Ely Tortoise

16/04/2025

Sub adult leopard tortoise found on a volunteers trip to western Kenya recently.

Following 5 years of drought and then heavy rains, tortoises (and most wildlife) have had a tough time surviving in recent years. The bumpy pattern of growth is not something observed in older wild individuals and could reflect these erratic and stressful conditions.

NOTE: Handling wild tortoises is strongly discouraged as the stress can cause them to void their bladders and dehydrate (sometimes fatal).
This one was sat in the middle of a track as a vehicle convoy moved through. We needed to relocate it away from the road and it happily plodded off into the undergrowth.

15/04/2025

Glorious time to be a tortoise (and squash the baby strawberry plants 🙄). Limestone chalk, cuttlefish and limestone granules are all dotted about for the torts to eat at will, in addition to the calcium we sprinkle on the weed piles.

💚

15/04/2025

Great tortoise events taking place in East Anglia next month. If you are looking to rehome, or expand your tortoise knowledge there will be a friendly welcome at both events.

🐢🐢🐢

06/04/2025

Hedgehogs need all the help they can get.
Saucers of water and meaty kitten food (no fish, no dairy) can also be a lifeline for these increasing rare garden friends 🦔

I hope across the pond, the locals are releasing similar conservation stories about their native tortoises.

Garden safely this spring – check for hidden hedgehogs before mowing or strimming, and avoid harmful products. 🦔🌷

Hedgehogs may be nesting in the garden in log, leaf or compost piles, or even long grass. So make sure you cut grass or shrubs to a height of a couple of feet so nesting hedgehogs will be more visible.

And if you're using a fork, be careful and only put it where you can see it going.

Remember, when tidying up your garden this weekend, step away from using those nasty chemicals and leave a patch wild and undisturbed to provide food and shelter for all the small animals that take refuge in a bit of the untidy!🏡🦋🌾

Hedgehog Street is a joint campaign run by us and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.

📸 Alison Daykin

03/04/2025

We've sectioned off the sunniest bit of the outdoor enclosure for use.

We'll expand it again once the sun is higher, later in the year.
The dinosaurs would sit in the shade, get cold and dig down to sleep/ hibernate again otherwise.

Just out for a few hours when the weather allows currently 🌞🌻🌄

31/03/2025

Hibernation and hydration...

It's essentially to regularly bath your tortoise before and after Hibernation. Tortoises are from dry climates and are reluctant to defecate unless water can be replenished.... this means they hold onto waste and toxins.

A WARM bath daily in the week after awaking is the plan in our household, tailoring off to weekly as they go outside more and have big deep water dishes to go in.
Baby tortoises dehydrate quickly and daily baths are always advised.

Pic for attention, a washing up bowl will do for most people with a solo tort ha

29/03/2025

A bucket list trip for all tortoise fans 🐢☺️

29/03/2025

Our smallest tort is up out the fridge!

Rosie had an operation to remove a mass on her neck last year, but she made a brilliant recovery and enjoyed a 10 week closely monitored sleep.
She was happy munching the next day and had a good few hours outside ☺️

13/03/2025

Just a reminder to support our local independents, they are the backbone of our community ♥️

Ely Aquatics always forwards tortoise enquiries to us (rehome don't shop!), and hosts us for health checks.

I wasn’t going to post this but following an increase of over 200% in our business rates this year - yes they really have gone up by over £800 per month! I may have no choice other than to increase prices. I will try to hold them down as long as I can.
To put it another way - it’s £43 per day just on Business Rates. How the government think this is justified is beyond me. That’s £43 per day without the rent, electric, water etc etc

I really need your support - even if you only come in and spent £1!

I know there will be other businesses whose rates have shot up too. I know I’m not alone.
I made it through Covid times…
I’m not prepared to give up yet!

But I do need YOU!

Every £1 really does matters

08/03/2025

🌟🐢😀

Tortoises which emerge from hibernation (technically it is more correct to use the term 'brumation', through for the sake of familiarity and brevity we use both terms here) with health problems are in serious - and immediate - danger. For a variety of biological reasons, tortoises are at their most....

07/03/2025

We are aware of the below, please keep an eye out. I suspect tort will have buried down somewhere close as night temps are still low 🌡🐢

Hopefully if found the torty will be taken to a vet or reptile specialist for scanning.... hence it's really important to microchip your tortoises, as they are amazing (and underestimated!) escape artists!

From Lisa
Our tortoise seems to have possibly escaped from our garden in high barns school end near the garages he has just come out of hibernation, and will be hidden, he will become lively in the sunshine, please contact us if found.