Hello,
I recently adopted this 5 year old tortoise from a family member who I learned had him, didn't really know how to take care of him, and hadn't been treating him too well. He was fed semi-regularly only romaine lettus, had no water bowl in his tank, no calcium supplements, no heat lamp and only uvb bulb. I think he occasionally was getting a soak. He was kept in a 3x2 ft tank with only coconut substrate.
What are your thoughts on his shell health?
Was this neglect? I'm taking him to the vet this next week. He is very friendly, curious, and wants to go explore. I am trying to pamper him, so I am in the process of making him a 6x4 ft enclosure, getting an outdoor movable fence for supervised outdoor time at parks I know aren't treated w fertilizer/pesticides, and am going to make his old tank a bioactive enrichment tank with safe plants. I got the calcium supplements, plan to mix safe dirt with the coconut bedding for better burrowing (he had not been observed digging before), dried flower tortoise treats, dandelion greens to mix with his romaine lettus (though I plan to switch the greens each week), a heat lamp, a water bowl, a tub for 2x weekly soaking, and some cork bark to try to give him something to engage with until I can build his new home this weekend.
Any other ideas for what i should get him? What makes tortoises happy? What would be in a dream tortoise enclosure?
Thanks for reading my monolog. I just really love this little guy and his sassy personality.