horsefield general questions

anna5471 · 22-03-2009, 09:12 PM

hi as u all no i recently lost my leo baby , and my hubby has said i can have another tort, i know where there is a 4yr old female horsefield who is in great need of some TLC not to mention better husbandry which i know i can offer her, could u guys give me some general pointers as i havent had any experience with horsefields but have kept hermanns before. general info is she will be going onto a 4ft x 2ft tort table with a 100watt MVB and slate as a feeding area, the info i am not sure on is what the best temp for hot end is and also i know they love to dig so what is the best substrate, given her diggy nature i thought a good 3 to 4" of soil would be ideal she will also have access to the garden every day just the same as my cherry head does on warm days although i understand that they are more tollerent to cooler temps than say my cherryhead, so any help would be much appreciated before i decide whether or not to go ahead and get her as my hubby and eldest son are willing to go halves on her for mothers day for me

Kirkie · 22-03-2009, 10:12 PM

Hi,

Firstly, sorry to hear abou your Leo.

Horsfield care would be the same as with Hermann's so a soil substrate is ideal. They do like a deeper substrate and I'd suppose it would depend on how big the tortoise is as to how deep you have it. You can always pile up areas of the substrate to give them somewhere to dig. The temperatures would be as for a Hermann's too 31-33 under the hot spot, 20-22 cool end.

anna5471 · 23-03-2009, 07:04 AM

thanx kirkie i thought it was similar to hermanns but i just wanted clarification so thanks i take it usual diet applies grass and weeds and calcium and nothing else, i am sooo tempted as i just miss having 2 torts and the empty table is a reminder of my loss i know she wont replace herbie but i'm sure it will help.

sandy · 23-03-2009, 08:05 AM

They are kept the same as other med tortoises, with two exceptions. Firstly they cant and wont tolerate damp and cold at the same time. Secondly they are the biggerst escape artists in the tortoise world of small torts. They will try and dig their selves to Australia at the drop of a few degrees in the Autumn. So linning an enclosure with wire or the like is a good idea.

anna5471 · 23-03-2009, 01:19 PM

hi all ur advice is very much appreciated, and whilst watching gump my cherryhead have his bath this morning i have decided to rehome the little horsefield girl that i have mentioned as i know i can give her a better life than the one she has now, so in readiness for sending my hubby to pick her up for me when he gets home from work i have dug lots and lots of soil out of the garden and arranged the tort table that will be her new home from tonight onwards, i will try and figure photobucket out over the next few days and get some photos of her and gump the cherryhead on for u all to see xx

22-03-2009, 09:12 PM	#1
anna5471 Member Egg Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: lincolnshire Posts: 50	horsefield general questions hi as u all no i recently lost my leo baby , and my hubby has said i can have another tort, i know where there is a 4yr old female horsefield who is in great need of some TLC not to mention better husbandry which i know i can offer her, could u guys give me some general pointers as i havent had any experience with horsefields but have kept hermanns before. general info is she will be going onto a 4ft x 2ft tort table with a 100watt MVB and slate as a feeding area, the info i am not sure on is what the best temp for hot end is and also i know they love to dig so what is the best substrate, given her diggy nature i thought a good 3 to 4" of soil would be ideal she will also have access to the garden every day just the same as my cherry head does on warm days although i understand that they are more tollerent to cooler temps than say my cherryhead, so any help would be much appreciated before i decide whether or not to go ahead and get her as my hubby and eldest son are willing to go halves on her for mothers day for me __________________ annalou x

22-03-2009, 10:12 PM	#2
Kirkie Senior Member Adult Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4,887	Hi, Firstly, sorry to hear abou your Leo. Horsfield care would be the same as with Hermann's so a soil substrate is ideal. They do like a deeper substrate and I'd suppose it would depend on how big the tortoise is as to how deep you have it. You can always pile up areas of the substrate to give them somewhere to dig. The temperatures would be as for a Hermann's too 31-33 under the hot spot, 20-22 cool end. Last edited by Kirkie; 22-03-2009 at 10:15 PM.

23-03-2009, 07:04 AM	#3
anna5471 Member Egg Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: lincolnshire Posts: 50	thanx kirkie i thought it was similar to hermanns but i just wanted clarification so thanks i take it usual diet applies grass and weeds and calcium and nothing else, i am sooo tempted as i just miss having 2 torts and the empty table is a reminder of my loss i know she wont replace herbie but i'm sure it will help. __________________ annalou x

23-03-2009, 08:05 AM	#4
sandy Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Kent UK Posts: 12,146	They are kept the same as other med tortoises, with two exceptions. Firstly they cant and wont tolerate damp and cold at the same time. Secondly they are the biggerst escape artists in the tortoise world of small torts. They will try and dig their selves to Australia at the drop of a few degrees in the Autumn. So linning an enclosure with wire or the like is a good idea. __________________ < > 60+, keeping ibera, graeca and box turtles \0/ /_\ http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/tortoisefriends

23-03-2009, 01:19 PM	#5
anna5471 Member Egg Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: lincolnshire Posts: 50	hi all ur advice is very much appreciated, and whilst watching gump my cherryhead have his bath this morning i have decided to rehome the little horsefield girl that i have mentioned as i know i can give her a better life than the one she has now, so in readiness for sending my hubby to pick her up for me when he gets home from work i have dug lots and lots of soil out of the garden and arranged the tort table that will be her new home from tonight onwards, i will try and figure photobucket out over the next few days and get some photos of her and gump the cherryhead on for u all to see xx __________________ annalou x

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode