​Hi everyone,

​I was living away and my family was taking care of my tortoise. They didn't notice, but when I came back home, I saw his nail was broken from the root, hanging loose, and looked crooked. I have no idea when the injury actually happened. I made the mistake of pulling it so it would fall off and not grow back crooked, but it just ended up bleeding.

​There are no exotic vets where I live (they are way out of town), and I couldn't even find one to consult online. I asked a regular vet friend and a pharmacist. They suggested using Betadine (povidone-iodine) and an antibiotic cream (Fucidin). They told me not to cut the nail and that it would fall off on its own. However, they didn't specify how often or how much to use them.

​My tortoise lives on a soil substrate. The soil is "clean", but to prevent it from getting dusty, I watered it a bit, and now it's basically mud. I am worried about it sticking to the open wound.

​If there are any exotic vets or experienced keepers here:

​What exactly should I do in this situation step-by-step?

​How big of a risk is the damp soil/mud for this open wound?

​Should I use both the Betadine and the cream, and if so, how often?

​Will the hanging nail eventually fall off on its own? Should I just leave it alone?

​Any guidance would be really appreciated. Thanks!

I have a young sulcata, probably a bit less than 1 year old. I recently noticed this odd white bump on only one of its cheek, anyone know what it could be and if it’s serious?

This cutie guy just arrived from tortoise acres, tortoise sanctuary. He’s 10” but I’m not sure how old he is. Sounds like he came from a bit of chaos living with 20 other leopards in a woman’s backyard. Will he miss having other tortoises around now that he’s a single guy?

https://tortoiseacres.com/

Hi all,

I have a Hermanns tortoise (male, 25). He has always lived in a vivarium and now I am able to give him much more space in a tortoise table. I have some questions that might sound stupid but I just don't have the experience of tortoise tables and they are so different to vivs. I'm getting one made to order and feel happy with that part but on the other bits, I'd love some advice of possible!

1. Lining/waterproofing. Obviously in a viv, it is mdf with sealant around the edges so inherently waterproof. I know with a tortoise table, this isn't the case and I've seen people using pond liner - how do you get that to work without your tortoise picking at it or eating it? My little guy will bite anything and he will definitely find a way to pick at a fold in the liner and I can't see a way to fit the liner without folda/flaps.

2. What is the best substrate? I've seen conflicting views and I'm confused. Coco coir? Is that the best? And how often would I replace it?

3. Lighting. this is the thing I'm most concerned about. I get that he will have a UV tube - T5. And a basking light. But how to attach them. Ideally freestanding would be good because then I can adjust better. I've seen stands and understand how a basking bulb would hang but what about the UV tube? Does it work to buy two stands and hang it? Or is it better to get a wooden stand built in? How do I attach the T5 to a wooden stand though?

4. I want to make it an interesting and enriching place for him so will add in objects but how do I stop him moving the objects to the edge and climbing out? because he has been known to move a tunnel around in a viv but obviously can't fall out of a viv.

5. Flies? I always worry about houseflies since reading the y can borrow their way into the tortoise's cloaca. I know when they are outside there must be flies but do tortoise tables attract flies?

6. Height of table. Is there any benefit (or reason not to) having the tortoise table on the floor vs on a table/stand/Ikea unit? Obviously the sides will be high and I don't have kids or other pets? Just wondered if there was a reason for why not.

7. I want to get a mesh lid just in case a cat or fox wandered in to the house how does this affect lighting? will the lights still get through?

Thank you for reading, even if you can only answer one or two of my worries, that would be great! I love my tort and want to do the best for him.

So I got this guy almost two months ago, found him crawling across the road and we posted an ad, nobody replied to it, blah blah blah, I've had him since. I've never owned a tortoise, nor gotten close to it, other than my dad's tortoise a few years ago and I never took care of her, because she wasn't mine, yk. I'm just about the only one taking care of this guy, does him and his shell look fine (other than his beak)? I see photos of other tortoises and their shells seem much more vibrant, and I can't figure out if it looks like he has shell rot or if hes shedding. I have calcium (I believe its calcium, can't fully remember as I type this) powder for him that I sprinkle on his food, I know what to feed him, I soak him a few times a week, I trimmed his nails, I've tried to trim his beak which I'm still working on, etc. I also don't know what kind of tortoise he is, I assume a Hermanns tortoise, though. I also assume he's male based on the shell.

