Makeover

Today I have been busy doing a tortoise house makeover. I had read that they need a micro climate analogous to their natural habitat. The sunlight and heat is easy, using uv tubes and heat lamps but the substrate less so.

Fizz, pictured, is a Mediterranean Spur Thigh and he's about 4 years old now. He has until today been grounded on woodchip and before that, veggie pellets. According to the Tortoise health gurus this is no good. What he needs is a 50/50 loam and play sand mix. So thats what he's got along with a terracotta tile and a modified plant pot shelter.

What he should do is bury himself and only come out to eat but he's that excited all he's done is race around banging his shell on the glass and walks. This whilst we are trying to catch up on Dragon"s Den.

Originally there were two baby tortoises (both bred in captivity and certified as such) but Whizz had worms from the pet shop and died very early on. They were to offset Empty Nest Syndrome for Jayne when my Step Daughter left home. Fizz's name is a corruption of Physco, a childhood pet, who was actually called Psycho. One of Jayne's sisters spent ages doing an embroidery of the pet but misspelt the name.

Anyway, let's hope he settles down and enjoys his newly refurbished home.