Hall of Fame 
Share
Please stop and have a look at our little torts.
Eddie and Gangy were 1 year old on at the beginning of July 2009.
Our Home
As a birthday present this year Ed and Gang had a nice new solid pine tortoise table built for them. Tortoise tables are generally perceived as the preferred choice of indoor habitat for tortoises for many reasons. Two of the main reasons for the use of the tortoise table are :
1) Better Ventilation - helping to prevent respiratory diseases.
2) Block their view - Tortoises actually settle better in their enclosure. If kept in a glass fronted vivarium then they can see out and often they will pace along the front glass all day looking for a way out!
To Find out more about tortoise table and enclosures in general follow this link: http://www.tortoise-world.com/ then follow the 'Housing' link.
Other equipment
Heating
Heating the enclosure is a thermostatically controlled ceramic bulb (60w). This will maintain the temperature over a desired area, but also allow a cooler area at the other end. This temperature gradient varies between 23 and 32 degrees celcius. Equipment used for the heating consists of a Habistat pulse proportional thermostat, connected to a heat resistant lamp holder and reflector with the 60w exoterra ceramic bulb.
Lighting
Arcadia 15w T8 lighting unit (same as used in aquarium application) connected to an exoterra repti-glo 10.0, 15W, T8 florescent tube. This lamp has a reflector directing the light into the required area.
Also a normal lamp is fitted to shine over the cooler end of the table to enhance light. This adds little temperature and is only a 12w lamp from Ikea.
Timers
We have digital timers to regulate their daily patterns. The heating system and florescent tube come on together at 7:30am (GMT). this will help get the torts up in the morning and direct them get to the basking area. At 9:30am the Ikea lamp will switch on giving a daytime effect to the table. At 8pm the Ikea lamp will turn off to help simulate a sunset before 8:30pm when the heating and florescent tube turning off.
All of our equipment was brought from Eurorep : www.eurorep.net
Husbandry
Food
We collect wild weeds and grow our own from T-lady seed mix brought from www.Herbiseed.com. For a good downloadable leaflet on recognising tortoise safe weeds follow this link:
http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/Diet.htm#plantlist. It is also very important to use a vitamin and mineral supplement to their food at every feed. To do this first wash your plants, to get them damp all over, then sprinkle the powder over the food. Getting the food items wet will allow the powder to stick to them. We use Nutrobal vitamin and mineral supplement. It is also worth adding a piece of cuttlefish bone into the enclosure, the tortoises will nibble this from time to time to get some calcium, you can also scrap some bone off in a powder form to sprinkle over the food as well.
Drink
Tortoises need area to be able to drink from at all times. This can be provided by using a shallow plant pot saucer full with water.
Baths
Recomended at one a day to ensure the lack of urate build up (see our pictures to see how we do it!). Use warm water. Urates are excreated by the tortoise in the form of a white paste like substance. This will not happen every time, but will now and again. Ensure that the urated have not become too hard/gritty on a regular basis as this could show a lack of hydration and lead to fatal kidney stone formation.
Our torts do have an outdoor enclosure, which we use when possible. They can not be kept out there all the time for fear of them being stolen.
Our final word of advice would be to get involved with keeping these cool animals - they can be really rewarding!
Thanks for stopping! The section below is for updates on their life, please have a read.
The Torts Story!
22/07/09 – Ed and Gang would like to thank everybody for visiting the site, and helping them to achieve the award of being in the top 10 Earth Cams. Over 1100 visits to the site in less than a week also make them very happy torts. Thank you!!!
24/07/09
Our light has broken! The tortoise's UVB light has decided to meet its makers. We will be getting a replacemnt either today or tommrow. Sorry for any problem looking at these little dudes!
26/07/09
Here at the tortoise lounge we have been designing a new enclosure..........and here it is.
We have finally built them a tortoise table style enclosure, please see pictures showing them going in for the first time.
We think they like it, but they now have a large hide - that they are spending a long time in. So if you do not see them out and about you will have to try later. Investigations into extra cameras is under way. Let us know what you think of their new home!
02/08/09
Ed and Gang have now settled in to their new home, and are enjoying the larger area to plod around in. The new 'Hide' area is now their new bedroom and is already being used.
New info added to the page on lots of different issues, please comment on this if you have time.
Again we would like to thank you for visiting as we have had over 3500 visitors to the site in just over two weeks!
29/08/09 - New Tortoises!!!! Please welcome Tilly and Flo to the Tortoise Lounge! These guys had been planned for a while now as we want to rear a breading group for the future! Tilly and Flo are smaller than Ed and Gang, so you should be able to spot them. When in the eggs they were incubated at a temperature that should increase their chances of turning out as girls! So maybe mums of the future. Pictures to follow!
26/10/09 - Due to a house move, the tortoise lounge will be out of action for the next few weeks. Please come back to visit soon!
Sorry if you really wanted to see the guys, I can assure you that they are all doing very well.
If you would like to comment or receive updates about the tortoises by giving us your email address then contact:
[email protected]
Eddie and Gangy were 1 year old on at the beginning of July 2009.
