Rehoming tortoises - A busy month for our rescue room

New arrivals in The Reptile Room and a house full of tortoises!

Oh my goodness what a month we have had! It started with the arrival of five tortoise surrendered to us - five tortoises with very different size, temperament and housing needs - Then came baby crested geckos followed by so.many.tadpoles!

Meet our new babies

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Miss Ruby and Pippin have welcomed two gorgeous

new babies - Emerald and Onyx, both potential lilly whites.

Ladybug and Severus have also welcomed two new babies - Nettle and Rose, both little harlequins

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Our trio of Dendrobates Auratus Super Blues have produced ten viable eggs who are on the verge of popping out into tadpoles - this is especially exciting as they only produced three babies last year. They are a beautiful species and i cant wait to watch them grow out.

Our rescue torts

Going into July I had very limited experience with tortoises, other than Timmy, our red foot that is. When we took in five new species I had to write down each torts needs on their vivarium doors to remind me of their individual needs. I've learnt so much over the last few weeks regarding diet, heating and lighting - one might say it was a baptism of fire - but with research and by reaching out to the right contacts we have made it thorough and all five have now been rehomed.

Luckily for me, my favourite of the bunch - Marjorie the Marginated tortoise - went first; I was absolutely planning on keeping her as she's just the cutest little thing! But it would have been unwise as she had the potential to infect all my other tortoises with a fatal herpes virus. Marjorie went to a wonderful home, her new owners already have a Marginated tortoise with a fully planted outdoor run for them both to explore at their leisure.

My second favorite, Jimmy the Sulcata went a few days later - oh it pained me to let Jimmy go as he fit right in with our family immediately, but again I had to put my head ahead of my heart - Jimmy will get very big (8.5 stone by 100 years old) and he doesn't brumate which means I'd have to provide heating and lighting all year round. Id also have to build a larger and more secure tortoise garden to keep him safe from wandering off. Right now he is the same size as Timmy, the two got along great; they would sleep together, eat together and wander together. But within a year Jimmy would eclipse Timmy's size and it would no longer be safe to keep them together. So with a heavy heart we let Jimmy go to a fantastic owner who will give him over an acre of land to roam freely, as well as a heated shed for the colder months.

Next to go to their new homes were Bowser and Sheldon. They went to friends on the same day, Bowser even had an offer from a zoo in Germany to be a stud for their three females, but at only 18 years of age it was decided that it would have been too stressful a move for him. Instead he will remain a much beloved pet for the next few decades with a large heated shed just for him, a large outdoor area to explore and three dogs to chase!

Sheldon was collected at the same time, Sheldon is a fantastic tortoise who needed to

be the only tortoise in someones house/collection. As Horsefields also carry the herpes virus that is fatal to other tortoises he could not be allowed out into my tortoise garden - I had to protect the other torts in my care. We let in out in the front garden for a run in the sun but it wasn't enough; he deserved more. As our front garden is not secure Sheldon could never be left unsupervised and as the carer of three extra needs children I could not spend the time that he needed outside with him. I'm absolutely delighted that Sheldon has found the home that he deserves.

And then there is Hershel; our Hermans tortoise. Hershel is a lovely little guy, hes been enjoying spending time out in the tort enclosure with Jimmy and Timmy these last sunny days. Hershel loves human companionship and actively seeks us out for fuss. Literally the only reason Hershel is not staying with us is that his personality has been eclipsed by Timmy and Jimmy, like Sheldon he needs a home where he will be cherished as the only tortoise in the family. He's great in his own right and deserves a chance to shine.

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Our Red Foot Tortoise Timmy fits into our home perfectly; he gets on well with our cats and dog, he's great with kids, he loves to roam the house freely on a rainy day and enjoys running around our garden enclosure on warm days. He will brumate in the winter so we wont have the burden of heating and lighting him when the energy bills rise for Christmas. His diet is easy to manage as I grow vegetables specifically for him, he enjoys eggs from our chickens and sneaking into the utility room to eat our dogs food if the door is left ajar. He runs to greet us when we come home and sulks if we are gone for too long, he loves his shell being rubbed and wiggles his bum when hes happy.

Timmy's a character and he will be with us for our entire lives. When we pass he will live with one of our children.

So what have I learned this past month?

I have learnt that tortoises are not a one size fits all pet - if you want a tortoise you need to do the research and find the best species that fits your family.....

Can you handle something big, or do you want a smaller species?

Can you afford to heat them over winter?

Are you responsible and knowledgeable enough to put a tortoise into brumation and wake them when needed?

Do you have a large secure garden to offer larger species the space they need to wander safely?

Do you have someone who can take your tortoise as you reach the end of your life - as most tortoises will outlive you.

Do you have other torts that could become sick if you took in an incompatible species?

Do you have access to the correct foods specific for each tortoise's needs?

I grow veggies for Timmy in my garden but Jimmy could not eat cabbage, nor could he eat mushrooms or fruits. Sheldon, Jimmy and Hershel loved weeds so I had to let my side garden go wild so that I had enough grasses and weeds to satisfy him. Timmy, our red foot wanders freely in our house when its cold, he likes to eat the dog food which is fine for him but could be dangerous for Jimmy, Sheldon or Hershel.

These are all questions you need to ask yourself BEFORE adopting a tortoise.

So again, the main takeaway from this experience is that tortoises are a fantastic pet, but they are not suitable for everyone. I'd highly recommend them to anyone who has done the research and found the right species for them. But you have to know what you are getting yourself into.