Learn to take special care

WITH the change in wildlife laws in Victoria coming into effect on 1 October, people are now able to keep tortoises under 10cm as pets.
At Fish and Feather, the biggest concern is a return to the old days where people kept them in fish bowls and small containers without the necessary equipment to enable them to live a long and healthy life.
“It is up to everyone that sells these animals to make sure that they educate the public as to their requirements and we certainly hope that this is the case,” said Naomi of Fish and Feather.
“There is no terrapin or miniature tortoise that is legal to keep in Australia.
“Most of the tortoises that are currently on the market are shortneck or Macquarie turtles.
“They are quite cute now, not much bigger than a 50c piece, but they will achieve a size of around 35cm across the shell.
“These tortoises need to have the room, the amount of clean water and the ultra violet light required to grow to their natural size.
“This must be provided by way of an appropriate sized aquarium (we recommend no less than 50 litres) with a ramp (preferably covered in felt or marine carpet so as not to damage their soft shells), a very good filtration system as they do make a lot of waste, a reflector that has a 5 per cent UVB tube and a heater to keep the tortoise at around 25C.
“Being cold blooded, we must maintain summer conditions all year round if we are keeping these animals indoors.”
Naomi also said that tortoises suffer from a condition known as metabolic bone disease if they are not provided with enough UVB, calcium and vitamin D3 to enable them to absorb the calcium into their system. “Without this equipment they will, to put it quite simply, just rot away until they die.
“The symptoms are much like rickets in humans.
‘The tortoises end up with a soft shell and bone disorders.
“The right set up will cost you around $400.
“This will keep your tortoise happy for about two years after which time you may decide on a larger aquarium or perhaps a pond area in the back yard.
“We have very comprehensive care sheets, written with the help of the Melbourne Zoo available to down load on our website.
“Or feel free to pop into the store and get the full story on how to care for these special pets.”
Further information is available by phoning Fish and Feather on 9761 4410 or online at www.fishandfeather.com.au.
Fish and Feather is at 243-245 Colchester Road, Kilsyth.