Horse Field Tortoise

[JT-SCFC-1912]

My misses wants to get a horse field tortoise, has anybody got one? or has anybody kept these or any other tortoise?

Maybe a stupid question in regards to illness, do you self treat them like fish OR is it something you'd have to take to vets?, what illnesses do they get?

 

[phoenixgsd]

yes i have a few hermanns, not sure if im allowed to send you a link to a tortoise facebook page, but its billys tortoises if you want to look there are a few horsefeilds on there for sale also rescues and owners meet and chat, males are quite agressive towards each other when mature so if you get a male just get one, never keep a tort (unless a red or yellowfoot) in a viv, always on a table with overhead heat/UV/light, as for illnesess they always have to go to a reptile vet, if your confident to worm yourself you can, horsefeilds eat weeds and some plants, check the tortoise table website for a list of plants, never feed tomato or cucumber ect

 

[JT-SCFC-1912]

yes i have a few hermanns, not sure if im allowed to send you a link to a tortoise facebook page, but its billys tortoises if you want to look there are a few horsefeilds on there for sale also rescues and owners meet and chat, males are quite agressive towards each other when mature so if you get a male just get one, never keep a tort (unless a red or yellowfoot) in a viv, always on a table with overhead heat/UV/light, as for illnesess they always have to go to a reptile vet, if your confident to worm yourself you can, horsefeilds eat weeds and some plants, check the tortoise table website for a list of plants, never feed tomato or cucumber ect

Thanks Phoenix, will check it out. Are they expensive to look after?, vets bills etc

 

[phoenixgsd]

once you have a table, bought or homemade, lights ect they are relitvely cheap to keep as they eat weeds, however IF they get ill it can be expensive, vets vary greatly, but if you look after it well it will thrive, ive had mine 8 years and never needed a vet, mine have a indoor and outdoor enclosure

 

[phoenixgsd]

horsefields are also exempt from needing a A10 certificate

 

[CoryLover95]

In answer to your vet question, yes.  I have a Russian Tortoise and whenever she gets sick we take her right to an exotic vet.  I don't know about horsefields, but I need to give my tortoise an internal parasite/worm vaccine every 6 months because she goes outside a lot.  (All tortoises have a certain amount of internal parasites/worms but you need to clean them out before it gets to dangerous levels.  Being outside (i.e. being in contact with more parasites/worms) means that torts pick up more nasty stuff and therefore have to  be inoculated every 6 months to a year.)

yes i have a few hermanns, not sure if im allowed to send you a link to a tortoise facebook page, but its billys tortoises if you want to look there are a few horsefeilds on there for sale also rescues and owners meet and chat, males are quite agressive towards each other when mature so if you get a male just get one, never keep a tort (unless a red or yellowfoot) in a viv, always on a table with overhead heat/UV/light, as for illnesess they always have to go to a reptile vet, if your confident to worm yourself you can, horsefeilds eat weeds and some plants, check the tortoise table website for a list of plants, never feed tomato or cucumber ect

Thanks Phoenix, will check it out. Are they expensive to look after?, vets bills etc

I know mine is!  Aside from the vet bills, my tort's bedding/food/cage added up to way more than my other pets.  Plus the time you give--I sit outside and let my tort run for 30 min-1 hour a day.  Also need regular baths and fresh food.  (I'm talking about Russians here as an example...don't take my advice for your horsefield!)