new tort keeper advice appreciated

[skywalker2]

Just bought a 6 month old marginated tortoise, kept on tort table with 50/50 mix of top soil and play sand substrate. Has a hot spot of 33 degrees and a uva/uvb lamp. Eating those little pellet things at the moment interspersed with grated carrot, cabbage, water cress etc (will use more weeds in spring). The thing is, he does'nt do much, is it because he's so young and it's getting colder. He was kept in a vivarium with wood chipping substrate, could he still be getting used to the change of environment? How big should a 6 month old marginated be roughly. He has a soak every day and does a little wee (well, white blob) and is pooing ok, he looks healthy and shiny, he just does'nt mooch round much, is it normal?

[blazingtortoise]

Does he stay in a particular place? favourite hide or under the basking spot?

[purplepixie]

Sorry but your diet is incorrect, please look at the care sheets above, for good tortoise foods.
Also try www.tortoises.net and www.thetortoisehouse.com.

[skywalker2]

Originally Posted by blazingtortoise

Does he stay in a particular place? favourite hide or under the basking spot?

he tends to stay near the warm end and sleeps under a rock at night, he's jst started venturing over to his food on his own now.

[skywalker2]

Originally Posted by purplepixie

Sorry but your diet is incorrect, please look at the care sheets above, for good tortoise foods.
Also try www.tortoises.net and www.thetortoisehouse.com.

Don't be sorry. God, I feel like I'm getting told off!

[annsimpson1]

theres also a link to the Tortoise Trust winter foods in the weeds section on the main page (at the top), the main problem with pellets is that its very easy to over feed them and they can make a tort fussy, he won't eat the more natural foods. If you wish to carry on giving them then why not try using them and only them on that day once a week or fortnight and green foods on all the other days, the pellets must always be well soaked.

[Mrs Mental]

Originally Posted by skywalker2

Don't be sorry. God, I feel like I'm getting told off!

Dont feeling like that, we've all made plenty of mistakes, thats life aint it. Personally I dont feed fruit or veg or pellets to any of mine - there's a great list at the top of the page on safe weeds and plants to feed - have a look in there and I bet you've already got quite a few in your garden.

Do you have any idea what temp the cooler end of his table is?

He's probably just taking a while to settle in I expect - one of mine didnt do very much or eat anything for a good few weeks when I first got him

Good luck & welcome to the site

[purplepixie]

Lol nobody is telling anyone off, just trying to correct mis-information.
Its hard to point out things, without the poster taking offence. I never try to offend, just help
If you can read things for yourself, you can see its not just me saying things. And you can see the mistakes you are making yourself. The information is out there, but you need to know where to look.
I make mistakes and will own up if I have. If you dont make mistakes you dont learn

[skywalker2]

Thankyou, that's a bit nicer. I'll find some more wild weeds for him. Does anyone know how long it takes a marginated to get to full size he's about 6cm long and the shop said he was 6 months old (and yes, we do have a certificate for him).
Also, can I feed him normal nettles which you find in the hedges. I've heard of dead nettle leaves, is this the same.

[purplepixie]

For normal smooth growth, it probabley will take at least fifteen to twenty years to get to full size. Marginata are big tortoises
You can try and feed nettles, as some will eat the stinging type, but not all. Dead nettles dont sting so easier to feed, and a lot more tortoises eat them.
You should be able to find sowthistle and dandelions growing. It does depend on where you live. Look out for dandelions clocks, and collect the seed, and put them in the garden or a pot. Then you will have home grown weeds.
Remember its all in how you read a message, if you want to see negativity you will, sometimes it pays to read the message again later, as I have also often taken messages the wrong way. Its so easy when you cant see the face of the poster.