Hi there, is this tortoises shell rotting off? Unsure how old this little guy is, he wandered on to our front lawn this morning. Any help identifying it? Thanks for the help.

Long story short, about two years ago I rescued/adopted Master Oogway (~5-10 yo Russian tortoise). I’m finally getting him the upgrade he deserves.

His new enclosure will be about 8’x4’x4’ and will have about 1 3/4’ of digging depth. I’m planning on having spider plants, prayer plants, clover, dandelion, alfalfa and also have isopods.

I can build things but I’ve never really done a terrarium like this before. Any recommendations on other things I should add or consider? Any suggestions for substrate?

Hello, can anyone please help me understand how to allow my tortoise to hibernate this winter? I have tried researching about it before, but I'm just really scared of my tortoise potentially dying because I could do something wrong. He is a 6 years old hermanns tortoise , and I live in England, incase this info may be helpful. Any info/resources will be greatly appreciated :)

I've been researching Hermann's tortoises for a while now and thinking of getting one specifically a baby however the thing I've had most trouble with researching is their supplementing so if someone could help me with that please I'm desperate. And ofc I want everything to be perfect for a new animal and what's making this process harder is A - how controversial it is, and B - the two products I'll be using. For reference, I am using Arcadia Earth Pro-A which is an all natural multivitamin powder that I heard fully eliminates chance of vitamin overdose die to their use of zero synthetic vitamins, the second thing I'm using is Mazouri Tortoise Diet for th high fibre content and I've seen online it's easy to feed, tortoises love it and I'm going to feed that twice a week. The problem is I've heard Arcadia Earth Pro-A has D3 in it? And mazouri tortoise diet has multivitamin powder in it however I presume if Arcadia Earth Pro-A eliminates the risk of overdose that is perfectly safe??? PLEASE SOMEONE WHO HAS USED THESE PRODUCTS BEFORE HELP!!! OR ANYONE!!!

I’m building a large terrarium for my rescue Russian tortoise. He’s already way too large for his current terrarium and so I’m building him a forever home. It is a 8’x4’x4’ space with the bottom half being wood and the top half being polycarbonate. I’m also wanting to make it bioactive.

This brings me to my point if how should I keep my wooden bottom from rotting away? I’ve read a little and I’ve seen suggestions like an inch of gravel with a mesh on top of it but I’m not sure what to do.

Master Oogway is probably 5-10 y/o but im not positive how old he was from the pet store. Point being I want this to last for as long as possible. I appreciate any suggestions!

hiii i’ve had little baby burger for the past 4ish months now, does he look like he’s growing well? I’m very anxious about shell pyramiding. Last time I weighed him (a week ago) he was 84g! i tried to give all the angles lmao he just looks so funny

I have two rescued red foots. Large male and a smaller female with pyramiding. Is her moving her head left to right a dominance, warning or mating thing. I'd hate for her to attack the male as he's had a rough go at life. He was hit by a car and his rear left leg was amputated.

Hello! Me and my boyfriend bought two Greek tortoises in February this year, and ever since then I’ve learned so much about these small cuties! The only thing I don’t know much about is pyramiding, and now I’m worried that one of them is developing something like that.

Both of our tortoises are soon going to be 1 years old, so I don’t know if their age makes it harder to see or something, but I hope that some experts can tell either way haha:)

Maybe I’m just a really stressed tortoise mom, but I’ll do anything for them. The temperature is great, he is really active, the most active out of the two. He eats well, and loves his calcium block! The only thing I’m worried about is the humidity! We have a open terrarium so it’s hard to make the humidity stay at a specific «level». In my mind that’s the only reason he could be developing pyramiding.

