Sliding Window on the cage

Tun Tun tries to slide the window on her cage every morning when she is hungry. She is getting smart and she only tries to open the side that I used to feed her. When I open the window (door) to feed her, I need to avoid her from climbing out. The cage comes with a lock but I never use it. Now I just put a suction cup on the window to avoid her from opening the window.

I really think the cage is a bit small for her as she is quite active. But it is winter time and she needs her heating lamps.

I checked out bigger cages at the Fish Street. The four feet one is around 1k. That is too expensive.

I heard on the radio that even a 300 ft garden is not big enough for a full grown Tun Tun.

I should not buy her to begin with. I can only give her my windowsill. And maybe some walks on the floor.

I dont play with her much too. Just normal caring...


***
It was a bit cold this week so we closed the window and used a table cloth to cover part of Tun Tun's cage so she could stay warm. We make sure the table cloth does not block her view otherwise she will be upset.

***
Now that Tun Tun is so big that we dont hv a cave for her. We built some shred with a carton box but I am afraid that it is not safe. We secured the paper cave with lots of stuff but Tun Tun is having fun pushing the cave up to the heating lamp. The lamp on top of the cave has a setting of around 25C but we still see browning on the carton paper. Hope it will not cause a fire.

Update

Sorry that there has been no update as Tun Tun is doing v well. She is really healthy and strong giving the proper care. Now she is only a low maintainance animal after a proper condition is set up.

I hv not weighed her for quite a while. But she is growing steadily slowly ( which is good). She is getting smarter after she is older too.

302 g now!

Tun Tun now weighs 302 g! She grows faster in summer time.

Update

No much changes to Tun Tun's life except that she is almost totally fed on dried pellets.
Tun Tun is now 224 g. I soak her twice a week now.

一年了

轉眼間, 盾盾已來了一年, 現在已 155 g.

- 參考及有用連結 References and Useful Links

有用連結 (英文) Useful Links (English):

http://www.anapsid.org/sulcata.html

http://www.sulcata-station.org/index.html

http://www.taiwaiexotic.com/cr_tortoises.html
http://africantortoise.com/general_care.htm

http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/sulcatacare.htm


有用連結 (中文) Useful Links (Chinese):
http://www.hkfishstreet.com/discuss/viewtopic.php?t=39958

中文論壇 Forums (Chinese):
http://www.ospets.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=19&page=4

此列會定時更新 This list will be update regularly.

溫度 Temperature

龜龜屬於冷血動物，需要外來熱力供身體運作。在大自然中，牠們會借用太陽的熱力，移到不同的位置，進出地洞等來調節體溫。晚上較涼時則會躲藏在日間被太陽曬暖的泥土中。牠們亦非常喜歡掘地洞，每天花大量時間掘出長長的地洞。
Tortoises are cold blooded animals and they require heat for their body to function. In nature, they regulate their body temperature by moving in and out of the sun or staying in their burrows during daytime. When it is cooler at night, they maintain their temperature by digging into soil which has been heated by the sun during the day. African Spurred tortoises spend much of the time digging their long burrows.

To mimic their natural environment, provide a cold spot and a hot spot for the tortoise. We mounted our lamps on two sides near Tun Tun's level. Each time we only turn on one lamp. There is also a cave so the tort can hide inside for cooler temp. Put up at least two thermometers near the tortoise level (make sure they cannot reach it though), one near the cold spot and one near the hot spot.

For me, the daytime temperature for the hot spot is around 30 – 33, cold spot is around 26-28C. For nighttime, hot spot around 26-29C, cold sport is around 25-27C. You may adjust the temperature by using different wattage ceramic heating bulbs or varying the height (put on top of the tank or mounted on the ceiling of the tank).

And remember, the temperature inside the cave is cooler unless you put the cave directly under the lamp. That will serve as another cold spot.

Tun Tun moves around to find a spot with temperature she likes. Sometimes she sleeps outside of her cave. Usually she stays inside though.

There are times I move sleeping baby Tun Tun into a colder or warmer spot. They suppose to do it on their own but she falls asleep after grazing (I can see her being very tired chewing the hay and fell asleep at her eating place). After she reached 100 g+, she is not as sound asleep and will move around to find a good spot.

Never use Heating pads and hot rocks for your tortoises as they may overheat. In nature, the heat source comes from the sun and the overhead heat is absorbed more effectively. Overheating is dangerous for your tortoise especially if you have a small tank. There is no way for the tortoise to move around to manage his body temperature.

