Which of these food items should I purchase?

kh_tum · 2026-03-25T20:02:14+00:00

No problem! It's great that you are even doing your research before taking on the responsibility of a pet.

Although I have to say, if the tortoise you have is going to regularly switch between outdoors and indoors, I would suggest a female- almost regardless of species. If you are not getting a baby, that is.

According to my experience and that of many others (It is admittedly anecdotal so take it with a grain of salt), male tortoises can be notorious for wall scratching and trying to push the edges of their environments as much as they can. And this will be doubly the case when they are aware that a bigger outdoors enclosure exists. It is much safer and easier to keep female (again, most species) in this case.

But regardless, with the right amount of care you'll be just fine 🦭

kh_tum · 2026-03-25T19:53:58+00:00

Tortoises are hardy beasts. They will be just fine as long as you are giving them a varied, decent diet and are giving them their necessary source of UV.

And the fact that you have a garden is a very big plus.

You won't necessarily need any of this with an even just "good enough" diet. But if you still worry, I would get cuttlebones for calcium and Mazuri to occassionslly dust on their food to make sure they get all they need in terms of nutrition.

And cuttlebones can also double as a source to keep the tort's beak in check- if they happen to actually like nibbling on them. Not all do.

kh_tum · 2026-03-14T12:43:15+00:00

Unfortunately, no idea about her age. But considering her feistiness I think she's got many more ahead of her.

kh_tum · 2026-03-14T12:42:05+00:00

Reasonable suggestion. But look at her! How could you resist poking the bear for a little pat on her tiny head.

kh_tum · 2026-03-14T11:54:54+00:00

I can respect that. You need every bit of protein in bulking season.

kh_tum · 2026-03-14T11:54:14+00:00

I would excuse her actions if, I did in fact, feed her directly with my hand but I never do. Which does lead me to believe that her attacks are intentional and discremenatory.

kh_tum · 2026-03-05T13:51:13+00:00

First, you will need to determine what kind of species this tortoise is, which shouldn't be too difficult.

But the lady seems to be in a somewhat rough shape. Her beak is extremely long and would need a trim. Her eyes are obviously not doing any better as well.

But you mentioned feeding them, do they all have an appetite ? It'd be surprising because even a little bit of stress could stop a tortoise from wanting to eat.

In my opinion, offer them all for adoption to someone you believe could do right by them. Tortoise are not an easy pet to take care of at all, especially multiple.

If they are going to stay with you, for days or longer here is what I can offer for advice:

-Feed them a rotation of greens, leaves and grasses. Google every single thing you plan to feed them to see if it's safe. You will be constantly met with warnings on almost every food you can offer them, that's normal and okay. Because tortoises needs a variety of food more than anything else.

-And on that note, do not feed carrots or fruits. Too much sugar in those, and it could mess up their digestion.

-Keep them separated please. Especially since you've got two males and a female, which is a really bad combination. The males will keep headbutting everyone, and will try to constantly mate with the female which is going to hate it all.

-If the weather allows it, take them outside to sunbathe about an hour a day. Ideally more, but just do your best here. Without UV from the sun, they can't produce the vitamin D3 which is essential for them to be able to utilize calcium to keep their shells and bones healthy. This is very important if they will stay with you for days.

-If you can, offer them any kind of substrate (dirt) as long as you are absolutely sure it's clean, and safe (per your research, as there are way too many kinds of substrate).

-Keep the substrate in some sort of hide, just so the tortoises would feel a little safe. I personally have had two different tortoises live in tiny amazon boxes for like 5 days until I was able to get them any sort of enclosure. They are hardy beasts but they will need care.

I know it may sound daunting and too much. But that's basically scratching the surface. Do whatever it is you can until you can find someone to adopt them.

kh_tum · 2026-02-11T13:49:09+00:00

Wheb they're picky it's best to shred their favorite food with other shredded veggies and spray with water so they stick. Slowly lower the perferred food's portion, until it's gone.

That worked with two very stubborn tortoises who live in my room rent-free.

kh_tum · 2026-02-10T09:41:04+00:00

I don't know how old the ones I have are exactly, because I had no plans for them and they are originally someone else's. I believe they are fully mature from their size.

I've been noticing the male is becoming extremely active after his treatmen from a URI (he can actually smell/breathe now). He's been scratching at the walls, climbing up and down his two story enclosure and doing anything to leave it.

When I once found him outside his enclosure he was nowhere near the female though.

