# New indoor habitat for Hermanns



## Edna (Oct 27, 2012)

My two large Vision tubs, purchased through LLLReptile, arrived in late July. I added soil, cypress mulch, and lights and planted them right away, although my torts were outside at the time. These pictures were taken today, the torts having lived in their habitat for close to three months now. 

Each tub is 36x72 ID. The tub with the hide, feeding rock, and MVB has about 6 inches of substrate throughout, some areas being mostly cypress mulch, with other areas mostly topsoil or sand. The hide is located beneath the ramp that gives them access to the other tub. To make the hide cozy, I placed two terra cotta planters on their sides. These support a large piece of cottonwood bark. The bottom of the hide is covered in soil, and I stuff Timothy hay in there from time to time. I water other areas of the tub, so the bottom of the substrate is always moist.
In the "Great Valley" tub, there are 4 cubic feed of cypress mulch on the bottom, with 16 cubic feet of organic garden soil on top, a total of 8 inches of substrate. It was originally planted in Timothy, clover, and chicory, and I've added some mesclun and other seeds as well. I put 12 nightcrawlers in the tub at the time I planted it and there is every indication that they are happy. In early September I added a handful of roly poly bugs. This tub is well-lit but not heated. The torts spend most of their time in the other tub, and visit this one to eat when they wish, or sometimes to camp out The soil surface temp at the time the photo was taken 61 degrees, air temp 63.
The tubs contain a 2:2 group of Eastern Hermans, with another young female set to join the group in a day or two. They are seemingly content and do not pace or try to climb in the corners.

Tub 1. Photo shows three torts basking under their MVB.







Tub 2. Photo shows plantings in the Great Valley. The red circle indicates a nightcrawler still on the surface in the morning. The blue circle indicates a sweet potato vine moved in from the outdoors recently, just beginning to leaf out again. The fronds in the upper right corner are part of a Boston fern that is sitting over the "landing" of the access ramp between the two tubs. 






Yes, the second picture shows a disc thermometer in the lower left corner. I use them, in addition to other temp-measurement tools. Thanks.


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## kathyth (Oct 27, 2012)

I absolutely love it!
The explanations are appreciated for ideas.
You did a really nice job and your Hermann's have it made.
Thanks?


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## safari_lass1 (Oct 27, 2012)

That is a wonderful idea to add insects. I unintentionally did that with the elongateds and hingebacks, and the plants seem to flourish without having to replace them.

Great job


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## Edna (Oct 27, 2012)

Thanks! Yes, bugs are awesome. I don't remove poop or dying foliage from the planted tub, instead just letting the bugs take care of it. I'll check in on them in the morning and find a leaf from the ponytail palms in the other tank pulled deeply into a hole in the planted tank; very busy worms indeed. There are plenty of bugs in there that came in with the substrate or plants, in addition to those I put in.
I know that the Hermanns will eat earthworms if they have an opportunity, but I was wondering if/when they would ever encounter worms in the wild. Having this indoor enclosure has given me an opportunity to observe the worms too. I have come to the conclusion that like the early bird, the early tortoise would have many opportunities to get the worm.


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## wellington (Oct 27, 2012)

It sounds like a great place for your torts to live. I would love to see a photo of the whole enclosure, if you could. My Leo's enclosure was kinda they same setup, minus the bugs. I had two tots joined by a tunnel. One side planted the other side was the humid side/basking side. It worked great.


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## lynnedit (Oct 27, 2012)

Fantastic! You have put a lot of thought into this.

What is your ramp made of? Would you mind posting a picture of the ramp from the top sometime?


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## stasisdc5 (Oct 27, 2012)

interested in a wide shot of the set up


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## Edna (Oct 27, 2012)

My ramp is made from 12x12 natural slate tiles from Home Depot. I used construction glue to adhere the tiles to fir flooring strips cut to length (fir left over from our kitchen redo). Each of the two ramps have metal strapping attached to the end that rests on top of the tubs, and the landing rests on the junction of ramps and tubs. I spend several days cruising the hardware and other stores vetting different materials for the safety rail. What I eventually settled on was plastic garden edging. It was easy to cut and screw into place, and the color/texture works for me.
The ramp was a lot of work, but I'm happy to report that my older male tort was up and over it within the first 10 minutes he was in the enclosure. They all use it with no problem, and a couple of them sometimes sleep on the landing, under the big fern.


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## RosieRedfoot (Oct 27, 2012)

Not meaning to hijack the thread but what bugs do you recommend? Roly polys and earthworms? Is there somewhere you buy them or do you just dig them up? Around here I just seem to find lots of ants and spiders...


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## Edna (Oct 27, 2012)

I bought nightcrawlers from the bait fridge at the grocery store. For the longest time I didn't think we had roly polies here because I couldn't find any. I had some leaves waiting to go into a compost pile this summer and looked underneath them, and finally found the roly polys. In other enclosures I've also had slugs. They came in on a plant, and the torts snacked on them, so I let them be. The other bugs in the soil are teeny and I've not identified them. I know there are some tiny spiders in there, catching the other tinies, so not bothering anything. I would draw the line at ants because they would be able to leave the enclosure and colonize other parts of the house. Not acceptable.


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## Eweezyfosheezy (Oct 27, 2012)

Wow! Is that cool or what!


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