# Advise on a 1year old horsfield tortoise??



## kylie davis (May 8, 2012)

Hi can anybody help at all?
iv been researching horsfield torts as im planning on getting one finally after years of wanting one! Iv found a 1yr old female tort at a centre near me for £150 but the petshop was not that helpful on advise. Infact the first bloke i spoke to knew nothing at all about them.
i originally bought a viv for it but then realised its not the best accommodation so my partner is in the middle of building a 2 story tort table. 
I was just wondering if there is anything at all that i need to know about them and any tips!?
thanx 
kylie
xx


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## FLINTUS (Feb 12, 2012)

How big's the tort table? Are you getting a hatchling or adult/juvenile? They are a small tortoise. They can grow to about 8 inches. They are herbivores and their main diet should consist of weeds-look at the safe weed sheets and buy a few packets of seeds. To start off try clover, plantain, hibiscus and dandelion. You will need a calcium powder which you should sprinkle on his food. Give about 10 inches of substrate-use top soil for this. They love burrowing. All torts are different but personally I wouldn't choose a Horsfields. They can be aggressive, often wild caught, and aren't as active as soe tortoises. I would reccomend either Red Foots-don't hibernate so easier nthat sense or Hermann's-hibernate. Give me a PM if you want to know more about these ones. Horsfields hibernate-be very careful, alot of unexperienced owners get their torts dying from this. Plant his enclosure up with edible plants. They don't like it too wet or humid and can go outside when it's above 15 degrees. Give them a hide-somewhere dark to go. Good luck. Oh and by the way this is my 100 th post! Centurion.


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## kylie davis (May 8, 2012)

hi thanks for getting back to me.
the tort table is approx 1.5ft wide x nearly 6ft long. Thats just the indoor one. 
Theres 2 females in the tank at the centre and it states they are a year old and come with berth certifs!
I have the powder ready and waiting and have been looking at different seeds etc to buy and grow myself but iv also looked at ready to eat weeds and plants supplied by shelledwarriors which i might also buy as back up incase my growing skils arent to great lol.
My partner wanted terrapins but my 2 year old is such an animal lover and would be constantly getting bit so we agreed eventualy on a tort!
I was told by the centre horsfields are easier but im thinking they would say that as thats the only breed they have there and are wanting to sell quick ready for the next batch!
Hibernation has been a concern for me as iv heard many sad stories!
Do the red foots or hermans require the same sort of life style as the horsefields??
thanx


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## kylie davis (May 8, 2012)

im only getting one tortoise not 2 by the way incase i gave you the wrong idea.


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## Shellsfeathers&fur (Jan 18, 2009)

Welcome to the Forum - have a look in the main Shelled section for lots more info about tortoises.

Flintus - how many tortoises do you know of that have died during hibernation or as a result of hibernating?


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## kylie davis (May 8, 2012)

thanx for the welcome 
iv done loads of research on horsefields but i want to make sure im clued up as much as i can be before getting any breed of tort as i want it to be looked after how it should be.
is there a particular breed you would recommend for a starter??


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## FLINTUS (Feb 12, 2012)

Stephen P said:


> Welcome to the Forum - have a look in the main Shelled section for lots more info about tortoises.
> 
> Flintus - how many tortoises do you know of that have died during hibernation or as a result of hibernating?


I'm not saying it happens often. If it's done correctly then it has great health benefits on the tort. However, some people have had real problems with it. If you follow the correct advice then you should be fine with it.


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## Shellsfeathers&fur (Jan 18, 2009)

Horsfields, Hermanns and Spur Thighs (not the African Sulcata as they get very large) are the most commonly kept ones that are not tropical.

If you can buy from a breeder as they will give you a lot of good helpful advice.


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## kylie davis (May 8, 2012)

am i right in thinking its better for beginners to go for a tort that is a little older than a baby, like a 1year +??
Also the vapour light that does the heat and uvb, i understand the tort will need 12hours minimum of heat but when the heat turns off at night so wil the uv so is this ok or do i need a tube aswell to keep on?
Soo many different sites and different answers so just going to stick to this place now for answers :blush:


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## FLINTUS (Feb 12, 2012)

kylie davis said:


> thanx for the welcome
> iv done loads of research on horsefields but i want to make sure im clued up as much as i can be before getting any breed of tort as i want it to be looked after how it should be.
> is there a particular breed you would recommend for a starter??


Horsfields are popular but can be aggressive. It depends what you want. Out of the easy ones to get hold of, Horsfields are the cheapest and probably the smallest. Hermann's are a good choice but are medium sized at about 10 inches plus. They are friendly and hibernate. They will tolerate wet floors better than Horsfields who can get infections in their feet from really damp floors-not useful with British weather. Red Foots are my favourite(although I have one:2thumb: so might be biased) again they are medium sized 10-14 inches generally. They don't hibernate and prefer humid conditions(rainforest edge habitat) and are very outgoing and probably one of the more intelligent tortoises. They have a wide diet, not only having weeds and greens but also fruit and once a week or fortnight some protein. Give them a good soak everyday. I wouldn't buy from a pet shop, most will be wild-caught. You're best off buying from a breeder as they're not much more expensive. Where do you lived?


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## FLINTUS (Feb 12, 2012)

kylie davis said:


> am i right in thinking its better for beginners to go for a tort that is a little older than a baby, like a 1year +??
> Also the vapour light that does the heat and uvb, i understand the tort will need 12hours minimum of heat but when the heat turns off at night so wil the uv so is this ok or do i need a tube aswell to keep on?
> Soo many different sites and different answers so just going to stick to this place now for answers :blush:


Have the heat and UV on at the same time. Yearlings are fine as they give you more time to prepare for the next 50+ YEARS but remember they're delicate.


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## kylie davis (May 8, 2012)

sorry, so when the lamp goes off the tort wont need a separate UV light or it will? This vapour light is the combined one that im looking at.

I really like the look of the horsfields and because of doing so much research on them in particular i might stick to that breed as i wil end up gettting confused. lol

I live in glastonbury (somerset) and am struggling to find any breeders near me. Found loads for the red foot tort and hermans but not horsfield.


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## FLINTUS (Feb 12, 2012)

kylie davis said:


> sorry, so when the lamp goes off the tort wont need a separate UV light or it will? This vapour light is the combined one that im looking at.
> 
> I really like the look of the horsfields and because of doing so much research on them in particular i might stick to that breed as i wil end up gettting confused. lol
> 
> I live in glastonbury (somerset) and am struggling to find any breeders near me. Found loads for the red foot tort and hermans but not horsfield.


Have a look on Preloved or PetsClassifieds. I reccomend Cosy Tortoises, who are in Gillingham near Shaftesbury so not too far. They have a website but are very responsible and have it as a home business. They are 100 each for a Horsfield. I bought my Red Foot from that lady and she is very knowlegable. They also offer a boarding service-which we got free as we got our tort from them. I can give you more info on them. We live near Warminster, south Wiltshire so it was easy to get to. They look after their torts well-just beware, their house is in the middl of a one way maze. Nightmare!:bash:


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## Andy King (Nov 5, 2009)

FLINTUS said:


> I wouldn't buy from a pet shop, most will be wild-caught. You're best off buying from a breeder as they're not much more expensive. Where do you lived?


I disagree with this, red foots are usually captive bred, very few torts are Wild caught, most are captive farmed


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