底材 Bedding/Substrate (Eng. Only)

I used corncob for bedding since it is okay to be ingested. However, Sulcata Station asked us to avoid corncob because they “do not digest easily and can cause potentially fatal blockages if the tortoise eats enough of them”. I checked with the vet and he said it is ok to use corncob. Tun Tun eats at her eating tile usually so it should not be a problem. We may shift to grass hay when Tun Tun is older and the hay won’t be too sharp for her.

Corncob substrate is also easy to clean. We just need to scoop out the dirty part. Also it is free from small particles that may cause problem to Tun Tun’s respiratory system. I did not use paper pellets because they are similar in colour with Tun Tun’s feces so I miss a cleaning spot. And I worry about the small paper particles get into Tun Tun respiratory system.

When Tun Tun was very young and was on veggies, she ate her poo poo. I guess the indigestible thing still smells like veggies to her. I scooped out the poo poo a.s.a.p. to avoid her to ingest any corncob. I soaked her quite regularly and frequently so usually she did her business in water. Now that she has shifted to hay feeding, she shows no interest in her poo poo.

If you soak your tortoise regularly in a set time, he may defecate and urinate regularly during soaking so the substrate stays pretty clean. That is my experience.

Substrate should be changed regularly to avoid build up of microbes if your tortoise is messy. I would say every month to every 3 months depends on how clean your tortoise is.

More info:
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/substrates.html

性情 Temperament (Eng. Only)

Most of the time, Tun Tun is very timid, friendly and nosy. She may be frightened the first time she goes somewhere but will remember the place the next time and explore bravely.

She recognized the park the second time she went. She likes seeing the petals and will walk to places with bright colour. African spurred tortoises are quite visual and attracted to vivid images. One time I lined newspaper on the floor and let her walked on and she ran to the green section and took a bit in the air.

Tun told me that she is hungry by staying on her eating tile and looks up to me when I pass her. And she gives me a stare if I do something she does not like (e.g., wash her under warm tap water).

Sulcatas are active animals. They spend lot of time to burrow, climb and roam about, often in search of food. They are very strong animals and can be very destructive. An adult sulcata can move a piano. They can break down fences and even walls.

These animals are very visual and will get attracted to items with vivid colors (e.g., flower petals). Then they will try to move through anything between the attraction and themselves.

When the tortoises are in heat they can be very noisy. Both males and females get aggressive as they aged.

小心其他動物及跌到 Watch out for Other Animals and Falling (Eng. Only)

Keep your tortoise away from other animals especially dogs. After many years of living together peacefully still does not guarantee the safety of your tortoise. There was a case that after 7 years of living together, the dog suddenly saw the tort as a chew toy.

I have Tun Tun in her cage at a level my dog cannot reach. My dog does not jump (she never trained to and she has problem on her hip). I still hold her on the sofa and then watch Tun Tun if Tun Tun takes her walk in the house. When the weather is good, I just take Tun Tun out.

Be careful not to drop your tortoise or leave it in places where he may fall. Tun Tun walked to the flower without noticing she was on a table one time. I don’t know what will happen if I was not watching her all the time.

I am always near Tun Tun while she is at the park. In case the eagle or seagull is interested in her. She may walk into places with bird’s poo or eat the leaves (with pesticide?) on the ground. She also walks fast when she is out so if I don’t watch her carefully, she will disappear.

I read articles on owner not watching their tort while they walk and if they are walking in the house, it is likely that they will hide under the fridge where there is warmth. If they are outside, it is hard to find them.

獸醫檢查（三）Return Visit to the Vet (Eng. Only)

Her return visit to the vet was not really necessary. We were not sure if a second de-worm was needed. Anyways, the vet was happy to see Tun Tun‘s change and this time the de-worm was done on skin. The vet showed us the study on topical application and we chose not to have the injection. It can be applied on the shoulder or at the back. It is better to do it on the back cause if the tort retracts, the medicine will get into his eyes. That was what happened to Tun Tun.

The vet then needed to rinse Tun’s eyes with saline water. Poor Tun Tun. Although the vet was careless about this, we can still see his love to Tun Tun because he kept apologizing to Tun Tun in a very soft voice.

