Hi after buying carlsberg 3 days ago (my partner got him from a reptile/aquarium shop) i am now slightly worried my new horsefield is going to have a somewhat troubled life and will die within a few yrs after reading some of the posts.

I am going to take him to the vet, how do i know if he has parasites? or can only the vet tell?

I was told he is only a yr and NOT to hibernate him till he was a certain weight! Is this true? Apparently the lady had over 30 yrs experience of selling tortises, though she also sold her a vivarium (which will now be turned into a fish tank- as we can't take it back!) which i have found out is not suitable which has upset me not due to just the cost, but also due to the stress the glass tank may have caused the poor mite.

When i go to the vets, silly question but should i try and collect some of his poo? Also do i need insurance for my horsfield? He has no certificate/paper work, is that normal for horsfields? And do i need him chipped in case somebody tries to pinch him?

Sorry so many questions, am just new to the game. 

Hi

You can sometimes see worms, but normally the vet will check a faecal sample under the microscope, so you will need to take a fresh sample of tortie poo with you.

The information given to you about hibernation is not right, as long as the tortoise is fit and healthy, and a good weight for his size, there is no minimum age for hibernation - they would hibernate from the first winter in the wild when only a few months old.  You can insure tortoises, several companies do this, but it does tend to be quite expensive, a lot of people I know put away a few ££ each month in a savings account in case of vets bills.  If he is a horsfield tortoise, he wont have any paperwork.  You can have him chipped for security, but we would recommend that you wait till he is older and larger - the chip used is the same as for cats and dogs, so is pretty big in relation to a tortoise.

Dont worry about questions :) hope Ive covered all of them,

atb

Arlene TPG