Species: Syrian

Estimated age: 9 months.

Gender: Female

Likes: Large hideouts, dark corners, coconut flakes and pine nuts

Dislikes: Being grabbed without any treats

Fosterer’s Instagram: @sailing_contradictions

If Turtle had a voice, she would be screaming “Leave the lights off!” at the top of her lungs. Turtle loves dark places in a cool environment and is the most active during the latter parts of the night. This does not mean that she is inactive during the day, as she usually comes out to greet her fosterer when he rummages around her cage to do some cleaning/tidying or spray topup’s, most likely to tell him to get lost or ask for a treat.

Turtle loves all sorts of treats, ranging from sprays (flax, black sorghum, wheat) to the Fatpouches range of baked/freeze dried ones (edamame, cheese cubes) and even organic treats from Scoops! (Pine nuts, coconut flakes) It is relatively easy to bait her out for interaction if you have a food offering that she enjoys in hand. She however will eat her treats rather than her seed mix, so special care must be taken to ensure she eats a plentiful amount of said mix to ensure she gets the qualities that come from a balanced diet.

However, Turtle does have a gross side, as she rather enjoys peeing in her hideouts or sleeping corners. This can result in extremely gross nesting areas and dirty corners which must be cleaned out very regularly to prevent skin conditions such as bacterial or yeast infections that can rack up a hefty sum when treated at the vet. Thus, a large hideout within a huge sandbath is recommended, and potential adopters are recommended to message Turtle’s fosterer on Instagram to get a clear example of what this means. Turtle is also not suited for families with very young children (<18) as she has a tendency to be startled easily when being held.

Will you be the one for this banded beauty, and pamper her with her favourite treats?

Requirements

Cage: Unbarred cage of at least 4,200 sq cm

Wheel: 30cm

Bedding: Paper-based like Oxbow or Fatpouches teabag bedding

Sand: Wittemolen / Versele Laga chinchilla sand

Food: Currently being fed Fatpouches Ultimate + Summer Mix + Foraging Mix + Delight Mix for Syrians

Enrichment: Lots of bedding to burrow in as well as ceramic hideouts to sleep in, along with sprays and forage for enrichment as well as a large sand bath.