Hi, My name is cheddar,
I first became interested in tortoises as pets about 10 years ago when I worked as an instructor at a local science center. The center kept several species of tortoises on loan from the local tortoise trust as an exhibit. While I now know that we didn't keep them in the greatest of conditions...(sigh) I did find them to be way more personable and interesting than I expected to.
After several years of jealous tortoise watching at local zoos, etc, and some changes in our family pet load (we used to nearly have a zoo here, but as kids aged, mom went back to work full time, and we got out of small farming....) there was time and energy to try something new. So about a year ago I got my very own tortoises. I had originally planned on a Russian, since I had always seen hatchlings for sale at reptile shows and I knew I could provide for their care. But when I got to the reptile show, no young Russians!
I brought home a hatchling Hermann's and we named it Nutmeg.
She is living in an "under the bed" storage box, on a substrate of coco fiber and sand. She has several large rocks in her enclosure and a house made out of a gourd shell. She has a T-rex mercury vapor bulb for indoors, but I often put her enclosure (with heavy guage screening over it) on a little red wagon and she goes outside to catch real sun.
she is kept on a diet of weeds (we live in South Carolina and have weeds year round) with a cuttle bone always available, limestone flour shaken on her food a few times a week. Once a week I supplement with reptile vitamins, and once a week I sprinkle kelp powder over her weeds as well.
She is growing nicely and my entire family enjoys her tremendously.
She voluntarily bathes daily in her water dish.
I'll have my daughter help me post a couple of photos.
recently we adopted two adult Russian's who have some health issues from previous situations. They live outside in an enclosure, also live on weeds, and seem to have adjusted well.
I do plan to hibernate my torts this winter. I hibernated my Russian male last winter and he did fine(unheated room of house).
looking forward to getting to know you and your torts...
cheddar
