10/09/2012 19:42
Hi all, yesterday I cleared the boys and girls pens of old plants and moved a bamboo plant to the other side of the pen. Well, this morning the girls came out to bask underneath it and it wasn't there!! Gertie walked around the area 3 times whilst the others waited for the verdict!! finally, she walked off in disgust only to come face to face with it in its new place! I laughed for ages whilst the other girls made their way over to Gertie who had by then taken the best spot... As I said in my last blog, move things around so that it gives them a change of scenery. It's a bit like when my Hubby Steve comes home sometimes and I've completely changed the layout of the lounge! The only thing I never move is their outhouses; I think it is really important that once it is in the right place thats where it should be.So , if you are putting one in your tortoise pen make sure it is not completely in the shade and is away from draughts. After that I decided to dig over the laying area and add some more sand. The girls kept coming over to investigate and Buttercup tried to nibble my toe nail because it was painted red !! She thought it was Strawberry ! I put a nice edging stone around it and then finished by raking it over. It is next to the new pool which they love. I am so pleased because it means nearly all of them can wallow at the same time. Bertha was in there yesterday and had dozed off with her head on the ledge where they get in. The girls tried to go around her got bored and climbed over her!! They stay in there sometimes for over an hour; a great success. So, keep your tortoise's interested by giving them a change now and then.. Tomorrow , I will tell you what to do with a water dish.............
10/09/2012 19:24
Hi everyone,I have tried lots of plants in my tortie pens over the years and here are some that work really well. Bamboo, large and the smaller version, good for shade and sturdy so the tortie won't flatten them. You can also cut the height to suit you. Hebes are pretty and hardy , you can get some lovely colours which brighten up the pens.. Ornamental grasses are pretty and can be chopped around really well.If you go to a nursery look for evergreens . Try putting pebbles around different areas for interest and little slopes and dips are great. Your tortoise will love exploring so change things every now and again. As Autumn is approaching it is a good time to start tidying and clearing. There is still time to put plants in but their growth will slow down ready for Winter. You can also put plants in like Ice Plant which they love but don't expect it to be there the following day!!! If anyone knows of any other good hardy plants please go to the forum and leave a message .
08/09/2012 20:23
Hi everyone, I have put a wonderful picture of the full moon we had just recently because apart from being amazing I wanted to show you how good the night vision cameras are !! Have a look ....
08/09/2012 19:59
Hi everyone, today my torties got brand new swimming pools, much larger than the old ones. I have been thinking for ages what could I use when the idea suddenly came to me!! " LARGE PLASTIC DOG BEDS"!! (The ones without holes in the bottom ) I found some for a great price in a shop near me called Homes discount. I know the Factory Shop sells them as well, much cheaper then Pets 4 homes. Anyway, I put pebbles in so that they can all get in and out easily,then put a path up to it using some edging stones I already had and finally put pebbles all around the outside to keep it dry for them. Well, you should have seen them, they couldn't wait to get in and wallow and kept pushing past me to get in even before I had even finished !! It is a great success and is really easy to clean. When they have all gone to bed put a little bleech in swirl and leave for 10 minutes or so then put the hose in and leave for another few minutes. You only have to bleech now and again but top up every day with fresh water letting some out at the same time as filling.. If the water does not get warm during the day and you want to make sure they have a bath you can always add some hot water to warm it up..Mix it up before you put them in.It's really wonderful to see them in the water having fun........
07/09/2012 20:39
I was asked the other day whether or not a tortoise could hear.. Well yes they can, very well actually. If you look on the side of the tortoises head you will see little indents; these are the ears. If you call your tortoise by its name after a while it will come to know it and one day like mine it will come to you when you call it.. If I go into my pens and call all of mine they will come to see what I have got for them ! Be patient and it will happen. One day you will call and your tortoise will raise its head to look and your heart will jump!! So yes they hear and see very well...
