I am hoping you guys can help me.... i recenltly brought a tortoise from the Wilton Tortouise centre and well if i am honest i am a bit worried...

I have purchased a marginated tortouise which was hatched July/August 2011 so he/she is almost 1 year old.

to be fair he looks very cute and in good health... i was concerned when he arrived in a TNT delivery in a big cardboard box along with his bedding which is the snake sawdust type of bedding and other bit i ordered for his table starter kit. there was a small sticker on the box saying livestock this way up... but the delivery man had plonked the box on its side and he politly aked owww what have you ordered when i said a tortouise his face dropped in shock... so its quite clear the poor little Frankie has had a awful trip here.

I opened the box to find him in this snake bedding with lots of pee and poo which im not sure how long he must have been in there for but it does bother me.

I am in expereinced i did as much research of the internet as possible but i relise the tortouise centre are not even bothered where they go??

My concerns at present are i have the tortoiuse table and the heat lamp but i think its too hot for him... i replaced the sawdust bedding type stuff for the sand and soil but i am worried that is too cold n damp for him as he just hides in the cold area of the table... last night was a hot sunny evening so i decided to take him out on the patio area and he was so quick and ran about hiding under anything but then coming back out to climb along the slate... he was so more active

the basking heat is in the 90s and im worried the 125W heat lamp is too hot for my Royce 3ft table??? I have been feeding him washed wild dandelions i am growing some tortoise weeds for him... the shop tell me he likes florette as that is what he was fed on before? i am sporinkling the repative on his food....

I am concerned if he should have this playsand/soil mixture as he keeps trying to eat it?? any advice is recommended for the novice here i dont want to end up with a death of this little fella!

Many thanks

Michelle :-(

Hi Michelle

Personally I do not expect anything different from Wilton Tortoise Centre, they should be reported to the trading standards, did you get a photo of the box?
Are you sure he is a marginated, does it say that on his certificate?
Well done for changing the substrate, have a read on the care sheets about marginated torts, if you are sure he is.
The temps should be 30-32c in the basking area and 22c in the cool area, what do you provide for UV?  Nutrobal is the best supplement to give it has everything needed to keep your tort healthy. Florette should only be used as an emergency, good old weeds is the best you give him, and at the moment they are an abundance of them. It can be a problem when they eat the soil, as it could cause impaction in the gut, try putting a cuttlefish in the pen for him to nibble on.
Please ask lots of questions, we are more than happy to try and help and we all learn with you
Jane