獸醫檢查（二）How Tun Tun Turned Out (Eng. Only)

It was after a few days I thought about the changes I had made to her environment before the time she stopped eating. I had cut out a long strip of opaque window sticker to block Tun Tun back’s view (to the park). It was because I read info on the web saying that will be safer for tortoises that they are not used to the concept of glass and may walk into it and hurt themselves. Then I removed the sticker. Tun Tun can walk and “climb” on the glass and she looked like she was running in the treadmill in a gym again. She loves doing that in the morning. We also take her out for a walk in the living room every night with the heater turn on. It was still too cold outside. I should pick my tortoise in the spring/summer instead. I got Tun Tun in late November although I know that is not a good time getting a baby tortoise. Even with all the equipments we had trying to mimic her natural environment, it will be hard for her to compact the weather when she is sick.

A few days after we removed the sticker and increased Tun Tun’s activity level, Tun Tun started eating again. Her weight went up slowly.

In conclusion, Tun Tun is very sensitive to any small change in her environment. When there is something wrong with your tortoise, you need to think carefully on what you did or did not do. These can affect the tortoise.

Hatchling Failure Syndrome (Eng. Only)

After I did some research on the web, I was suspecting Tun Tun had hatchling failure syndrome. I discussed this with the vet and he said it was possible. Luckily we found out the cause in a few days.

But here is some info on this topic.

http://www.sulcata-station.org/hatchfail.html

獸醫檢查（一）First Visit to the Vet (Eng. Only)

It was after we had Tun Tun for a month then she became “ill”. She had not eaten for a few days. I have no idea why she just stopped eating. I took her to the vet. The vet asked about the setting and her diet, her behavior etc. and everything seemed normal. Since African Spurred Tortoise is prone to respiratory infection and stones, the vet gave Tun Tun antibiotics for the respiratory infection and de-wormed her just in case. Some websites recommended to deworm a tortoise after getting them from a pet store. The vet also did an x ray of Tun to make sure there was no stone formation. There was no stone and since Tun Tun had not eaten for so long, she got gas in her stomach. The vet used a tube and inserted it into her stomach and forced feed Tun some vitamin and minerals. Or course Tun Tun did not like that.

The vet also commented that tortoise would do okay without eating for more than a week or so. But I still worried a lot as she shows no interest of food. Tun Tun had been a big eater all along. She adapted to the new environment so well and I was able to hand feed her veggies the first night she came.

The vet gave us some antibiotics to take home. We were supposed to inject that into Tun Tun’s shoulder every 3 days. Her skin is tough to puncture and we also need to be aware how much the needle can go in.

Tun Tun came from US captive breeder so it should be a safe source. Parasites should not be too much of a problem unless she contracted some disease from the pet store… I did not see her blowing bubbles from her nose… I went through all possibilities and could not find out the reason. Other than not eating, she seemed normal. She seemed very happy and active when going out for a walk too.

How Tun Tun Traveled to the Vet (Eng. Only)

It was winter when Tun Tun needed to travel to the vet. I bought a small deposable heat pad and wrapped it with a handkerchief. I tested the temperature making sure that it won’t burn Tun Tun. Then I put all these in a small paper box with holes we punctured with a pen on top and on the sides of a box. So Tun Tun could stay warm during the one hour trip. But we should not puncture holes near her level as the paper that stick in from the puncture may hurt her when we move. I also saw Tun Tun biting that paper bit during traveling too.

more on transporting tortoises:

http://www.tortoisegroup.org/index.php

暖燈及紫外線燈 Heat Source and UV Light (Eng. Only)

It is a good idea to expose your tortoise to some real sunlight even if you have UVB bulb. No UVB bulb can compare to the sun. Tortoise needs the sun and vitamin D to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). I have also heard that the sun exposure can accumulate. That means if a tortoise should bask 1 hr a day, it is the same as giving in 3 hours on two days and 1 hour another day in a week. I am not sure about if this is true though.





The following site is a very good one and it clears up my confusion on lighting. Please take your time to read it.





http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/lighting.html

During my visit to the vet, the vet told me that most UVB bulbs are not doing what they claimed on the labels. I also came across a site testing the bulbs.

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/

Their reports on diff UVB light are very long. I never read them all. I just asked my vet to see if my light is ok. He got a meter to measure too. So I just stick to that brand. It is better to use a good brand. Also those mercury light bulbs that claim to provide heat and light are no good. They are not durable and will die after you turn on and off frequently. I bought many before knowing that and they only lasted for around a month.

