Meet Tortilla!

[scats]

I collected a 3 year old Horsefield tortoise yesterday and here she is!
She’s tiny, fits in my hand so has plenty of growing to do still. The set up she came with is good enough for the time being, but we are sorting her a purpose built set up that is much bigger. Heat lamp wasn’t working very well, so off out to sort a new one today. I am in love with her! What a fascinating, beautiful creature she is. I have a little video of her eating some baby leaf salad (how do I post a video?) and honestly my heart melts when I watch it.
I’ve downloaded the tortoise table app to try and find weeds and wild flowers that she can eat and I am hoping to plant a few things in her home for her also.
We call her ‘Tia’ for short.

 

[Bradsmum]

Love the name! Good luck, here's to many, many, many, many, many ...... years of fun.

 

[Barton Bounty]

I always upload to you tube then attach the link ?

 

[ElvisandTilly]

Aww she is lovely! I love just watching them eat! Cutest little things!

This is my little dude Speedy! Not sure if boy or girl yet so will be a boy for a few years until I can tell!

 

[ycbm]

And here was I thinking you'd bought a filly by Totilas ? this is much better!
.

 

[Barton Bounty]

And here was I thinking you'd bought a filly by Totilas ? this is much better!
.

Think we would need @PippiPony windfall ???

 

[scats]

Aww she is lovely! I love just watching them eat! Cutest little things!

This is my little dude Speedy! Not sure if boy or girl yet so will be a boy for a few years until I can tell! View attachment 98580

Gorgeous! I’m becoming a tortoise bore, I just find her so fascinating. The way she moves and eats and the way she bulldozes around her enclosure and just rams into things and takes them with her ?

I’m still like a nervous first time mother though, checking her when she is sleeping coz I’m terrified she’s died! She’s sleeping a lot, but I assume this is to do with the upheaval of moving. Everyone on the tortoise groups say not to panic if they sleep a lot when they first come home.
I’m also always worried that she’s not warm enough. She has a basking
lamp set at 30c and the ‘cooler’ end is around 22c. Everything is turned off at night and the room she is in stays pretty warm. It’s going to take me a while to stop fretting about her.

What do you feed yours? I’m trying to forage for suitable plants but really struggling to find much apart from dandelion and clover. She also gets lambs lettuce and a bit of kale.

 

[smolmaus]

She is LOVELY ? I know eff all about tortoises so will just be here for pics and updates ty ?

 

[Rumtytum]

Tia is a little cutie ?! Looking forward to more news and lots of pics!

 

[ElvisandTilly]

Gorgeous! I’m becoming a tortoise bore, I just find her so fascinating. The way she moves and eats and the way she bulldozes around her enclosure and just rams into things and takes them with her ?

I’m still like a nervous first time mother though, checking her when she is sleeping coz I’m terrified she’s died! She’s sleeping a lot, but I assume this is to do with the upheaval of moving. Everyone on the tortoise groups say not to panic if they sleep a lot when they first come home.
I’m also always worried that she’s not warm enough. She has a basking
lamp set at 30c and the ‘cooler’ end is around 22c. Everything is turned off at night and the room she is in stays pretty warm. It’s going to take me a while to stop fretting about her.

What do you feed yours? I’m trying to forage for suitable plants but really struggling to find much apart from dandelion and clover. She also gets lambs lettuce and a bit of kale.

I am the same being a tortoise bore! The more I read and learn the more I want to tell everyone! Lol!

I have also downloaded a plant identify app called ‘Picture This’ so I can check names of plants then input into tortoise table app to see if safe. From my garden I feed plantain, rose flowers, sow thistle, clover, dandelions, geranium, and florette crispy lettuce if supplies are short.

He was fed on kale and lettuce when I bought him and was a fussy eater so I had to wean him slowly off as this is moderate feed. Lambs lettuce is ok to feed all the time but I give him a mix each day of what I can collect. Collect, wash and store in zip lock bags in the fridge. Can last up to a week in the fridge. I also sprinkle with calcium 5 days a week with nutrabal 2 days a week on his food.

He slept a lot when I got him, longer than the just settling in period, so I did a worm test and he was really high on pin worm so I took him to the vets for worming and a check over. Once cleared he started bulldozing around and eating loads like yours does! They can move fast and very strong and determined little things! Lol!

I have installed a tapo indoor camera on the table so I can watch him where ever I am! Certainly worth the install to check they are ok when you are out etc! It alerts me when he moves too so I can get my tortoise fix where ever I am!

I also worried about heat and I have my basking lamp set at 32c and the separate uvb tube is on for 12 hours. The deep heat projector bulb is set at 15c for night time via thermostat and will come on when needed as the nhs are dropping colder. Although it’s not been needed yet!

Enjoy your little bulldozer and wait until you catch them climbing! Lol!

 

[Karran]

Tortoise table site is very useful for food - I grow pansies, teasel and roses for mine and he free forages brambles, dandelions and other garden weeds. I'll need to catch the little beast soon and bring him in to prep for hibernation, when he comes in, I get him the florette crispy salad mix to add to what I pick out of the garden for him.

 

[scats]

I am the same being a tortoise bore! The more I read and learn the more I want to tell everyone! Lol!

I have also downloaded a plant identify app called ‘Picture This’ so I can check names of plants then input into tortoise table app to see if safe. From my garden I feed plantain, rose flowers, sow thistle, clover, dandelions, geranium, and florette crispy lettuce if supplies are short.

He was fed on kale and lettuce when I bought him and was a fussy eater so I had to wean him slowly off as this is moderate feed. Lambs lettuce is ok to feed all the time but I give him a mix each day of what I can collect. Collect, wash and store in zip lock bags in the fridge. Can last up to a week in the fridge. I also sprinkle with calcium 5 days a week with nutrabal 2 days a week on his food.

He slept a lot when I got him, longer than the just settling in period, so I did a worm test and he was really high on pin worm so I took him to the vets for worming and a check over. Once cleared he started bulldozing around and eating loads like yours does! They can move fast and very strong and determined little things! Lol!

I have installed a tapo indoor camera on the table so I can watch him where ever I am! Certainly worth the install to check they are ok when you are out etc! It alerts me when he moves too so I can get my tortoise fix where ever I am!

I also worried about heat and I have my basking lamp set at 32c and the separate uvb tube is on for 12 hours. The deep heat projector bulb is set at 15c for night time via thermostat and will come on when needed as the nhs are dropping colder. Although it’s not been needed yet!

Enjoy your little bulldozer and wait until you catch them climbing! Lol!

Ive just downloaded picture this. What a super app! I am useless with plants and flowers so this is brilliant.

She had a little bath this morning, which was so cute!

 

[ElvisandTilly]

Ive just downloaded picture this. What a super app! I am useless with plants and flowers so this is brilliant.

She had a little bath this morning, which was so cute!

Bath time is cute! Did she wee and poo in her bath!? A warm bath is supposed to help baby tortoises to eliminate! Speedy still likes a good poo in his bath water! TMI lol!

If it wasn’t for Picture This app I would have poisoned Speedy already as what I thought looked like something good to feed was actually toxic when identified and checked on Tortoise Table!

Speedy has had dandelion and thistle today. You know you’ve got it bad when you sit cutting off all the little spiky bits on thistle leaves before feeding! Lol!

 

[scats]

A little update on Tia for anyone who is interested. I am completely obsessed with her and spend far too much time watching her and following her around the house (she has ‘roam’ time everyday). Her new 4ft table should be here this week and I’m looking forward to getting her new set up done for her to explore.
Here she is after bath time