his outdoor enclosure after a fifteen minute soak in lukewarm water eating (no cucumber!) dandelion leaves and flowers and i have found some limestone flour too to sprinkle on top. the other supplement i'll have to get tomorrow. What's it called again?

so, i'll build a larger outdoor enclosure and also an indoor one (i've got lots of ideas from all of your photos!) but my latest question is this.....I have found a UV heat lamp with a thermostat on the plug. is this appropriate? Do i leave it on all day and night? i assume i provide somewhere for him to have some cover so he can have a kip?

Thanks again! Jess x

Hi Jess. I use reptavite. Others use one called nutrobal. They are the same really. You sprinkle their food with the limestone flour for five days a week then use the other for the other two days.I haven't used a uv heat lamp with a thermostat on the plug so can't tell you about that one. I didn't even no that they did them that way. If he has to stay inside the lights need to be on for about 12-14 hours aday. Turn them off at bedtime. Depends what tortoise he is for his bedding. You could put some readi grass the other side to where the lights are.

[/align]He is a Hermann tortoise, i have just discovered! and silly me, the thermostat on the plug is in fact a timer, i was just being stupid!

I have created a tortoise wonderland in part of the garden with digging pits, logs, slate, greenhouse, hidey places, paving stones, two watering holes with pebbles in, weeds and dandelions growing amok, limestone supply and just found some of that other supplement, Reptavite. I have also created a table for indoors with topsoil as a base, uv light, logs, slate, water feature (a saucer!) and a little bedroom.

You should have seen him, when i put him in his new outdoor enclosure his little head was reaching and stretching all over the place, checking everything out. He was exploring everywhere, i've never seen him so animated!! If i can call it that!! He has the sun from first light too, the place i chose gets sun til mid afternoon. The plan is to still have him adopted when i get him nice and fit and healthy, but til then i think i'll just enjoy him a bit.....i had a ball creating his new place!!

Thanks so much for all your help!

sounds ideal