hi i have gave in to my son and orderd him a horsfield tortiose its young about the size of ur hand,just wanting info on hibernating as the sites all say diffrent thiings
also do they need vet checks
he is supplied with a tortoise table all the lighting and food all for £100 i think its a bargain
general advice please
go to russiantortoise.org
we call them russian torts here in the usa. I kept two until I traded them to a better home. They're easy, and make sure your son knows all the safety about keeping these, as in wash them hands after handling the tortoise. They're not an overly exciting pet but they're fun to watch cruise around the house, they're tanks!
Food: leafy greens, romaine, endive, parsley, anything leafy and green in the veggie section of the store. Add bermuda grass or one of the grasses they sell for rabbits; no alfalfa they say. No meat. Tiny treat of fruit is okay once a week. Ben liked blackberries alot!
Bedding: sand/bed-a-beast/dirt mix. They'll want a hide. Shallow water dish for drinking, make it big enough to sit on, altho I never saw Ben soak.
a UVB/Heat Combo in the ZooMed deep light hood is best. Keep it hot, mostly dry with spritzes once a day, they do need a little humidity.
absolutely they need to see the vet. They're wild caught, probably chock full of endoparasites and a reptile (ONLY!) vet can get him on the right track. It must be a reptile vet, regular vets aren't familiar with reptiles.
I never hibernated Ben, so it's not needed...the russiantortoise.org should have info on that
