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That's devastating. I can't even imagine the agony. I hope you're doing okay.

Thank you! Glad you are enjoying the videos :) Yes, I just try not to curse too much in these videos because I'd like young tortoise owners to feel comfortable watching them with their parents if need be

Glad you enjoyed the video!

@@MelissammsNo , Thank You once again ...

Thats super kind. Thank you.

Broccoli is a bit higher in sugar so not great all the time. He also eats lots of bok choi, cucumber, and dandelion. My substrate now as of writing this is pure coconut coir to help prevent sinus infections.

​​@@Melissammsyou mention clipping his nails. Can you do a video on that? Also, is it normal, in your opinion for his poo a bit soft/wet?

@@aprilpotter3054 Yeah, I can do a video on clipping his nails and beak soon. I'm not an expert or doctor, but as long as his poop seems to have form to it and isn't runny like diarrhea you are probably okay. Boris will occasionally drink more or less water and it changes his poop

@@Melissamms tyvm

This is now an older video and he's still with me and in perfect health. Never kept water in there. Just give him baths, cucumbers or other watery food, and drinks when I take him outside. I monitor his poop every day and always have and he is very obviously hydrated. Maybe doesnt work for you but I take him for check-ups every sixth months and he's the healthiest tortoise patient she has. So no. I dont put water in there and he's still hydrated.

Thank you for adding this. I do try to keep mine at least that deep.

Congrats on your new friend! I am going to post an update video on Boris soon since I have a new, slightly better setup. I spray the substrate occasionally. My humidity hovers around 40% (which may not be perfect). Truthfully, I dont monitor my humidity very carefully but I am very vigilant about looking at his droppings, activity levels, and sexual activity (he masturbates a lot lol). Since getting my new setup and switching his diet a bit he has been THRIVING. After having him for four years now, I'm quite confident when he is feeling well and when he's not so I don't worry about the humidity as long as I'm checking him for shell rot, giving weekly baths, and taking him to the vet regularly. I'm keeping a few cactus in there and that helps me remember to spray the substrate. Maybe once or twice a week. Mostly I just make sure I'm replacing and cleaning the substrate regularly. My box is decent at keeping in moisture so it doesn't dry out SUPER fast. I use coconut coir and organic potting soil as the substrate and that has worked well for him. My substrate is mostly coconut coir because he had a sinus infection a while back (very common) and the vet told me that dry dirt can get in their nostrils and exacerbate the problem. After that, I was more careful to use majority coconut coir in the enclosure. Sorry for the long paragraphs. I'm not a perfect pet owner and still learning but he has a clean bill of health, has gained weight, and appears happy so I just want to share what has worked for me. EDIT: Also, I would recommend getting him into cuttlebone early. Boris never tried cuttlebone until recently and though I can clip his nails, his beak has been a problem and he never developed a taste for cuttlebone from his old owners so his beak is a bit out of control. I am vegan so I sought out cuttlebone suppliers who do not fish their cuttlebone but instead find it on beaches (more sustainable, not killing cuttlefish that way). It has been quite a slog trying to get him to try this new addition to his diet. Again, sorry for the long response lol

@@Melissamms Well firstly thanks for all the information you have shared, very informative and helpful of you, this will help me alot , i will go with the substrate you are using, to help prevent any mishaps with the nostrils being blocked or irritated, it can be daunting being a new tortoise owner, i took for granted all the pros and cons. But I’m glad I’ve looked around, researched, asked this or that, and wanting to improve in all fields. Thanks for the cuttlebone knowledge to, i bought like a care package, that has dried flowers, pellets, cactus, cuttlebone and alot more, i received this yesterday, i didn’t even no cuttlebone was for reducing the beak until you said, so thanks again. Only a new owner of two weeks with zero knowledge, do you buy plants ready made to place in open table? Or grow your own, id prefer to buy them, cause the tortoise is for my daughter, and she will be looking after her Tortoise as soon as im comfortable enough to be able to know everything, to help her with the knowledge, cause she stays with her mum most the week, so i will have to learn the ropes in next few weeks, before leaving it down to her, with my help tho. How often should i go to vet with tortoise also, like once or more a year? Thanks for your time, help, from a friend from sunny Scotland lol

@@Melissamms god i missed the bit, the tortoise masturbating. How is that possible 😂

@@JJ-cb7gq your comment has inspired me to make an update video on Boris with all the things I've learned the past few years so thanks for the comment! I have two small cactuses in the enclosure but have found that is essentially impossible to keep any plant alive for any length of time. Natural light isn't the best in my apartment and Boris tends to trample any plants. I do keep some small cactuses in there which are actually still alive and untrampled after a few months. Those are the ONLY plants that have ever worked. Yes, Boris masturbates and looks like he is genuinely enjoying himself. If your tortoise is a boy, you will find that his sexual activity levels are a good sign of health. It is VERY obvious and intriguing to watch because their penises are enormous in comparison to their bodies. Like 1/2 to 3/4 their body length. I cant say for sure hes having a good time lol but he closes his eyes and groans. Then he gets very tired and goes to have a nap. Quite hilarious. Hope to visit Scotland someday. Glad you've enjoyed the video.

Hes really good! Been meaning to do a little update. Thanks for asking!

He's male. And yes I do. He is doing very well. He had a sinus infection earlier this year, but he is doing well now! He is happier than ever as far as I can tell.

@@Melissamms LOL! Turtle dicks are some of the most alien looking things on Earth dude. Have a good one!

I've been off both Xanax and opiates for a little under two years now. I've slipped up once in the past six months or so. The only thing I can recommend is inpatient treatment. I checked myself in during a moment of clarity, got high, drove myself there, and fucking stumbled in. The experience is a whole story in and of itself and maybe I'll make a video lol, but that's really what I needed to do. Not being dropped off to detox via ambulance. actually taking control of my life for one second. I'm seriously rooting for you. I fucked up my life and family really bad in such a short amount of time. good luck my dude.

@@Melissamms Addiction is a real bitch of a struggle. Trying to distance myself from weed is hard enough, I really can't imagine how an opiate / xanax addiction would be. If you did share your story though I'm sure several people at least would find a lot of value in it, like the dude you replied to. The only thing that can help us in the end is love and understanding, from ourselves and from others.

It’s a tortoise

Late reply but if you put a pond in there they would die. It's a tortoise not a turtle, tortoises aren't aquatic and would simply drown

Doomreb very good how are you? :)