Hi,
I have just joined this forum to get some good advice on keeping tortoises before i actually make the move and get 1. I've done lots of research so far but i have a couple of questions i would like answering from more experienced tortoises owners.
Firstly, what type of tortoise would you recommend for me? I've been looking at hermann and horsefield tortoises and really like them.
Ideally i would like just one of the above and have read that they are fine kept on their own. However if i was to get 2 (i know that i cant keep a hermann with a horsefield) would 2 males be better together or 2 females?
I have seen threads on here about bathing tortoises but how often do you do this?
I went to both my local Watermarques and the guy there told me i would need a viv (which i now know from looking on here its no good for the tortoises health)and all the rest of equipment and they dont hibernate until they are about 5. I thought he was wrong about hibernation as in the wild they must hibernate when they are babies or do they not? One of the shops had hermann's for sale at £175 they were 2 years old and the other shop had horsefields for sale at £120 and they were also 2 years old.
Whatever tortoise i get will be from a breeder rather than any pet shops as i've had bad experiences with pet shops in the past.
Thanks for any replys,
Shaun.
Hi Shaun
Your first point is to locate a good reputable breeder. You can do this through this list or most other well known discussion groups.
A horsfield is not so easy to locate this way due to the fact that they produce much smaller clutches and so there are fewer captive bred ones around, also the horsfield needs much deeper substrate as it is a burrowing species and therefore does much better outdoors where it can construct it's own tunnel to live in - have a look here
http://www.tortsmad.com/russians.htm
If looking for two tortoises then I would ask the breeder what temperatures they were incubated at and if incubated for females go for this, it's no guarantee though and you may find at a later date you have one of each. Two males will get along fine so long as there are no females present and they are from the same source from hatchlings. Two females rarely present a problem.
Bathing is dependant on how you keep them. If kept indoors with lower humidity than outdoors then I would offer bathing daily, either by suppling a deep enough water container for them to sit in or by giving baths for 10 mins or so to give an opportunity to drink and eliminate. Outdoors with a constant supply of clean water bathing is not necessary as they will use the microclimate to their benefit much the same as they would in the wild.
I would avoid Watermarques like the plague - as you have already seen, the advice given is not good, and if they can get something as simple as habitat so wrong then you would not expect them to know much else about what they are selling. The tortoise trust has guidelines on their forum for reporting people selling incorrect housing and how to get your money back if this has happened to them. There are new animal welfare laws concerning a duty to care and give correct info to people buying from them - I would say these fall very short of the requirements.
I would ask the guy in the shop if he is the person going around rescuing thousands of babies in the wild from hibernation until they are five years old and how does he arrive at this magical figure I wonder
Their prices are greatly inflated too, as they will be paying around £50 per tortoise if that. Horsfields will invariably be wild caught, as not needing papers they are harder to trace
Disease at a later date will be something I would expect too.
You may find it hard to buy from a breeder at this time of year as most breeders (myself included) hibernate their animals for maximum health benefits.
Hope this helps
Thanks very much for your reply, will have a look at the link you sent.
Hi and welcome to tortoise world. You can always wait for a few months until the breeders start to have babies. We have breeders that use this site. It will be worth it in the long run. You will find that the tortoises will be healthy and more friendly for a start. Take a look at the link Sue gave you. It's her site and it has some really good info on.
(01-08-2010 11:27 PM)TICKANDTOCK Wrote: [ -> ]Hi and welcome to tortoise world. You can always wait for a few months until the breeders start to have babies. We have breeders that use this site. It will be worth it in the long run. You will find that the tortoises will be healthy and more friendly for a start. Take a look at the link Sue gave you. It's her site and it has some really good info on.
Yes thats what i was planning on doing, i would rather wait for a baby tort from a breeder rather than just jump in and get the first one i see. The only problem i have is that i cant seem to find any breeder around my area
I live in Yeovil, Somerset (south west).
(01-09-2010 12:06 PM)Shaun01 Wrote: [ -> ] (01-08-2010 11:27 PM)TICKANDTOCK Wrote: [ -> ]Hi and welcome to tortoise world. You can always wait for a few months until the breeders start to have babies. We have breeders that use this site. It will be worth it in the long run. You will find that the tortoises will be healthy and more friendly for a start. Take a look at the link Sue gave you. It's her site and it has some really good info on.
Yes thats what i was planning on doing, i would rather wait for a baby tort from a breeder rather than just jump in and get the first one i see. The only problem i have is that i cant seem to find any breeder around my area I live in Yeovil, Somerset (south west).
I am nowhere near there Shaun, but would courier when visiting a friend in Devon. I have no torts at the moment but many breeders will courier or at least meet you half way. I would rather do this to ensure good homes to be honest. My little ones have gone as far apart as Fife and Cornwall.
(01-09-2010 01:49 PM)wizzasmum Wrote: [ -> ] (01-09-2010 12:06 PM)Shaun01 Wrote: [ -> ] (01-08-2010 11:27 PM)TICKANDTOCK Wrote: [ -> ]Hi and welcome to tortoise world. You can always wait for a few months until the breeders start to have babies. We have breeders that use this site. It will be worth it in the long run. You will find that the tortoises will be healthy and more friendly for a start. Take a look at the link Sue gave you. It's her site and it has some really good info on.
