Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am very excited. I will post some pics. I think they are about 15/9 inches....awesome!

They are around seven years old, and shells are around 15-16 inches long. They look very nice, but do have a little piramiding going on.
Is it normal for them to snort and make grunting/hissing noises sometimes when breathing or when agitated? I know they must be a little stressed out, but I just want to make sure they are 100% healthy. How do I know if they are sick? I like them a lot, and do not know if the previous owner was taking very good care of them. I want to get them on a stable diet, and need to know some good supplements/feed. I read that orchard grass hay is good for them? Thanks. I would post pics, but my camera format only allows me to post under Kingsnake ads. I still need to figure out how to adgust it.. Why do they not use the same format for their classifieds and their forums? I can send pics to anyone interested.........and how do I sex them? I can sex a ball python with ease, but tortoises are a new thing for me!

I am not expert, but in my opinion...snorting is normal if they are startled or pulling in. If they are snorting when they are breathing normally, I would be concerned. If there is any bubbles or discharge (snot) coming from their nostrils, I would be concerned. I feed a variety of greens (endive, escarole, collard, mustard, dandelion, romaine, red leaf, green leaf...etc) and also occasionally yellow squash or zucchini. I kind of layer the leaves on a ceramic dish, with layers of Timothy hay in between. Some Timothy hays are softer than others. I also sprinkle daily with calcium and once a week with Herptivite. They also graze on grass, weeds, hibiscus, and cactus that grow in their pen. Good luck and happy tortling.

Shawnon

I just got a bail of orchard grass hay......They love it, and it is so cheap! I can't believe how quickly they ate it right out of my hand, when the previous owner only fed them greens and fruit. I have them on aspen, and I noticed them eating some...Is this OK?
I will keep an eye on their health, and know the visual sighns of resporitory distress. I need to get some sort of heating pad for them for the night. Kane mats are very nice but expensive. Any ideas?

Are they outside or what? I have a ceramic heating element and
an air space heater in Teddy's cottage outside. If you need a
Kane heating pad, I hear they're very good - can't be pinching pennies
with sulcatas. Both of yours are comparitively smaller than mine
but still an effort to keep.
My sulcata tortoise Teddy

I like Kenaf Plant called "Natural Hemp" Lifemate. There was
just a post further down asking me about it and somebody posted
a link to order it from Petsmart. Aspens fine too. They're just
tasting it, don't worry about it.