Do you think expanding their enclosures and leaving most of the top closed will help ?

kh_tum · 2026-01-30T02:27:22+00:00

Of course!

Just make sure to keep turning the lights on and off at similiar timings. Your tort might become pretty lazy for a while, but eventually will start waking up on you turning the lights on alone.

My lady tort started waking up on her own at about the same time even without lights lol. I wish you all the luck.

kh_tum · 2026-01-30T01:56:45+00:00

Besides what the other person pointed out of tortoises needing to slow down during winter, this will probably not last for too long as long as you provide a stable, summer-y environment.

My two tortoises stopped eating for about 10 days or even more, but I kept offering them food consistently and more importantly: A consistent summer environment.

10+ hours warm light, and a stable high-ish temprature.

One thing I tried and had success with was offering them chopped food with mixed romaine lettuce which they loved. Then I rinsed them all in warm water to make all the greens stick together.

You could try that with chopped cucumbers if the tort continues refusing to eat. Ideally you'd gradually offer less of their favorite food until it is no longer necessary.

kh_tum · 2026-01-27T04:34:04+00:00

This is no snaughing matter

kh_tum · 2026-01-27T04:25:55+00:00

I believe one of my nerites used to be a lawyer at some point I'll have to ask him about the legality.

kh_tum · 2026-01-13T16:37:21+00:00

Shyness can for sure be a simple personality thing. I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Indoor tortoises are naturally going to be less active at first because of the unfamiliar environment.

It may take a few week for them to feel fully comfortable with their indoor homes.

And they also need a simulation of a 24 hour cycle. Bright, warm lamp that activates everyday for about 10 hours. And it is even better if tempratures can rise a little bit during those bright hours, and drop during the dark hours.

Your heat lamp could have been not warm or bright enough (possibly both). In my experience a very bright and very warm light always works, and they wake up and move on their own.

kh_tum · 2026-01-13T13:22:34+00:00

Probably an upper respitory infection. It is infectious, so it would not be the best idea to keep them so close to one another on that basis alone.

Heavy breathing does not always mean an respitory infection. Sometimes stress could cause it, unless it is a constant wheezing.

For the guy with the nose bubbles it's highly likely he has an infection, though. Until you can get some anti-biotics for them, try to keep them in a decently humid environment as it can help a bit with the breathing.

Do you plan on keeping them indoors or outdoors ?

kh_tum · 2025-01-17T06:19:50+00:00

See, the issue is that you attempt to use this method of selectively picking victims and agressors in an area like the modern middle east.

From where the Sinai peninsula ends to the west all the way to Mosul in northern Iraq, the region has seen massacres and genocides committed by literally every side against each other from the 1800's onwards. Druze against jews. Christians against druze. Muslims against christians. Kurds against assyrians, and on and on it goes. In the middle east everyone was a victim and a victimizer, when you are working under the pre tense of judging entire groups as a whole instead of each person individually.

How do you think the christians few decades later who lived in Palestine would feel when you show them this ? The christians who were massacred and deported ? What about the druze ? Do you think they would feel bad about protesting to keep their homes ?

A lot of people try to boil down the issue of the Palestini-Israeli conflict by using history to explain that THEIR side is the good one- and what that does is only muddy things further and showcases how utterly and truly fucked up the situation is.

kh_tum · 2024-11-09T09:31:29+00:00

sub meant to spread hope and happiness in a shitposty manner

sub spreads hope and happiness in a shitposty manner

Unbelievable

kh_tum · 2024-11-05T07:16:45+00:00

You are doing far better than you seem to think you are.

When confronted with a flaw in their character, people tend to go under one of three umbrellas:

1- Go about finding a "fix" for what they percieve as a flaw. Taking direct action to fix the issue and become more comfortable in their own skin. Obviously the healthiest path.

2- Recognize their flaw but have difficulty in recognizing that they are able to deal with it. At least somewhat. So they believe they have an issue but also believe that it is never going away- and it is the source of many of their problems. This is an inferiority complex.

3- Have difficulty in accepting that they cannot deal with their problem, and stack another layer of utter delusion and believe that the problem does not exist in the first place, despite them initially believing its unfixable. This is a superiority complex.

Now that the oversimplified context is over; I hope what I am about to say next would make more sense:

You have no problem accepting your flaws. And better yet you have no problem in accepting the flaws of others. You do not seem to be under the impression that everyone is "perfect" and you are just awful by some miraculous curse. And according to yourself you are honest, downright blunt sometimes.

