Tortoise

[smudgley]

Anyone got one?

We are thinking about getting one.

[Mags]

I had one in my childhood days - called it Timmy ;) I used to rub olive oil into his shell to keep it in shiny andgood condition.

Unfortunately it died one winter during hibernation :(

[dandysmom]

I had a pet box turtle as a child; lovely fellow, would eat tomato right out of your hand.

[angieh]

I had two tortoises as a child - was not allowed "furry" pets because of asthma. I can't say that I loved them greatly. Preferred the goldfish.

[Fran]

I have a Hermann's tortoise :cool:

[Fran]

This video was taken a couple days ago of him playing with the cats :-D

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu268/Chapelrose1/th_Herbi.jpg (http://s654.photobucket.com/albums/uu268/Chapelrose1/?action=view&current=Herbi.flv)

[yola]

He's cute Fran! I would have thought Sherman would've been a more appropriate name though; as in Sherman tank ;)

I had tortoises as a child too, remember them being singularly unremarkable as a pet but also remember them not waking from the hibernation and finding ways out of the garden, which my Mum had secured fairly well :roll:

[angieh]

Great vid Fran! Nice to see you btw ...... why did I think it funny to see your tortoise go into reverse??? Of course they have to be able to go backwards :D

[smudgley]

Thanks for posting that video Fran, he's a fast little mover isn't he? How old is he?

[Fran]

Hi Smudgley, good to see you again :D Herbi is around 9 years old now. Tortoises are much higher maintenance that people think and hibernation has to done properly as many tortoises die during hibernation for a variety of reasons. Years ago, when were were kids, Blue Peter, year on year advocated you hibernated your tortoise in the airing cupboard, this is absolutely not the case and tortoises need to be kept cold although not too cold during hibernation. Different species of tortoise have different requirements, so a lot would depend on the species you decide on if you do decide to get a tortoise. I'd be happy to give you any help I could if you need it Smudgley.

People think that tortoises are really boring pets but they are absolutely not! They are intelligent, interactive and crave attention. I guess it's different if you have a garden tortoise rather than a house tortoise, much the same as it would be having a ferral cat vs a lap cat! As with any animal, you get back what you put in. IMO tortoises are very good pets for children in that they live for absolutely ever (unlike hamsters and the small furries) they are non allergenic, are very interactive and an endless source of entertainment. The only think I would say, however, as with most reptiles, they can carry salmonella in their faeces, so you have to be scrupulous about hand washing after handling them.

Yola - what a superb name!! I'd love to rename him Sherman :-D as I love it so much! However, he does know his name ;)

Good to see you all, hope everyone is well :D

[Elaine]

Loving the video:lol: :lol: :lol: quite a nimble wee fella.

Never had a tortoise so dont know anything about them really.

[smudgley]

Wow Fran, thanks that is really useful info.

(Does he really know his name?) if so - that's cool :cool:

Ashleigh has mentioned a few times she'd like a tortoise and we have been thinking about weather to get one. I think I would like a baby one. Well you know maybe under a year? I have looked at some different breeds, must read more about them.

Is yours indoors Fran?

When will he hibernate?

I'm all tortoise excited now :-D

oh & they are very expensive, good in a way though as you wouldn't just go & get one without thinking it through, but not-so-good when you have to find over a hunderd quid for a baby tortoise without the accomodation and oter bits and pieces. :shock:

[Fran]

(Does he really know his name?) if so - that's cool :cool:



Haha, I like to think so but in reality, I think it's my voice he recognises rather than his name. Tortoises do I believe have quite limited hearing capabilities.

Herbi is an indoor tortoise and we house him in a tortoise table rather than a vivarium. He used to live in a viv but we found he developed noisy breathing and we looked into things more and an open topped tortoise table is considered a healthier way of keeping them. I have a wire mesh top over the top of his table as the cats used to get in with him under his lamp which did not please him greatly! We do allow him outside in the summer on nice days but in a safe enclosed area, one because they are notoriously good at escaping and two, because my dogs are so lively that they may inadvertently injure him when they charge around the garden. We do allow him to wander round the house at times but you have to be aware that it's impossible to toilet train tortoises so we do get the 'occasional' accident :lol:

As yet, I have never hibernated him, I would be so devastated if I got it wrong and I lost him due to my incompetence. There's different schools of thought regarding whether to hibernate or not. It's generally considered that if you don't hibernate then you cut the lifespan of the tortoise a little but in the grand scheme of things this might be 10 years off the 70 odd years they are expected to live! Every year I say I will hibernate him and every year I just don't have the heart. They generally start going into hibernation around now although I believe there are some species of tortoise that don't hibernate, so you would need to read up a little on the species you are planning to buy.

Have fun searching for a tortoise and I'll look forward to your updates :D

[smudgley]

Thanks Fran.

Just a thought, I wonder if you could hibernate a cat? Wouldn't mind Lilly going to sleep for a couple of months. :shock:

:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

[dandysmom]

What's Lily up to, Smudgley?

[smudgley]

What's Lily up to, Smudgley?

She bites little toes that stick out of the bed-covers & it hurts, She brings birds back & leaves them on Ashleighs bedroom floor, She is bossy to Smudge, She follows the dog around like a lost puppy-dog, she likes to go out at 4am and scratches the blind until someone lets her out..... otherwise she's not bad I suppose. :-D