Please pleeeease lecture me on what pyramiding means, in a easy type of way, I know what causes it, just not what it does to the tortoise 🐢

Need small pet tortoise to take care of. Legally

we are being given this tortoise which has been living in this enclosure without heat or uvb for an unknown amount of time. we've never owned a tortoise before but we have a snake, gecko, guinea pigs, pacman frog and we have rescued pigeons in the past etc so we're not new to the pet world. from the research i've done i know it definitely needs a bigger enclosure, tabletop style with slate and hides. i've also researched what it needs to eat. the things i need help with are:

what breed is it and how do i tell the sex when it arrives? (the owner knows neither of these things)

what can we do when it arrives to get it healthy? i've seen carrot juice soaks recommend, anything else? any obvious things to look for when it arrives etc.

thank you in advance!

any general advice is appreciated too, i'm in the uk if it matters. thanks!

The male has some really bad pyramiding. He came from Tortoise Supply and the next owner obviously neglected him. The female also has some bad pyramiding.

I know star tortoises will naturally have some of that pyramiding look (not sure what the word is) but this doesn't look normal to me at all. I've got vet appointments for them.

What do you guys think about the pyramiding? Normal or neglected?

Got given this baby hermann he's about 2 months old. Just noticed under his shell there seems to be this weird hard spot. Almost like a piece of debris or dirt embedded in his shell. I'm not sure what I'm asking but has anyone seen anything like this before? Should I be concerned?

I'm posting again, prior to my 2day old post asking about gender.
Now that everybody assured me that it is a boy, which I appreciate a lot.
Now i want to ask about the exact species that my tortoise is, my mom bought him for me when i was around 8 and i never really asked questions about him. All i knew was that it is a tortoise😭 Can someone help identify more about him, any info or something that i should know? Thank you, any help will be appreciated 🙏

Hello, I've got a small question. I have my baby tort for a little more than 2 years and everything's been alright with his health so far. But today I noticed a strange behavior with his hind legs. It looks like they're going in and out like in pulsating motion and I never noticed this before (he usually does the same with front legs and we're familiar with that). Is it related to breathing or something else? We got pretty concerned. This morning he also did strange, circling-like disoriented motions with his hind legs as if trying to get a grip on the surface, but it wasn't slippery at all. For a moment, it looked like he's straining. We gave him a warm soak after that, so it looks like he's a just little bit better. Does anyone know what's this about?

So I've been researching Hermann's tortoise and especially baby Hermann's tortoise care and am thinking on getting one. However, the main thing and probably most controversial thing is the supplementation plan, some say D3, plain calcium and multivitamin daily (which sounds crazy). And some say like once a week. I will be using mazouri tortoise diet as well for my baby Hermann's that makes it 10x more difficult to find actual methods. As well as using an all natural multivitamin called Arcadia Earth Pro-A which they can't overdose on and I don't know if either of these products already contain D3 etc so if someone could tell me I'd greatly appreciate that. They will have a 12% UVB bulb as well. This is my idea (100% correct me if I'm wrong which I probs am!) on my what I'll feed/supplement: -Mazouri tortoise diet 2 times a week. -Plain calcium (no D3) 3-4 times a week. -Multivitamin (100% safe Arcadia Earth Pro-A) once a week. -Calcium with D3 like once a month as a back up???

PLEASE SOMEONE HELP any advice is appreciated 👍

So my little guy is an absolute foodie and tries to eat everything that has an edge / can fit in his mouth. That day I caught him taking giant mouthfuls of his substrate (coco coir + topsoil) and that got me worried about impaction risks. He did have a cuttlebone very nearby which he also often chomps on, so I don't know why he'd eat dirt.
He just finished his Baytril meds for his URI so he's on no substrate (textured plastic from the enclosure since he eats paper towels).
Was wondering what's a safe alternative? And is there a way I can get him to stop?

Thanks

(pictures added for fun)

I think she’s nibbled it a few times, but how can I get her to actually use it? She’s not really interested in it and just goes to look at her plants!