Unique With Character (Tortoise)

Member Name: DocDan3

Product:	Tortoise
Date:	11/08/09 (160 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Unique, Character, Easy To Look After, Entertaining

Disadvantages: Expensive To Buy, Equipment Needed

I have had a Tortoise for around 7 years now and he's turned out to be a great pet with much character. You can get many different tortoises from all over the world but I have a Hermans tortoise, which is from a desert habitat. I bought him when he was young and very small for over £100 as they aren't cheap. You need licensing too and mine was micro-chipped as well.

We used to think he had an obsession with white socks as he always bit my foot, but it turned out it's because I only ever wore white socks. I would sit by the desk and when he's out on the floor, he would get close to me to sniff them, then when I accidentally hit him with my feet, he uses it as an excuse to bite me.

This has escalated into biting me all the time no matter what. He has an obsession with feet and biting. He bites everything too, such as your finger when you put it near his mouth. If I leave him in a room with slippers on the floor, he attacks them, poos all over them and bites them. I'm not quite sure what his problem is, but I am considering sending him to anger management classes hehe.

Besdies this, he's a great pet. They are relatively easy to look after as they are vegetarians so only eat fruit and vegetables. You don't have to go out and buy them live insects like you do for other reptiles. Some things he can't eat though, such as certain lettuce varieties and other things are bad for him. Cucumber is an example of something totally pointless - it's like eating cardboard for them as it has no nutrients. A good diet consists of things like cabbage, carrot, dandelions, watercress, orange, apple and some other fruits. I mostly give him fruits and leaves every now and then but also give him a balanced diet of dry food produced by T-Rex, which is nutritional.

My tortoise has a great appetite so will eat anything. He has even eaten bread in the past, but I'd be careful and obviously don't feed them meat as they can't digest it. As for shelter, mine lives in a glass tank with some woodchips as the turf. He has a few things such as rocks and other decorations as well as water and feeding bowls. They are not great drinkers and will only do so every now and then. They should be let out for exercise and most people keep tortoises outside, but beware that they can dig and escape! We bought a rabbit hutch for my tortoise, that can be placed on solid ground so it's safe.

Most tortoises hibernate during the winter months, however the Hermans one doesn't. He is out and about all year round so you get to see him all the time. He's a fantastic pet and has a good personality apart from his biting issue. He's quite clever too and likes to chase you around trying to bite your feet. I'd recommend a tortoise as a pet as they are easy to look after, very unique and have a great character!

Thanks for reading,

Dan ©

Summary: A great pet, which is really unique and has a great personality