My baby tortoise who just turned 4 yesterday (happy birthday Bilbo) is actually an agent of chaos. He had a lil early hibernation, (think he overshot it this year) but he’s back awake, happy and healthy. But he just won’t chill out. He free roams all day while I work, but I put a box wall in my door way so I can see him running about but he can’t get in my room where I work as I sit on an office chair and he loves to come underneath it (don’t want to roll over him if he sneak attacks me) But he just keeps breaking down the box wall. He’s so strong 😂 he was pushing around my kettlebell which is 12pounds. Is this normal or have a raised a weapon.
I have included a video so everyone can see his majestic Aura.

(Also his lamp is a heat and uva/uvb light, but it’s just a portable one for when he is free roaming, his real lamp is in his enclosure)

she's about 6 years old and sassier than most 🫪

Hey yall! I found a tortoise yesterday in front of my house. I didn't know what to do but I took it in. Their isn't really a place for me to take the tortoise. I called the city and a few vets. It's not native to where I live in southern California so it's most likely someone's pet. I asked some neighbors and no one is missing a tortoise. What are some things I need to help care for it until I can find the owner or somewhere to take it?

(ps I named it hamburger)

Update: I FOUND THE OWNER!!!! I shall miss Hamburger but I'm happy he found his home again

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice on hibernating my Horsfield tortoise, Shelby.

He's six years old and has never hibernated before.

He spent much of the summer in an outdoor enclosure, and my plan was to bring him indoors for a short period before preparing him for his first hibernation this winter.

He's currently in a tortoise table in my insulated garden office, with a basking lamp and UVB. I also have heating via the air conditioning, which I've set to 17°C overnight.

He's been examined by a reptile vet, who confirmed he was in good health, and his parasite test came back clear.

I've also set up a dedicated hibernation fridge, which I've been monitoring and is averaging around 5°C.

Where I'm currently at:

Shelby last ate two weeks ago.

He's passed poo since his last meal.

He currently weighs 545g, down from 573g at the end of August.

His hide is around 24°C during the day, with his basking lamp still running for 10 hours.

He's spending most of his time hiding, although he's never been a particularly active tortoise.

I'm now looking for advice on the next stage of the wind-down process, particularly how gradually to reduce his temperatures and lighting before moving him into the fridge.

I'd also be interested to hear from anyone who's hibernated a Horsfield for the first time at a similar age.

To be honest, I'm starting to have second thoughts. I've done plenty of research and prepared everything, but the idea of withholding food and then putting him into a fridge still makes me nervous!

I'm also considering overwintering him instead, although maintaining suitable temperatures in the garden office throughout winter presents its own challenges.

Any advice, experiences or reassurance would be really appreciated.

Dan

Hello! I recently made a post about my sleepy tortoise and one person replied saying maybe he doesn’t feel safe enough to come out of his hide because there is not enough cover for him in his enclosure.

The issue is, I live in an area where it’s proven impossible to find store bought plants that are tortoise safe and I’ve grown a few myself, which takes months, but my tortoise then eats them within a day…

He eats anything green, or tries to atleast, so fake plants make me nervous

Any other suggestions?

My sweet tortoise Imogen is very sick. I took her in about a year ago, she was 5yo when I got her and now 6yo. She has had recurring pneumonia- she had it bad when I got her from the pet store. I’ve done 2 rounds of sub Q fluids and intravenous antibiotics. Her tank is 99-103 degrees Fahrenheit, she gets reptile vitamin powder, vitamin A, and calcium, she has a humidifier and is taken out for walks prob every other day. I soak her 1-2 times a week. I feed her arugula daily as her primary green, bananas as a treat, and I rotate in root vegetables and wild greens. She has never been able to clear her bubbly eyes for more than a 1-2 weeks and her peaks in her shell are getting worse. I can’t figure out what to do for her at this point and I love so much. I feel like I’m failing her and it hurts seeing her be so sick and knowing her shell growth is causing her pain.

pic is her last summer

For those who microchip their tortoises, at what size/age do you typically have it done? Making future plans.

Tengo esta tortuga hace un año ya que el dueño anterior (mi vecino) no la quería, se mudó y me la dejo en la puerta de mi casa, yo sin opción la acepte y la tengo en mi patio y vive normal le doy plantas silvestres diente de león, cerraja, tréboles, y pasto, y toma agua en una fuente de vidrio, no se si es hembra o macho ya que nunca la lleve a un veterinario porque en el lugar donde vivo no encuentro a ningún veterinario especializado en este tipo de animales, pero bueno igual la acepto y la quiero y ya forma parte de mi familia, se llama Rafael aunque no se si es macho o hembra pero le quedó ese nombre

I got my very first Egyptian tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni) egg!