Yes thats what i was planning on doing, i would rather wait for a baby tort from a breeder rather than just jump in and get the first one i see. The only problem i have is that i cant seem to find any breeder around my area I live in Yeovil, Somerset (south west).
I am nowhere near there Shaun, but would courier when visiting a friend in Devon. I have no torts at the moment but many breeders will courier or at least meet you half way. I would rather do this to ensure good homes to be honest. My little ones have gone as far apart as Fife and Cornwall.
Ok thats great, so maybe i will be able to have a baby tort from a breeder then. When will you be likely to have baby torts just to give me an idea or could it be any time? I may contact some other breeders from your website just to see if they would meet half way or something like you said.
I can make a start on the table so il be prepared for when a baby tort comes along.
Regarding the table, rather than have it all open plan so to speak would i be able to have dividers to seperate the area up? so then the tort would have to walk around abit more to get to differnt areas if you see what i mean? Also after reading most threads on here most of you use soil as substrate do you have it flat at the same depth or have slight hills they can go up and down and different depths so they can dig abit more?
Thanks for your help,
Shaun
With mine Shaun it is not going to be before next summer. They are all in hibernation at the moment, then there is the warming up period, the incubation of 2 months and then a period to make sure they are growing well and all is fine with theri progress. Before now, we have helped each other with deliveries. Some once came up from Devon with a lady from the Midlands who was on holiday there, in turn two of us then drove up to Northumberland for hols and delievered the torts at the same time. Always ask if there is anyone willing to help - many breeders are happy to do this.
I tend to make more hills and bumps in my enclosures and plant things to break up the line of site. Unless you go for horsfields you will not find torts doing much digging. They tend to cover themselves up to hide from the elements but not as an activity if you know what I mean. Too many walls and they will try to climb them, plus you do not want too many corners as they tend to use them as climbing chimneys as escape routes.
Sue
Ok thats great, so maybe i will be able to have a baby tort from a breeder then. When will you be likely to have baby torts just to give me an idea or could it be any time? I may contact some other breeders from your website just to see if they would meet half way or something like you said.
I can make a start on the table so il be prepared for when a baby tort comes along.
Regarding the table, rather than have it all open plan so to speak would i be able to have dividers to seperate the area up? so then the tort would have to walk around abit more to get to differnt areas if you see what i mean? Also after reading most threads on here most of you use soil as substrate do you have it flat at the same depth or have slight hills they can go up and down and different depths so they can dig abit more?
Thanks for your help,
Shaun
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[quote='wizzasmum' pid='6713' dateline='1263058645']
With mine Shaun it is not going to be before next summer. They are all in hibernation at the moment, then there is the warming up period, the incubation of 2 months and then a period to make sure they are growing well and all is fine with theri progress. Before now, we have helped each other with deliveries. Some once came up from Devon with a lady from the Midlands who was on holiday there, in turn two of us then drove up to Northumberland for hols and delievered the torts at the same time. Always ask if there is anyone willing to help - many breeders are happy to do this.
I tend to make more hills and bumps in my enclosures and plant things to break up the line of site. Unless you go for horsfields you will not find torts doing much digging. They tend to cover themselves up to hide from the elements but not as an activity if you know what I mean. Too many walls and they will try to climb them, plus you do not want too many corners as they tend to use them as climbing chimneys as escape routes.
Sue
Ok thats what il do then regarding the enclosure use things to break up the line of site. Il ask around with other breeders and i may be lucky to get a baby tort after the hibernation and hatching processes
Something i've always wondered is that the tortoises you see at local pet shops kept incorrectly that may have diseases and other problems, would they more than likely die at a younger age because of how their treated in the shops? or can they get over the diseases which they may or may not have? Its very cruel when you think about it, it seems like pet shops can't really get the care needed for any animal correct.
Ok thats what il do then regarding the enclosure use things to break up the line of site. Il ask around with other breeders and i may be lucky to get a baby tort after the hibernation and hatching processes
Something i've always wondered is that the tortoises you see at local pet shops kept incorrectly that may have diseases and other problems, would they more than likely die at a younger age because of how their treated in the shops? or can they get over the diseases which they may or may not have? Its very cruel when you think about it, it seems like pet shops can't really get the care needed for any animal correct.
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Hopefully someone will have some from last year. As I say, if couriering is a problem I will be going down to devon at some point in the spring so if your 'breeder' is en route I may be able to help.
Many pet shops are not even aware of the dangers of various illness's. With parasites, if caught early enough it can be solved but other common impoted illness's can be fatal such as cryptosporidium and herpes. There is no cure for either of these and they can be passed on in pet shops with no knowledge. The disease can surface at any time and then kills, it will also kill any tortoises in an established group. Be very wary too of accepting rehomers if they do not come direct from long term homes. Many long term tortoiess have been lost by the practice of rehomers stopping off at a well known organisations rehoming officers home
Have a look here re herpes etc
http://www.tortsmad.com/ailments.htm