So get a good brand for the UVB light bulb and have a separate heat source. Ceramic heating bulbs work really well and they last for a long time. Some people have thermostat to control the temperature in the tank.
You may use a timer to set the light to mimic the sunlight. I turn on my light at 7 am and shut off around 7 pm. Give them 8 – 12 hour of UVB exposure. Half of the time, Tun Tun stay in her cave though.
I have a UVA bulb for Tun Tun too.

More info:
http://russiantortoise.org/uvb.htm
http://zoomed.com/Library/ProductDBFiles/Reptiles%20and%20UVB.pdf (info on UVA and UVB)
http://www.hkherp.org/newforum/viewthread.php?tid=3499&extra=page%3D8 (Chinese 紫外线的波段-UVA/B/C/D)

- 洞穴＋反轉瓷磚 Cave + Upside Down Tile

我初時給盾盾買了一個小小的人工洞穴藏身，但幾個月後便不合用了。現在買給牠的那個比牠大很多，最少可用上半年。中午及晚間，盾盾都很喜歡躲在洞穴睡覺。盾臂龜在大自然中會自己掘地洞去躲避正午的太陽，只會在日間其他時段曬太陽。
Provide the tortoise a hiding place. I bought Tun Tun a small cave when she first came. Then she outgrew it in a few months so now I get her a very big cave which should last for at least half a year. Tun Tun loves to sleep inside the cave in the evening and her afternoon nap. In nature, they will burrow and hide there to avoid the sun. They do basking during daytime but will avoid the hottest sun around noon.

溫度低時，盾盾會在洞穴外睡覺以從暖燈中吸取更多熱力。有時太倦也會在洞口睡了。

Sometimes Tun Tun sleeps outside her cave to get more heat from the lamp when the temp is low. Sometimes she falls asleep just outside of her cave when she is very tired.

我在箱子中放了一塊反轉的瓷磚（較粗）供牠磨指甲及作吃東西的地方。牠肚餓時便在那裡伸伸頭望著我。
I also put an upside down tile (so the surface is coarser) for Tun to scratch on. That serves as an eating place for her as well.

準備到公園玩 Traveling to the Park (Eng. Only)

I bought a gas cushion basket and line it with a handkerchief and put Tun Tun in. In “cold” weather, I wrap a disposable heat pad with the handkerchief. Then I cover her lightly with a fish filter cotton. It only takes me 5 min to walk to the park downstairs. Tun Tun likes to go to the park and will get very excited in the elevator. You can see her walking very happily in the park.

I only take Tun out when the temperature reaches 23 or higher with no wind. Also if it is 23 C, I pick a time when the sun is high in the sky so the actual temperature may be around 25C.

In summer time, they can only go out in the early morning or in the late afternoon. Otherwise they might get a heat stroke and may get dehydrated easily. Tun Tun has not gone through her first summer but the sale person in the pet shop told me that it is hard to recover a tortoise with heat stroke. So we need to be careful.

濕度 Humidity (Eng. Only)

Most people suggested a dry environment to prevent pyramiding but studies suggest the opposite. Tortoises raised in environments with 45-99% humidity had less pyramiding than those raised in drier conditions. Well, it makes sense since the natural outside environment (desert) is dry but inside the burrow, it is very humid. Even the vet did not know about this and I printed it out for him.

High humidity should not be a problem unless you are fogging your tank. That will lead to other micro or ventilation problem for the tortoise. There are times when the weather is very humid, some people put in boxes of dehumidifier. Make sure the tortoise won’t eat the silicone.

The substrate should somewhat regulate the humidity too. Still watch out for mould/micro problem if it is very humid. When the weather is very dry, I put moistened cotton pad on top of Tun Tun’s cave to increase the moisture level of the air.

- 種植食物和車前草 Plant and Herb

天氣回暖後，我打算種這草給盾盾作零食。
When the weather is warmer, I am planing to plant this for Tun Tun as a snack.

***後記: 種子可能放久了，沒有發芽。
Unfortunately the seeds did not sprout when I tried planting them in the summer.





　
車前草有助排石，我用熱水浸乾車前草，取其汁液，放涼後給盾盾浸浴。

The herb Plantain supposed to help rid of stones . I soaked the dried form in hot water, get the extract and soak Tun Tun with it after it is cooled.

也找到新鮮的車前草，但不知是否適合盾盾。
I found the fresh form too but not sure if it is ok to give to Tun Tun.