Hey my names Gemma im new to this site, but can i say what a god send it is being able to ask more experiance tortoise keepers questions, as i really dont beleive in listening to people who dont own one. But the question thats pondering me is i know you cannot mix to different species of tortoise together but i have a spur thigh who is one on the 1st of september, would i be able to buy another spur thigh around the same age and put them together? Also my tortoise lives mainly indoors at the moment as i am trying to section of a nice piece of garden for him, is it worth having him micro chipped or not? Many thanks Gemma x x x

to the forum Gemma.

If you want to buy another then you will need to quarantine it from your first tortoise (the recommended length of time is around 18 months though most people tend to quarantine for about 6 months and put together if the new tort is well and has been vet checked for parasites/protozao).

Your tort shouldn't be chipped until it's at least 100mm in length.

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well thats great information i have only had him 2 months and am taking him to get a check up in about 2 weeks, am i right in saying that i do not hibernate him till he's 4 yrs old?

hi and welcome

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The Tortoise Trust, NO1 in good husbandry.

A TT member keeps happy,healthy tortoises.

Many people hibernate from the very first winter when they are still only hatchlings of a few months old, others prefer to wait until the tortoise is older and they feel more confident. Then, of course, there are others who never hibernate their med torts.

As long as the tortoise is healthy and has put on a good amount of weight over the summer there is no reason not to hibernate whatever the age. The decision is purely yours and what you feel comfortable with if this is the case.

I'm sure there'll be many threads with information on hibernating over the coming weeks as the time draws nearer so you'll be able to make your own decision.

Did you get your tort from a breeder? If you did then there's the chance that they may still have others which would alleviate the need for quarantine. If he was from a shop then I would go down the quarantine route. Also if he was an import from a shop take a poo sample to the vet with you and ask them to check and treat for parasites/protozoa.

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Personally as long as your tort is fit and healthy I believe it is best to hibernate from the first winter. My reasoning for this is that tortoises are a wild animal and in my opinion to keep it as healthy as possible you should try and get everything as close to the wild as possible and it has been proven that wild tortoises hibernate from the word go. Having said that I had to over winter my two one year olds last year due to health problems. So if all is well I say hibernate

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1.0.0 Bengal Cat (Leon) - nut case
0.1.0 Siamese Cat (Sasha)
0.0.2 Marginated Tortoises (Chunk & Bean)

thanks for the information its really great. yes i did buy him from a shop but he was breed in the uk so this may sound silly but how's best to quarentine them as i work quite long hours 5 days a week? another question that i do feel i lack knowledge on is heat... what is the best temperature to keep them at? i was told about 70 degrees what do you recommend. as i have a heat bulb that i have been told to keep on 24 7 but my tortoise never seems to be active hes always asleap or in one of his hides and i wonder weather that is normal for his age or if its due to the heat?

im sorry to ask so many questions but i would rather find out from owners who know than people who just say what they've heard. many thanks for all the help so far

You should have a separate uvb and heat lamp or a combined mercury vapour lamp for his enclosure. The temp under the basking light should be around 32degs C and around 20degs C in the cool end. The lights should be on for a period of around 12 hours to simulate normal daylight hours... say 7am until 7pm... although some people extend this to 14 hours during the summer if the tort is indoors. A timer for the lights is a good idea so that they have a routine. No extra heat is needed once the lights are turned off unless the temp is going to drop below 10degs C at night.

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great thanks i have noted all this down its a great help and have been reading other links aswell

Sorry, didn't answer your how to quarantine question... simply keep them separately. Buy a cheap set up such as an underbed box for the new one for the quarantine period, you can save your lights as back-up afterwards for if your original ones ever go wrong. Make sure you wash your hands well and use anti-bac gel between handling them, changing water, feeding etc. Personally I quarantine all new reps in a separate room as well but that's your choice.

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