Mini tortoise rocks

08/08/2024

02/01/2024

Tortoise spur thigh (Greek) hatchlings
Raised on a w**d diet, A10 certificate provided
Breeder with 20+ yrs experience
Microchip service available
Contact us for information

14/10/2023

Please join this group for a step by step hibernation of your tortoises

08/10/2023

Hatchlings ready for new homes
Send a message (pic of your set up)
And we will assist you create the perfect enviroment b4 purchase
£80each
Support and advice always offered
Tort will come with A10 certificate and care sheet

08/09/2022

08/09/2022

Downsizing, adults avaliable.
Please message

05/09/2022

This year we have had a very rare thing happen
AMAZING (but not alive)
A two headed tortoise
Sadly it is too special to stay with us
Rip little one x

05/09/2022

Hope you and your torts have had a lovely summer
Contact us if u looking for a Tortoise
X

04/05/2022

Last week the tortoises here at mini tortoise rocks were loving the sunshine.... unfortunately due to the amount of rain today the babies had to come back indoors....

However they’ve told me that next week is supposed to be a heatwave!

04/05/2022

Good evening, we’re currently out of stock of bulbs and bulb holders, these can be purchased from swell reptile should you need any while your waiting for us to replenish our stock.
We usually aim to buy in bulk to keep costs down for you guys but at the moment this isn’t possible.

Please visit http://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/Arcadia-d3-uv-basking-lamp

Sorry for any inconvenience

Provides UVB, UVA visible light and infrared heat from a single lamp UV light helps with the synthesis of vitamin D3 1 year guarantee

09/04/2022

Let’s see some pics of your torts….

08/04/2022

Sorry I haven’t been very good with messages, I will catch up with everyone today and hopefully support you with your enquiries

Many thanks
Caroline

25/03/2022

Good afternoon, hope you are all keeping well.
Another successful hibernation.
We’ve been quiet for a little while as not much been happening other than preparing the garden for spring.

Babies have a new table which I built for them.... It’s amazing what you can create.... the 1st pic is a table I brought on marketplace for £5.

17/12/2021

No more tortoise sales till after the new year.
Lots of time to do your research b4 purchasing.
HAPPY HIBERNATION FROM All AT MINI TORTOISE ROCKS

20/11/2021

Basic Tortoise Care :
Reptiles: these animals are ectothermic.this means that unlike us and dogs and cats which have their own internal furnace to keep our bodies a nice warm temperature. Reptiles rely on their surrounding environment and heat from the sun for their bodies to be able to function correctly. This is why when you purchase a tortoise or any reptile for that matter you are able to provide heat , Wether it be from a heated indoor enclosure or heat bulbs in some type of shed etc. Remember the sun is not always out to play ball when we need it to. Heat and the correct temperature is important for when the tortoise is developing inside the egg too before it is even born . Without this the embryo inside will not develop.
Most meditarannean tortoises are comfortable at ambient temperatures of 20 to 29.degrees c

Ultraviolet light :
It.isnt just heat from the sun that the tortoises need in the wild where they come from but the UV in uva and uvb that these animals absorb from the sun and the daylight to metabolise calcium and vitamain d3. Without uv the tortoise will eventually develop metabolic bone disease and growth deformities which will then lead to death if denied this any further .
Uv can be provided in the form of natural sun shine or artifically through accessories such as t5 and t8 fluroscent strip light systems. There is also some bulbs that provide both heat and uv combined.
It is very important to know that uv lights need replacing every 9 months ..this is because the uv output from these artifical lights dwindles over time.

Calcium:
Calcium is one of the most important nutrients a tortoise requires from its food. For optimal bone and shell growth .
In the wild they get these from their native plants and flowers that they eat.
In captivity, many keepers will not be able to provide the required calcium content from the foods they aquire for their tortoise . Therefore it's recommended to purchase calcium powder from the pet stores . This can also be purchased in the form of cuttlefish and been crushed egg shells can give a tortoise calcium.
D3.powder : you can get a seperate powder for your tortoise which contains the all important d3 vitamain . When being kept outside,most tortoises produce their own vitamain d3 by the food they eat combined with the natural sun and day light. In captivity under artifical uv lighting it is recommended to supplement their food twice per week with this special d3 powder, as artifical lighting isn't as strong as natural sun light .

Diet : most species of tortoises are about 90 to 95% herbivorous .this is on the form of various w**ds and flowers.
Plantain
Dandelion
Bristly ox tongue
Mallow
Clover
Thistle
Hisbiscus
Rose
Pansy

Believe it or not of they come across carrion in the wild they will consume it for protein content . Even though their protein content that is required is very low.

In captivity it's still highly recommend to provide the tortoise with a diet that can mimic as close as possible to its natural diet as possible . Growing your own or finding open natural fields where no w**d killer or pesticides have been sprayed are 2 good options.
Supermarket food : many keepers resort to supermarket foods due to lack of knowledge but there is only a few of the research foods which I recommend to feed to your tortoise.
Romaine lettuce
Lambs lettuce
Raddicho
Wild rocket
Kale (sparingly )
Cucumber (good for hydration )

Supermarket foods to avoid:
Spinach (binds calcium absorbtion )
Cabbage
Potato
Tomato
Califlower
Sw**d
Sweetcorn
Sugary fruits
Broccoli

Many supermarket foods will have had some form of insecticides sprayed on them so aim for organic.

Fruit:.very few species of tortoise can actually digest sugary fruits properly so i highly recommend not feeding any fruit to a Mediterranean species. Especially juveniles under 5 years old. As the sugar content can potentially cause any internal parasites already in your tortoises guts to bloom to a life threatening level. I'd be a hyppercrit if i said I've never fed fruit to my tortoises. I feed the odd slice of apple or berry once every few months for a treat but it's personal choice and as I said the safest recommendation is to not feed any sugary fruits at all.
Commercial diet: nutrazu/mazuri and testudo pre alpin pellets are a good beneficial additive to the diet.
many can be purchased on on the Internet and delivered right to your front door.