07/09/2012 19:59
Hi everyone, I have talked about food before but I wanted to go into more detail about growing your own as some of you have said you don't have a lot of room to grow veg etc. If you have fences which most of us do you can hang plastic hanging baskets from hooks or brackets on the panels. If you use plastic then they won't be too heavy. In these you can grow lettuce, cherry tomatoes, strawberries and spinach. If you have a patio or spaces in your flower beds then you can use this space to grow cabbage ,spring greens ,peas, sprouts and broccoli also in pots, you can put them on bricks to raise them up. Ice plant is great as it is full of water and they love it, it is cheap to buy and very easy to take cuttings from; all you do is snap a piece off remove the lower leaves then put into soil...it roots very quickly as well. As for containers if you go to boot sales look for old butler sinks and odd things .One of my containers is an old toilet !!! it looks great believe me.. The pound shop is great for plastic pots and if you like things to put in the pots you will love the plastic windmills and pottery knomes and things you can also get from the pound shop. Just look in your shed I am sure you will find all sorts of things to use. When you plant up put lots of limestone flour in the soil so when the plants grow they will naturally have calcium in them. You can grow from seed or buy baby plants . Check places like B&Q , I look in the sale area and always find little straggly plants for 10p that just need a little tlc. If you start early in the season then you will have food for the whole summer. Weeds obviously are really good but it is also good to give a varied diet so as not to end up with a fussy tortoise. So, even if you have a tiny garden there will be lots of places to use. Metal basket holders that push into the ground are good. Push them in and then you hang the basket from it, I get mine from the factory shop.They look like a pole with a curve on the end.If anyone has other ideas please put them on the forum...Happy planting.....
05/09/2012 19:59
Feeding hatchlings is just the same as feeding an older tortoise except you have to cut it extremely small. They will eat almost all green foods and it is a must to give them a varied diet from day one so as not to end up with a fussy eater ! You can feed, greens, cabbage, spring cabbage spinach, a little tomato (No pips) brussel tops, water cress (great ,full of calcium) cress, pea tops, a LITTLE lettuce (good for water content only) and any weeds like dandelion , thistles and others. They will eat mallow flowers, succculants, Buddleia flowers and Nasturtiums . Strawberries, peaches, bananas a little grated apple , nectarines, melon (No pips), NO GRAPES EVER !!. (They are a diuretic).. If you do this, you can chop it all together or cut it with scissors VERY small so it can eat some without having to tear it and then leave a little for it to tear with its beak. If you find it turns its nose up and you are worried it hasn't eaten try seperating little piles to see what it favours most and then slowly over time add other things to it. Doing it this way if for some reason you cannot get to the shops or they haven't got something that you wanted you will always be able to find something that your tortoise will eat.The same goes for weeds, during the winter they are in short supply so you will need to be able to feed other things. I always try to feed weeds and natural garden foods but with so many tortoises this is not always possible ............ Please leave a message on the forum if you know of other foods your tortoise eats......
05/09/2012 19:48
Hi all, after much thought I have finally remembered what the hard little point on the upper jaw is called....... EGG TOOTH !!!!!! Also known as Caruncle... As I have already written earlier this is what they use to open the egg and let the air in.... So, there you are all knowledge is there somewhere in ones brain !!!! It just take a little longer to find it !!........
04/09/2012 19:17
Today, I thought I would talk about the new hatchling. I have been asked about the little pointy bit that sticks out on their beaks. It is there to pierce the egg for hatching. Once they have grown to the size of the egg and there is no room left the little point pierces the egg and lets the air in !! It takes quite a few hours for the hatchling to unfurl and dry out. Once this has finished they will step out of the egg and immediately find somewhere to hide .Sometimes ,they will stay in the egg until the yolk is completely finished and the umbilical area has shrivelled up. The umbilical area will take a further day or two to seal completely so no bathing until this has happened and at least a week to ten days after. Whilst the area is slightly open bathing could introduce bacteria. Once the hatchling has gone through all of this it is ready to go off on it's big adventure!! The little pointy bit on the beak will wear away on its own in time and one day will be gone forever..... There probably is a latin name or proper name for the pointy bit but I don't know what it is!!!!!.........
04/09/2012 19:05
Hi everyone, I am soo pleased the new forum is being used .Don't forget to go on and post a question if you have one......It will be a great way for all of us Tortoise nutters !! to keep in touch with anything tortoise related.... ........
