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NEED HELP?

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The Tortoise Trust tries to deal with urgent requests for help as quickly as possible. We receive requests for help from all over the world. We cannot guarantee an immediate reply, however. We may be away from the office, or there may be technical reasons preventing a response - a telephone line may be out of order, or a computer may have failed, for example. This service is therefore not a substitution for seeking professional help from a qualified veterinarian immediately if you have a sick animal. We cannot diagnose animals - but we can provide expert help on all kinds of husbandry matters that may be related to the problems you are experiencing.

Please read the 'Articles' , 'FAQ' and 'Care Sheets' sections of this website thoroughly before contacting us. In 8 out of 10 cases, the information you need is already there.

If the answer you need is not there, then you should contact us by email. In order to provide relevant and accurate advice, we need relevant and accurate information from you. It is no use writing to us saying “my turtle has a bad eye” or “my tortoise has stopped eating, what should I do now?” In both cases, we could not offer any useful advice at all because you have not even told us what species is involved or how you are keeping it!  You would be amazed at how many requests of this nature we receive every single day. Such incomplete requests for help cause serious delays in providing help as we have to write back to you requesting further information. Then you have to write to us again…we have to write back once more....it all takes time. Avoid such delays at the outset.  Help us to help you by following the guidelines below when requesting help from the Tortoise Trust’s advice service.

Be sure to include the following information in all requests for personal advice:

  • The name of the species (if known)
  • A description or small photograph if you do not know the species
  • State how long you have had the animal
  • Your geographical location
  • The age and size of the animal
  • Was the animal acquired from a pet store? If so, when?
  • List any other species it has been in physical contact with and when

We also need:

  • Full details of the diet you are using
  • Names of any vitamin and mineral supplements you are using, and how often given

In addition:

  • Type of accommodation (terrarium/vivarium/outdoor). Please be as descriptive as possible. We need full details on this topic.
  • Type of lighting and heating used (state brands if possible)
  • The temperatures in the vivarium/terrarium
  • If an aquatic turtle, describe the filter system you are using

If the animal is ill, we need details of the symptoms:

  • Are the eyes open? Is it alert?
  • Is the animal walking normally?
  • Is the animal feeding?
  • Please describe the exact problem in as much detail as you can

WE CANNOT HELP YOU IF YOU FAIL TO PROVIDE THE INFORMATION REQUESTED ABOVE - IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU PROVIDE ENOUGH DETAIL FOR US TO EVALUATE!

Our objective is to provide you with fast, accurate advice. In order to do that we must be given adequate background information, so please take enough time to tell us what we need to know.

Email your request here:  tortoisetrust@aol.com

Make sure that your return email address is typed accurately.

We will try to respond within 24 hours.