Humidity : this is the combination of to heat and moisture in the air is what basically humidity is . A humidity of 60 to 65% is what's recommended for most tortoise species especially when they are babies as there's a lot of evidence that too low humidity contributes to uneven shell growth in juveniles whilst they are growing . Optimum humidity will help your tortoise keep a smooth of a shell as possible . Also incubating eggs need humidity also.

Hydration : it is very important to provide a drinking dish for your tortoise at all times and change water every 24 hours or when the water is dirty.
Soaking your tortoise in a bath of mildly warm water every 2 days for about 20 minutes is recommended to encourage hydration. This is very important for your tortoise as their kidneys are very fragile organs and tortoises seem to come into a dehydration state in captivity very quickly.

Enclosure size : it's now widely accepted that tortoises actuall require more space than previously thought and when their bodies are warmed to the optimum temperature by their envoronment they can roam roam and explore a huge area in so little time . Provide an enclosure Wether indoors or outdoors as large as you possibly can .

Hibernating/brumation :

In the wild many species from Northern hemisphere areas will go into a form of hibernation to survive cold winters . This is because food will be scarce during those times and also because the animals body will not be able to absorb enough heat from the sun and daylight to function properly and of course being reptiles it's just impossible to be active when the surrounding temperatures are well below that of 20 degrees Celsius. So this is a survival tactic. They go into a deep slumber when temperatures start to drop with the daylight hours reduced also . But not before weeks of fasting to completely empty their digestive tract to ensure food doesn't rot inside them or it will kill them.
In captivity : many keepers for decades would put their tortoise in a box of hay or newspaper at the end of October for the tortoise to hibernate in ..usually placed in a shed which would be a cool dry place . Optimum hibernation temperatures are 4 to 7 degrees c. Too high will wake the tortoise up. And any lower will freeze the tortoise to death.
Spring when temperatures rise the tortoise will awake from its slumber.
Recently over the last 20 years hibernating in captivity can be avoided by providing the tortoise with an indoor enclosure and providing artifical uv and heat sources into keeping the tortoise awake and active . Many keepers from old have disagreed with this and believe hibernation is part of the tortoises life cycle and believe that denying them it will cause health problems. Others believe the hibernation process is just a survival ability.
There is no evidence of this yet and personally I have seen or heard of no tortoises death as a result of over wintering . But I have heard of many tortoises not surviving the hibernation process due to complications either in the tortoise or its surrounding hibernation environment.

Males vs females :

From my own experiences I have seen that mature males are alot more active patrolling their environment and even show territorial behaviour. They can show aggression to other living things in their domain . And even mating behaviour can be very aggressive with the male basically bullying the female.
A keeper houses a mature male with any other tortoise at risk as there's always a danger of the male attacking the other.
Females : these seem to be very more placid and far less territorial than the males . And a pair or even a small group of females seem to live together in harmony if the enclosure is big enough.

Sexing:
Unfortunately it's almost impossible to tell the s*x of your tortoise before the age of around 5 years old when it starts to show signs of maturity. Before this , baby tortoises of both genders both resemble a female with tiny tails .
As they grow it is possible to tell a male by a slit shaped hole in the vent as well as the tail slowly starting to grow.
Females tails will remain small and the vent hole will be more of a star shape (similar to that of an a**s in mammals)
You may be able to have a rough idea of your juvenile tortoises s*x by asking the breeder as like crocodilians a baby's s*x relies alot on incubation temperature. And different breeders incubate for the demanded s*x.

17/11/2021

Last few tortoises ready to reserve
We will stop the sale of tortoises in December to avoid a tortoise just for a Xmas gift… they are for life not just for Xmas
Reserve for £40 pm us to approve your set up (we do this with all tortoises purchased)
We will not sell unless correct set up provided
View our bits for sale on the page contact us with your enquiries

10/11/2021

These are this years hatchlings which are thriving!
ONLY 6 of last years babies left

03/11/2021

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Animal%20Welfare%20Act%20Tortoise%20Housing.pdf

17/10/2021

This morning at mini tortoise rocks

15/10/2021

In box problem resolved but we also can be contacted on number below
PLEASE SEND A TEXT TO 07763088529
Thanks to all

03/10/2021

https://tortoiseawareness.group/care-sheets/?fbclid=IwAR1orRl0TkFeKa7YKbSID_GmLJ31ojyZfSzKsYkMTA4lL6lAtZSfmPEaKvE

Horsfield, Hermanns, Marginated, and Spur Thigh Care Sheet Leopard Care Sheet Redfoot and Yellowfoot Care Sheet Sulcata/African Spurred Tortoise Care Sheet

29/09/2021

Some of our adult group to show you fully grown size….it will take a good 20yrs to get to this size

27/09/2021

https://www.wormadvice.com/?fbclid=IwAR2iVf1pjNke6aBZ8ZAhtO_UtlOBBvLxR2Iiitc_jJbqGfXBKpSjM7N98eY

Faeces worm testing and worming advice for goat keepers, SmallHolders Worm Advice Service, UK

01/09/2021

Darwin has just had a 3 week holiday at mini tortoise rocks.
This was Darwin’s 4th holiday 💕

01/09/2021

Some pics of the beauties which are almost 2 weeks old.
We still have yearlings available so please do share us with your family and friends if you think this could be the forever pet for them.
If they do not have access to Facebook we can be found on preloved or pets for homes, alternatively you can pass on our contact number and we will be pleased to contact them back.