Hi everyone,
I have eventually given in and let my boyf get a tortoise.
We got him/her today and also bought a vivarium from the same place (a reputable garden centre). The viv had all the stuff they said we needed, UVB lamp, heat mat, substrate, even though we did buy an extra bag of the sand stuff as the one supplied is in compact brick form, a log for him/her to hide under and some moss to go in there, food, bowls etc etc.
It is all set up and the tortoise was having a wander about for a bit, nibbled on some lettuce we put in as well as the food they provided (kos lettuce) then hid under the log and hasn't been seen since.
I do have a concern after reading a few posts that viv's aren't the best thing, I will admit that I haven't trawled through the forum enough to get the full details why, but from the posts I have read it is because they are glass sided and the tortoise will try and get through the glass.
As my boyf paid quite a lot of money for the viv and accessories, and it is a mesh topped viv, would putting something round the sides so that he/she can't see out??
He/she is approximately 2 years old,
I have so many questions ... I think I will be trawling this forum for a while.
Thanks for anhy advice that I can pass on to boyf x

you would be within your rights to demand a refund on the viv, if thats what you wanted to do. a plastic underbed box is a much cheaper and better option for floor space and ventilation. you shpould also ditch the heatmat too. tortoises absorb heat from above, not from below. so get a normal light fitting and a household lamp and it will simulate the sun.

and welcome to rfuk

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my bright red hair is very SHORT........where did it go!

hi and welcome, as ali said and also look into weed feeding....go pick some dandilions etc...there is a sticky with loads of help at the beginning of the forum

Hi and

Congratz on the new tort. If the viv has a mesh top then it may have enough ventilation though it may well stress it out if it can see through a barrier. Post a pic of the set up on here if you can then people may be able to advise better.

A diet of edible weeds/plants would be better for the tort and has been said you don't need a heatmat for a healthy tort you need a basking lamp. Have a look through this thread which has some good links on housing and feeding:

MED TORTOISES... useful links

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thanks for the welcome,
all I know atm is that it is a horsfield tortoise and it is about 2 years old, not sure of the sex of it yet, I believe you can tell by the tail.
I have gone through a few of the 'sticky's' which have been very useful.
Garden is full of weeds so will go grab a few that match and see how tings go.

here are soem pics of the current set up, it is in the middle of my front room atm.

i would put something around the sides, about 5/6 inches in height so he cant see cos they dont understand a see through barrier and will keep trying to get thru it and get themselves stressed


whats in the feeding bowl? a piece of slate or a turned over tile will help to file their beaks down

congrats on the new tort,
althought the viv looks nice its more of a tank i would say, if you wanted a refund package it all up and say your otehr half baught the wrong one,

i my self prefer tables and the storage box is a good accommodation 2 much cheaper than what you have there must have cost you a fortune,the air ventolation may be ok i have never seen the mesh top viv's b4 so cant coment on them,i dont know about your temp controll in the hot and cool end tho,you will have to experiment and see if it works if not use the storage box and flog the viv in your local paper or ask the shop to take it back ,im sure you could think of a excuse,

i have both my horsfields in tables i think they are gr8
we use sand and soil mix for substrate and a clip on basking light ,cheap as chips,

your tort looks lovely ,i would feed 100% weed if you can or the florette bags of lettuce are ok from teh supermarket if you dont have many weeds but the diet should be varied,

oh one other thing good choice horsfields are my favourate
if i can help with ne thing im usually allways here i will help if i can,

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home sweet home

what is the lamp on top of his tank? do you still have the box of it so we can know the exact model? is that his UV lamp and if so model, wattage, make etc. it can be very difficult trying to advise somebody when there is soooo much stuff avaialable!

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my bright red hair is very SHORT........where did it go!

also it looks likeyou are using a thermstat. what model is it and is it for the heatmat or the lamp? sorry for being a pain and asking all the questions....

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my bright red hair is very SHORT........where did it go!