About George A’Tuin
George is a cute little boy who is about 6 years old and was rescued alongside phoebe in March ‘13. He’s a western hingeback tortoise (kinixys belliana nogueyi) and is part of a breeding pair as he lives with Phoee. He is very friendly, loves a head/chin scratch and likes to have his beak filed with an emory board as it was overgrown when i got them. He is not as greedy as Phoebe but can be very cheeky and cause trouble! He’s a teeny little guy at 600g and is a nice golden brown colour. He has a mild case of Metabolic Bone Disease which means he has somewhat weakened legs. His favourite things are his daily ‘spa’ treatments (aka a bath), warm spots and mushrooms.
You are gorgeous George! I am glad you found a good home. Hopefully some good lighting and a proper diet will help you overcome that Metabolic bone disease.
In case you aren’t aware, Metabolic bone disease occurs when a tortoise does not receive proper lighting and/or a proper diet. The combination of both is vital to proper growth and health of a tortoise. While most tortoise lovers know that pellets and some supplements aren’t actually the best for tortoises, its important to understand that feeding a proper diet without exposing our shelled friends to UVB will result in the MBD (metabolic bone disease) among other things. Similarly, UVB with an improper diet. While its less immediate than some side effects (like pulmonary disorders) its equally as detrimental. Tortoises need a proper diet (just like us) to acquire the right amount and variety of nutrients they need to grow healthy and strong, but their bodies are designed to take in this type of diet in a UVB rich environment. Calcium is vital to bone growth but Tortoise cant’ metabolize calcium without UVB! So make sure you are prioritizing both when caring for your shelled friends.