Hey yall! Just wanted to give a quick update on my tortoise enclosure that I started almost 6 days ago! I've been working nonstop and stressing like crazy (I'm a perfectionist) over this lol. My Final touches are going to include cypress mulch as a top layer over this coconut fiber substrate to hold humidity and keep a smoother walking path for my soon-to-be russian. Is there anything else I can do? Thank you guys have a great day!

For those who are curious. Following my post https://www.reddit.com/r/tortoise/s/WLTxzWfjCx

We've been to the vet. He confirmed that the high temperature was probably the cause of the loss of weight.

Told me that the paint was not a big problem, at least it was not the cause of the loss of weight.

Gave me vitamins, gave me anti worms. He told me the turtle is probably around 3 years old, a female.

The turtle would not survive the winter.

So we bought a plastic box, bought a uv+ir light in a specialized shop.

The turtle now have 8h of light + IR at disposal.

Fresh water every day.

Mix of herbs I take in the garden

Now she weight 120g, this is 25 to 30g more than previously. Just from last week she gained 10g.

Thanks for those who helped me with advice and no judgement :)

Hi everyone, recently upgraded my pen for my kiddo and wanted to see if it’s okay to combine two different UVA bulbs or if I should keep it at one. I have two 50watts at this time and recently picked up a 100watt UVA bulb. Could I install the 100watt UVA bulb along with the 50watt or would that be too much?

I also have a UVB strip installed and will upgrade that as well within the next couple days.

Hi,

this summer we found a little roach in the house, and we don't know if it came from the substrate or not. However, I'm looking to change things a bit and I'm a bit confused about all those choices.

I'm looking for something suitable for a red foot.

We don't necessarily want bio-active, but something they will appreciate walking or digging in.

Also, for plants, I'm thinking of buying some ferns, and I read contradictory things about pothos being poisonous or safe. What's true?

Finally, I want to add a background instead of keeping visible wooden planks. There are some fake plants for terrarium with suction cup, but I feel like it will fall off easily and I don't want my tortoise to be intoxicated. Do you think just printing a paper background could work?

Thank you

She had lines in her shell and her right leg was shorter than the left when i got her , i think she was around 2 inch at the time.

I posted a few days ago about my new rescue Russian, Tater Tot (https://www.reddit.com/r/tortoise/s/psB4KGAnsF), and I'm working towards having a bigger enclosure for him by the end of the week.

In the meantime, I picked up some items on FB marketplace to try and correct some of his care deficits, but now I'm second guessing whether they're correct.

I set up the new UVB bar light, but is it too high of UVB since it's listed as being for a desert reptile? I also have the bulb pictured as a future option, but not the right fixture for it at the moment. (Editing to add, I just raised it about 6 inches, since it was only about 3 inches from his shell)

The Mazuri food I was given - two bags, one low sodium, one regular - is this the right one for him? (Obviously he's mostly getting greens, but I want to ensure I get him a complete diet in the winter months when there's less to forage).

I just got him the moss hide and he's loving it!

Is this wee normal. We have a Russian tortoise and were just about to put him into hibernation.

Halloween time again!

I have had my little Dalmatian hermanns, Winston, for around 2 years now. When he was a baby, he slept a ton but would wake to eat and for baths, then go back to sleep. Then as he reached around age 1, he became super active. He would be up for hours at a time walking around and exploring his enclosure, eating etc.

Then, we upgraded his enclosure in July. I knew it’d be a bit adjustment for him because changing anything in his enclosure before then, had resulted in him being grumpy for a couple of weeks, but then he’d get used to it.
It’s been 4 months. He sleeps through most days, despite having UVB through his entire enclosure, and would go days without coming out of his hide if I let him. I’m still waking him daily to eat, get some heat under his lamp, and I soak him every other day.
When he is out, he eats and drinks, uses the bathroom and will walk around and explore. He looks healthy, and acts like his normal self when he is out of his enclosure.

Attached is a photo of him and his enclosure.

He has a vet appt in a couple of weeks, but I wanted to ask if you guys had any idea as to what this behavior could be caused by? (Food slate not pictured)