Hey everyone i'm new here and three days ago i bought a hermanns tortoise. He is in a 29 gallon tank with a heat lamp and a uvb light. under the heat lamp there is also a heating pad. I was wondering if someone could tell me if he is the eastern or westen? What else i can add to the tank? And if brocille, blueberrys, apples, parsley, carrorts, and bannanas are all good for him? I read the care sheet at the top but i just want to make sure everything is right for him. Thanks for anything
~Samantha

Hi Samantha, welcome to TFO. He looks like an Eastern Hermanns to me, but Im sure Chris or Danny can confirm or deny that better. None of those food items you mentioned are really good for Hermanns tortoises. I would suggest following Chris's care sheet that you have already read at the top of this forum. He needs a higher fiber diet and they really dont process fruits all that well. I would also suggest getting rid of the the glass tank and either building or buying him a tortoise table. I got these cement mixing tubs below at a local home/hardware store for $10 and they work much better for tortoises. (You should be able to get them at a Home Depot or a Lowes store, just ask someone where the cement mixing pans are) They need more airflow and temperature gradients than can be supplied with a glass tank.

Hi Samantha!
I think you may have had some advice from a pet store type place which is different to what many of us that keep Hermanns would recommend. I can see you have invested time and money to make a good home for him but not everything here is right. Lovely looking tortoise!

On the whole a tank is not ideal because it is difficult to get a temperature gradient in there. Are you using a thermometer? No heat neede at night.

Please do not feed any fruit especially banana. They do not have the digestive system for it. If you need to get food from stores, try endive, raddicio, watercress, dandellion greens, green tops of carrot. Better still to grow weeds but this may take time.

Please please wait for others to answer as well but some advice you have been given is not good. Especially the tank. Please stay on this forum.

Ok guys thanks. I need to feed him tonight. Can i feed fresh parsley. Its the only thing that i have that is green. Also how wet should the tank be? and what are these baths, and how do i give them? and no im not using a thermometer, but i have a digital fish tank thermometer i can put in the tank? all adive is apprecated thanks.

This post was last modified: 02-22-2008 02:29 PM by Puffer21.

Hi again Samantha! Parsley is alright but your tortoise will not come to any harm if you do not feed him tonite. Or tomorrow. assuming he is healthy.

Can you take the top off the tank to let air circulate? Even if only at night when you don't need the light on. Its probably too humid in there and possibly too hot. Buy a digital thermometer, they are cheap and good.

If you have any frisee, raddicio, watercress, lambs lettuce, romaine lettuce maybe feed some of that. Very occasionally a little grated carrot is OK and probably you have carrot.

The bath is very easy. A shallow open container with tepid water in it, you don't need a lot of water, make sure the head is above water level. You will get good advice for free on here!

can i just use sink water. And i dont think that there is a high humidity in there the top is eggcreate.

Here are a few suggestions.

GREENS
The following greens are easily found in most local stores:

Romaine lettuce (occasional)
Red and green leaf lettuce (occasional)
Curly Endive
Escarole
Radicchio
Turnip greens
Mustard greens
Collard greens
Spring Mix
Cabbage (only occasionally)
Chicory

VEGETABLES
Zucchini
Winter squash
Pumpkin
Yellow squash
Carrots

OTHER GOOD CHOICES (always make sure no systemic pesticides were used)
Hosta
Sedum
Mulberry leaves
Hen and Chicks
Ice Plants
Hibiscus (flowers and leaves)
Prickly pear flowers, fruit and pads (burn the spines off)
Dandelion
Cornflowers Plagiobothrys ssp
Forsythia (flowers and leaves)
Dayflower Commelina diffusa (flowers and leaves)
California Poppy
Plantain (not the banana type fruit….the weed plantago major)
Mallow (flowers and leaves)
Henbit
Rose (flowers and leaves)
Chrysanthemum flowers
Grape leaves
hawks bit
mulberry leaves and fruit
thistle
nasturtiums
wild rose flower and hips

Water from your sink should be fine, are you on well water or city water? Is there a water softener on it? You want it luke warm. He will drink from here and go to the bathroom in the water. If he goes to the bathroom just wash it out and refill it.

ok thanks