A new subtrate

I've been having trouble with the soil that I get no matter where I get it I'm finding bit's of rubble or plastic etc in it. So ive decided to change what the tortoises have in there tables. After researching it what I found to be more cost affective aswell as easier to move around was Coco Coir. I bought a large bail that when it turned up wasnt as large as I thought. I put the 60 litre bail into a big plastic tube and filled it with water and left it soaking over night. When I woke up in the morning ready to do the swap it had expanded massively enough to fill 3 tables. One thing I like is its not a dirty subtrate it just washes off your hands easily that combined with its ability to hold water make it superior in my opinion. The tortoises love it and all I have to do is every 2 or 3 days pour about 3 litre's into it and move it around which keeps it moist and the tortoises happy. Coco Coir doesnt have any pieces or rubbish in it so is safe.

Rehoming Gaston and Belle

Wow...it's been quite a while since my last post but I have a good bit to talk about. I'll will spread it out over a post or two. First of all, I have taken in two lovely hermanns both aged about seven. Belle and Gaston are lovely and much bigger than Handsome Bob and Khalessi. It gives me a good idea on how big they will all get to be. To my surprise, after them being there for a day or two, Belle started acting strangely. She was walking up and down, kicking dirt out of the way and digging a big hole. Once I saw the big hole, I realised she was trying to lay eggs. Excited at the idea, I took out Gaston so he didn't disturb her and added extra soil to make sure it was deep enough to keep her satisfied and then left her to it.

Coming home, I saw she was sitting there where the hole was and a white golf ball like thing was next to her. I heated up her bath and let her soak for a while as the egg laying process is supposed to be quite strenuous and this should hopefully make her feel better. I've read online about the egg laying process and there are a few who say if she doesn't bury it, then its not fertile. After a bit of digging where the hole was, I found three other eggs and gently removed them and marked them on top so I knew how to place them. As for the egg that wasn't buried, only time will tell. In my next post, I will show you how I made the incubator out of an polystyrene box, a lunch box and a small heat mat which all basically cost nothing and will hopefully in a few months prove fruitful.