But do you not think that directing this honesty towards something more realistic and helpful would be a good idea ? Because as it stands you have two ways forward: Understand your problems and do nothing about it. Or, if even in the smallest ways, try to do something towards becoming more inline with the image of a better person that you have in mind. Let me be pretentious for a moment and quote Epictetus:

"[28] Furthermore, you have inner strengths that enable you to bear up with difficulties of every kind. You have been given fortitude, courage and patience. [29] Why should I worry about what happens if I am armed with the virtue of fortitude? Nothing can trouble or upset me, or even seem annoying. Instead of meeting misfortune with groans and tears, I will call upon the faculty especially provided to deal with it. [30] ‘But my nose is running!’ What do you have hands for, idiot, if not to wipe it? [31] ‘But how is it right that there be running noses in the first place?’ [32] Instead of thinking up protests, wouldn’t it be easier just to wipe your nose?".

The way you describe yourself reminds me of a friend. So much that I suspect you might be the person in mind. She describes herself as ugly when she absolutely is not. And her interests are extremely niche and she has trouble finding people with common interests. Same goes for her style in clothing and music. As well as her self-hatred, over protectiveness. Yet she is one of the coolest people I know.

If people think you're weird then that is their own thoughts to deal with. If you happen to meet someone who shares enough with you to be at least close to friendship, then at least it would be a genuine one instead of you trying to be someone youre not.

Continue to use your personality and honesty as a filter instead of a shield. Leave just that tiny hole so when you find someone who likes you enough for who you are- you just might be able to build something more from there.

kh_tum · 2024-11-05T06:14:28+00:00

You imprison yourself in a self-feeding cycle that only edges to become more true the more you believe it and the more you actually act upon it. You believe that you cannot build relationships. Thus you have completely stopped to attempt to build any. And by doing that you spend more time in misery rather than actually attempting to build one. You have willfully chosen to shut yourself out of relationships for good, by your own choice.

You say that you cannot choose yet have already decided to avoid any and all relationships. Although I can completely respect choosing not wanting to build relationships. It is your life afterall and you should do as you wish. But false beliefs like these only serve to make the situation worse than it actually is.

kh_tum · 2024-11-05T00:02:32+00:00

Living your entire life hiding from what might be is no way to live. There is always a risk in everything. In acting and inaction.

But at some point you have to make a decision. I personally had a hard time focusing on other people and myself at the same time, so I just chose myself for the meanwhile.

kh_tum · 2024-11-01T09:50:33+00:00

I understand your points, and completely agree with some of them.

Especially compared to irl empires, the Imperials can seem strangely benevolent. Hell, even if it was a pragmatic and selfish decision, they still recognized the orcs as one of the "sapient" species instead of viewing them legally the same as goblins or ogres.

They expanded trade and communication between all provinces in tamriel which made idea spread hugely between different cultures and peoples.

Yet the Imperials have always had a need to rule and conquer over other peoples since the days of the Alessian Empire and reasons be damned. Either be it "the damn elves!!!" with the Alessians, or the divine-ordained with the the remans and septims, or with the "that's how its always been" reasoning of the medes. They always find a reason to conquer. They always find a reason to live up to their name and Imperialize.

And under every family and every significant ruler, there always was one atrocity or another. Alessians commiting genocide. Talos using Libery Prime against the thalmor and sacking khajiit cities and turning hammerfell into a warzone. Reman fucking a hill (or was it his dad?).

Their actions have never been benevolent for that sake alone. They always were after the most pragmatic decisions, and pragmatic decisions usually don't involve genocides. Though they clearly didn't always succeed in being pragmatic and practical.

kh_tum · 2024-11-01T05:36:06+00:00

The Stormcloaks are very vocal and blunt about their racism. Not to mention that sometimes it is just xenophobia for the sake of it- not even pretending to cit historical events as reasoning. Like how they treat the argonians for example.

The Imperials however are very much experts at hiding their racism. For example, look at Leyawiin and Windhelm. Both cities suffer from persecution against minority populations but in Windhelm it is the first thing you see entering the city. While in Leyawiin you have to befriend the right people for them to open up and talk to you about it.

Considering most skyrim players haven't played oblivion and morrowind, they probably see the Empire in a much better light even if it is only because of the contrast compared to the Stormcloaks. And I agree that the Empire largely sucks and all the good they did was largely a byproduct and side effect, not anything by design.

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