How to look after your horsefield tortoise

You can add some clump grasses to help your tortoise burrow as well as to allow for some shade. You will also need to remove and sterilise any décor ready to replace back in the enclosure when it has been cleaned.

Once the nest is refilled.

How to look after your horsefield tortoise. Horsfields tortoises should always be kept on a dry substrate so not to increase the humidity inside their enclosure too much. We keep our tortoises either on beech woodchips or ProReps Tortoise Life substrate. Tortoise do not climb but they do like to dig and burrow.

So choose various pieces of natural wood or decoration to enable them to do this. Your Horsefield tortoises enclosure should be inspected and spot cleaned daily when changing the water. Every two to three weeks clean out the table completely and sterilize the enclosure using a reptile friendly disinfectant.

You will also need to remove and sterilise any décor ready to replace back in the enclosure when it has been cleaned. If youre struggling to look after your tortoise you can try asking an expert or someone who has experience with tortoises for some advice. If this doesnt work for you you can also try re-homing or selling your tortoise to make sure it goes to a loving home.

To the uninitiated the idea of having a tortoise might sound very exciting. Its an interesting and unusual pet and whats particularly great is that they have long lives so they can be a. Provide stimulation for your tortoise.

Your tortoise should have an exciting environment to keep it active and busy. You can add some clump grasses to help your tortoise burrow as well as to allow for some shade. You can add a few boulders to give your creature some privacy as long as they arent too steep.

You can also add some small trees for shade and shelter and just for the environment to look. How to keep your tortoise hydrated Your tortoise needs to stay hydrated especially when its a baby. Adult tortoises should have a fresh bowl of water regardless of whether they are inside or outside and baby tortoises should be soaked in water regularly.

When you first bring home your baby tortoise you should bathe it a couple times a week. The tortoise will rest for some time between passing each egg and this process will be repeated until the tortoise has passed all of her eggs. Once all the eggs are all laid the female tortoise will again rest briefly before starting to refill the nest.

She will do this once again using her hind legs but this time using circular inwards motions replacing the soil she has previously excavated. Once the nest is refilled. Dry Feces and Urates One thing that you can determine by observing your tortoises poop is whether or not he or she is dehydrated or not.

A dehydrated tortoise may pass noticeably dry or crumbly poop but more likely the white urate paste will appear lumpy and granulated which is a. Letting your tortoise out to bask in the natural sunlight for a few hours a week is a good idea. Do not put a glass tank in direct sunlight however as this can cause the enclosed area to become too.

Your Tortoises will appreciate the occasional bathe. I do so once a month in the summer less in the winter if I dont hibernate them. Named by my daughter.

Right from hatching day you can tell how healthy a tortoise is by the shape size and condition of his shell. It gets easier as the tortoise ages though. No matter the breed the top of a tortoise shell should be firm and relatively smooth.

Any irregular lumps dips cracks or healed over scars indicate the tortoise was sick or injured. Signs of a Healthy Tortoise How do you know that your tortoise is healthy. Spend time observing the tortoise so that you get to know its behaviour and look for external clues which might indicate something is not right.

Activity If the tortoises body temperature is warm enough then it will be able to move about fairly quickly. A healthy tortoise should be active and walk with the bottom of. Tortoises require regular bathing to help hydrate them.

In the wild tortoises urinate when they get to a water source. A lukewarm bath no higher than halfway up the shell encourages them to drink defecate and urinate. Bathing 3 times a week is recommend.

Another way to hibernate your tortoise is the box method. This usually involves keeping the tortoise in a secure box outside in the garage or in a shed. Make sure the shed or wherever it is you are putting the tortoise does not have any flooding or pest issues.

You also need to ensure no other animals will be able to reach your tortoise. In order to care for your pet you have to understand its natural habitat in the wild and then mimic this as far as is possible given your living arrangements. The Horsfield tortoise makes a wonderful pet given its requirements to have a reasonable enclosure which provides shelter shade basking and digging opportunities.

If you decide to get a tortoise for a pet remember they can outlive you.