Your feedback please

[Scute Recruit]

Hi, I am new to tortoise keeping and have been reading everything I can get my hands on to try and do it properly.
I would appreciate it if you would take a look at my set up, (albeit new) and give me your feedback as to whether there is something I could be doing better.

At the moment Monty spends the night indoors in his cage where he has a UV light and a heat lamp but these are turned off at night. If it is a cold day he stays indoors all day, spending half the day in his cage and half the day running around the house. He is right next to a radiator and if it is really cold, we have the heating on and he benefits from this heat too.


On good days he goes out in the garden which is large and fenced all around with chicken wire buried under the perimeter and all holes blocked off. There are plenty of weeds and he eats very little from me indoors when he has been out all day.


Don't worry about the dog, he is completely tortoise friendly.

When he wants to get some shelter or go to bed, he has a house with a conservatory on it where he gets tucked up and snug. I intend to leave him out there all night once the weather is warm enough over night but it is still regularly below freezing over night and I am bringing him in.



He is eating well, active and responsive so I think we are doing ok. I am giving him vitamin powder on every feed and I have moved him away from his old owners bad diet and on to garden weeds and grass. If anything I am over protective at the moment, constantly checking on him in the garden and bringing him in if the temperature drops outside. But as I said, I want to do right by the old chap. Any constructive feedback from more experienced keepers would be welcome.

[Sheli88]

Looks like you're doing a great job!

The only thing I would say is be careful with coil uv bulbs, I've heard strips or the arcardia combi bulbs are safer. There are also fake coil bulbs being sold online (I bought one and sent it back!), so atleast make sure it is reliable brand.

Do you bath him and does he have a water bowl in his cage and outdoors? x

Oh and it would be better if you moved the heat bulb to one end, they need a hot end and a cool end so they can regulate their temperature.

[pagan queen]

His indoor enclosure seems a bit small for his size and I would be careful of the bars as he could get his leg caught if he climbs. I would put the cuttle bone onside as he would have easier access to it.

Your outdoor enclosure looks great.

[sandy]

Sorry but there is no such thing as tortoise friendly dog.
Dogs see tortoises as chews, no malice intended to the tortoise. But I would be quite rich on the keepers who have said this, only to find their tortoies disappeared, or damaged. It only takes a second.
It would not be the dogs fault if anything happened to your tortoise, its just natural for them to chew.

[Suze65]

He is certainly a lovely looking tortoise, and so is the dog, although all my dogs where absolutely safe with tortoises, I would be cautious , don't leave them alone. I think his indoor table is too small for his size if he is in there all day, I would upsize that. He would benefit from a cold frame outside for cooler days, they do get really warm, even on cooler days. Mine love going in theirs, then they can be outside more often.

[pagan queen]

Originally Posted by sandy

Sorry but there is no such thing as tortoise friendly dog.
Dogs see tortoises as chews, no malice intended to the tortoise. But I would be quite rich on the keepers who have said this, only to find their tortoies disappeared, or damaged. It only takes a second.
It would not be the dogs fault if anything happened to your tortoise, its just natural for them to chew.

Sorry to disagree with you there Sandy but some dogs don't chew. My dog hates chew toys, balls and sticks etc and would never touch my torts. He however is a small dog that could not fit a tortoise in his mouth. I wouldn't let a large dog near my torts.

[clover]

Lovely tort & beautiful dog. Enjoy them both!!!!

My GSD looks similar to yours, he is absolutley fine with my torts as they all share the garden.
He's lived with them for 9 years!

[sandy]

Originally Posted by pagan queen

Sorry to disagree with you there Sandy but some dogs don't chew. My dog hates chew toys, balls and sticks etc and would never touch my torts. He however is a small dog that could not fit a tortoise in his mouth. I wouldn't let a large dog near my torts.

Thats fine, as long as I have said it, its off my mind:0)

[yuna1971]

Originally Posted by sandy

Sorry but there is no such thing as tortoise friendly dog.
Dogs see tortoises as chews, no malice intended to the tortoise. But I would be quite rich on the keepers who have said this, only to find their tortoies disappeared, or damaged. It only takes a second.
It would not be the dogs fault if anything happened to your tortoise, its just natural for them to chew.

Totally agree. If you think how small they are..any animal bigger is a potential risk if not supervised if the tort is around them. Just my opinion. xx

[pagan queen]

Here is my dog.





Not just tort friendly but any animal friendly.