Our Home
As a birthday present this year Ed and Gang had a nice new solid pine tortoise table built for them. Tortoise tables are generally perceived as the preferred choice of indoor habitat for tortoises for many reasons. Two of the main reasons for the use of the tortoise table are :
1) Better Ventilation - helping to prevent respiratory diseases.
2) Block their view - Tortoises actually settle better in their enclosure. If kept in a glass fronted vivarium then they can see out and often they will pace along the front glass all day looking for a way out!
To Find out more about tortoise table and enclosures in general follow this link: http://www.tortoise-world.com/ then follow the 'Housing' link.
Other equipment
Heating
Heating the enclosure is a thermostatically controlled ceramic bulb (60w). This will maintain the temperature over a desired area, but also allow a cooler area at the other end. This temperature gradient varies between 23 and 32 degrees celcius. Equipment used for the heating consists of a Habistat pulse proportional thermostat, connected to a heat resistant lamp holder and reflector with the 60w exoterra ceramic bulb.
Lighting
Arcadia 15w T8 lighting unit (same as used in aquarium application) connected to an exoterra repti-glo 10.0, 15W, T8 florescent tube. This lamp has a reflector directing the light into the required area.
Also a normal lamp is fitted to shine over the cooler end of the table to enhance light. This adds little temperature and is only a 12w lamp from Ikea.
Timers
We have digital timers to regulate their daily patterns. The heating system and florescent tube come on together at 7:30am (GMT). this will help get the torts up in the morning and direct them get to the basking area. At 9:30am the Ikea lamp will switch on giving a daytime effect to the table. At 8pm the Ikea lamp will turn off to help simulate a sunset before 8:30pm when the heating and florescent tube turning off.
All of our equipment was brought from Eurorep : www.eurorep.net
Husbandry
Food
We collect wild weeds and grow our own from T-lady seed mix brought from www.Herbiseed.com. For a good downloadable leaflet on recognising tortoise safe weeds follow this link:
http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/Diet.htm#plantlist. It is also very important to use a vitamin and mineral supplement to their food at every feed. To do this first wash your plants, to get them damp all over, then sprinkle the powder over the food. Getting the food items wet will allow the powder to stick to them. We use Nutrobal vitamin and mineral supplement. It is also worth adding a piece of cuttlefish bone into the enclosure, the tortoises will nibble this from time to time to get some calcium, you can also scrap some bone off in a powder form to sprinkle over the food as well.
Drink
Tortoises need area to be able to drink from at all times. This can be provided by using a shallow plant pot saucer full with water.
Baths
Recomended at one a day to ensure the lack of urate build up (see our pictures to see how we do it!). Use warm water. Urates are excreated by the tortoise in the form of a white paste like substance. This will not happen every time, but will now and again. Ensure that the urated have not become too hard/gritty on a regular basis as this could show a lack of hydration and lead to fatal kidney stone formation.
Our torts do have an outdoor enclosure, which we use when possible. They can not be kept out there all the time for fear of them being stolen.
Our final word of advice would be to get involved with keeping these cool animals - they can be really rewarding!
Thanks for stopping! The section below is for updates on their life, please have a read.
The Torts Story!
22/07/09 – Ed and Gang would like to thank everybody for visiting the site, and helping them to achieve the award of being in the top 10 Earth Cams. Over 1100 visits to the site in less than a week also make them very happy torts. Thank you!!!
24/07/09
Our light has broken! The tortoise's UVB light has decided to meet its makers. We will be getting a replacemnt either today or tommrow. Sorry for any problem looking at these little dudes!
26/07/09
Here at the tortoise lounge we have been designing a new enclosure..........and here it is.
We have finally built them a tortoise table style enclosure, please see pictures showing them going in for the first time.
We think they like it, but they now have a large hide - that they are spending a long time in. So if you do not see them out and about you will have to try later. Investigations into extra cameras is under way. Let us know what you think of their new home!
02/08/09
Ed and Gang have now settled in to their new home, and are enjoying the larger area to plod around in. The new 'Hide' area is now their new bedroom and is already being used.
New info added to the page on lots of different issues, please comment on this if you have time.
Again we would like to thank you for visiting as we have had over 3500 visitors to the site in just over two weeks!
29/08/09 - New Tortoises!!!! Please welcome Tilly and Flo to the Tortoise Lounge! These guys had been planned for a while now as we want to rear a breading group for the future! Tilly and Flo are smaller than Ed and Gang, so you should be able to spot them. When in the eggs they were incubated at a temperature that should increase their chances of turning out as girls! So maybe mums of the future. Pictures to follow!
26/10/09 - Due to a house move, the tortoise lounge will be out of action for the next few weeks. Please come back to visit soon!
Sorry if you really wanted to see the guys, I can assure you that they are all doing very well.
If you would like to comment or receive updates about the tortoises by giving us your email address then contact:
[email protected]
°F
Feels like
°F
Humidity 0%
Wind mph
Gust 0.0 mph
Visibility miles
