best care sheet for horsefield

[tony23]

can some one link a really good care sheet. i want a detailed one
tony

[John506]

I was never able to find 1 that I could just go on, I just googled and looked at them all.

Some say different things, thats when more research in that particular area comes in, and sometimes make decisions yourself to what is best.

is your friend have a good look at them all!

Good Luck!

[Mrs Mental]

I'd recommend this one www.tortsmad.com - its great to see a website that doesn't lump Horsfields in with the rest of the meds for all husbandry needs - hope you find this helps

[tony23]

thanks yer i was readiing a few they all say diffrent stuff some say 90f basking some say 100f wot should i do 90f

[Mrs Mental]

Originally Posted by tony23

thanks yer i was readiing a few they all say diffrent stuff some say 90f basking some say 100f wot should i do 90f

Horsfields like it cooler than the rest of the meds which unfortunately not everyone realises. Hot end should be 30-32 and cool end early 20's

The website I've quoted you earlier is about the best one I have found and like I say it recognises that although the Horsfield is a med tortoise their requirements are slightly different

[tony23]

thanks is it ok for them not to eat when i first got it ive had it 2 days it drank water but hasnt eaten
tony

[Mrs Mental]

Originally Posted by tony23

thanks is it ok for them not to eat when i first got it ive had it 2 days it drank water but hasnt eaten
tony

Sometimes they can take up to a couple of weeks to settle in - give him/her a 20 min warm bath each day though to ensure that he/she keeps hydrated - hydration is more important than them eating as they can go a good few weeks without food if the are healthy. Put his food down for him after a bath as bathing can help stimulate their appetite.

Also where did you get the tortoise from - was it a UK breeder or did you buy it online or from a pet shop/garden centre as unfortunately quite a few of the shops online or otherwise do import from abroad and quite often the tortoises aren't 100% healthy, a large amount seem to have worms and in a couple of cases herpes, which has proved fatal.

If you didnt buy from a breeder it wouldn't hurt to get a poo sample tested and to get the little one checked over with a reptile specialist vet (do check that they are specialists as not all vets are) Tis always better to be safe than sorry in my opinion

If you did buy from a UK breeder then check that everything you are doing and feeding is as per the breeders recommendations (as long as its correct of course) and like I say it could well be that the little guy is just settling in

[tony23]

hi thanks for the info. i got him/her from a pet shop well a aquatic shop it seems very healthy walkes around sniffing and scratching has drunk water from the bowl.
ive got it in a 48x36 vivarium im really thinking if i really should get him a tort table. hot spot is 90f cool end is 75f uv light is 10% has a hide but dosent use it ive got half bark for substrate and half news paper he crawls under the paper to go to sleep instead of the hide i think its about 3 to 4 years old but not sure fogot to ask
tony

[tony23]

well the bath worked its tucking rite in to its salad and cucumber and little bit of apple with calcium
heres a pik i got earlier is he too small to sex

[Mrs Mental]

Originally Posted by tony23

hi thanks for the info. i got him/her from a pet shop well a aquatic shop it seems very healthy walkes around sniffing and scratching has drunk water from the bowl.
ive got it in a 48x36 vivarium im really thinking if i really should get him a tort table. hot spot is 90f cool end is 75f uv light is 10% has a hide but dosent use it ive got half bark for substrate and half news paper he crawls under the paper to go to sleep instead of the hide i think its about 3 to 4 years old but not sure fogot to ask
tony

Hi ya Tony - if it was my little guy the following is what I'd do:

Horsfields recommended housing would be an open top table as opposed to a viv, will give better air circulation, increase ventilation (vivs can increase the chances of respiratory problems and/or runny nose syndrome) and more space. If you can build something yourself it can be pretty cheap, literally a bottom and four sides made of wood - make sure the sides are nice and deep - you could try selling the viv and usign the money to buy some wood or even use a huge plastic container to house him (how big is he size wise? Mine is mid 20's and only about 4.5" so its difficult to tell their age and he's no doubt wild caught or farmed in Europe I'd say)

Horsfields love to dig and tunnel about and need a nice deep substrate - make it at least 5" deep - their natural behaviour is to dig & tunnel and he cant do that with the newspaper. You can get a nice big bag of top soil from B & Q or any garden centre for a few pounds - that'd be great for him and allow him to act as naturally as possible.

Diet wise - please do try to steer away from fruit and veg as long-term and fed regular it really wont do him any good and stops him being able to absorb calcuim properly. He should be eating weeds, weeds and more weeds ideally - have a look at the safe plant and feeding list at the top of the main page (its a sticky) and there's loads of great information in there.

Temperature wise 90 (thats 32 in my head) and 75 (thats 23 in my head) is about right - he'll try to dig down and stay down if he's not happy with the temps - don't let the 32 increase much more though will you or he'll be uncomfortable.

Your prriority to be honest hun is his housing, he'll really would benefit from you changing the substrate & the viv asap.

Hopefully some of that will help lovey - dont worry about the incorrect information you've been given from the shop, a lot of people have been in your shoes, you certainly wont be the last, unfortuantely a huge percentage of shops are still giving out incorrect/outdated information on tortoises.


ETA - if you look at the black bits on the scutes of his shell you can see that they are starting to rise up and aren't totally smooth - this is called pyramiding and its a good sign - its caused by long-term bad husbandry/diet - you cant make the bit thats already happened go away but by making the changes we've talked about you'll be able to stop it getting any worse and causing him any long-term health effects - good luck - if I can help at all in any way just shout okay - he's a gorgeous little chappy, by the way, very handsome!! Im a little bias thoug I do love my Horsfield