Hi all
Some tortoises hatched in our garden - the parents used to roam around here, but we relocated them to a friend's game farm where we felt they would be better off. Then, 3 days ago, we stumbled across a little one ... And then another yesterday. Unfortunately the dogs also found one and killed it, which was very distressing. There may be more but they are so small & I cannot find an obvious nesting site so I am trying to keep the dogs out of the area for now. I have removed the surviving babies and I'm keeping them indoors, but I have no idea if I'm doing the right thing. I have set up a shallow container with dry moss and sand as per some instructions from some website, and have given them a soak in shallow water. My main questions are:
1). Identification - I always believed the parents to be leopard tortoises but am really not sure... Is it critical to identify them correctly to provide the proper diet?
2) they are not eating - I have provided them with grass and a selection of plants that I know the parents used to favour in my garden, but they show no interest. In fact, the only thing they are interested in is trying to get out of their container... They spend hours in the corners on their hind legs, pushing up trying to get out.
Any advice would be appreciated