I’m worried about my little guy ... ?

[Lynn1957]

I have a 4 month old Hermann that been a really good eater since I’ve had him (sept) for the last three days he isn’t eating and is wondering around a lot in his table. He has his morning warm soak and then just travels and travels, even trying to climb the rocks and ending up upside down. This is unusual behaviour for him!
He has a 2ftx 5 ft table. A basking area with a uv/heat lamp and then 2 che spread spread over the area and a hide area as well. Humidity is between 60-70 and temp is 70+ at night and 80 and upwards during the day under the uv/heat it is 95 He gets a assortment of fresh broadleafs, leaves and zoo med
Maybe someone can shed som light on why he would be behaving this way and if I am doing something wrong?
Thank you so much in advance

 

[Lynn1957]

My little 7month old Hermann is usually a good eater wver since I’ve had him (sept) But for the last week or so he isn’t eating at all ! and is wondering around steady in his table. He has his morning warm soak and after he just travels and travels, even trying to climb the rocks and ending up upside down. This is unusual behaviour for him!
He has a 2ftx 5 ft table. A basking area with a uv/heat lamp and then 2 che spread spread over the area and a hide area as well. Humidity is between 60-70 and temp is 70+ at night and 80 and upwards during the day under the uv/heat it is 95 He gets a assortment of fresh broadleafs, leaves and zoo med
Maybe someone can shed som light on why he would be behaving this way and if I am doing something wrong?
How long can he go without food?
I'm really worried about him
Thank you so much i

 

[TechnoCheese]

Your set up sounds pretty good.
They can go a while with out eating, but I’m not sure how long for that particular species. I would say no longer than two weeks.
Could we see a picture of your enclosure?

 

[Lynn1957]

Your set up sounds pretty good.
They can go a while with out eating, but I’m not sure how long for that particular species. I would say no longer than two weeks.
Could we see a picture of your enclosure?

 

[Lynn1957]

View attachment 227931

Thank you!

 

[TechnoCheese]

View attachment 227931

That’s a beautiful enclosure!
Sadly, I am not sure what could be causing this. Hopefully more people will come in to help.

 

[wellington]

@HermanniChris might be able to help.
Those disc things you are reading temps and humidity with are not very reliable. Do you also have a temp gun? If not get one. They are cheap and gives an instant read on temps. Then also invest in better thermometers. Digital with probes are some of the better kind and not too expensive.

 

[aechols83]

Just wanted to check-in and see how your little guy is doing. I'm a tortoise novice so hoping someone more knowledgeable than I can offer you something here. Thinking good thoughts!

~Adam

 

[HermanniChris]

My first impression is that you’re simply blasting the animal with a bit too much heat. 70 is warm at night for this species especially considering right now in nature they are buried underground sleeping the winter away. We sometimes forget that these creatures have internal clocks that still tell them what time of year it is despite efforts to keep them warm and awake. One of the biggest misconceptions with Hermann’s tortoises is thinking they need warmth at night. They simply do not. They actually require a nighttime cool down. For starters, turn off any heat at night and allow the tortoise to “chill out” for lack of a better term. See if that starts to make a difference. This kind of behavior usually reveals that the animal is trying to escape something. More often than not, it’s heat when it comes to Hermann’s. We had a little warm up here the other day and one of our older females decided to cruise the enclosure when it was only 48F. The sun allowed her to warm up and she actually did not burrow back underground until the temps began approaching the mid 30s. They are more resilient and cold hardy than most think. Try what I said for starters and see if it changes anything.

 

[Lynn1957]

My first impression is that you’re simply blasting the animal with a bit too much heat. 70 is warm at night for this species especially considering right now in nature they are buried underground sleeping the winter away. We sometimes forget that these creatures have internal clocks that still tell them what time of year it is despite efforts to keep them warm and awake. One of the biggest misconceptions with Hermann’s tortoises is thinking they need warmth at night. They simply do not. They actually require a nighttime cool down. For starters, turn off any heat at night and allow the tortoise to “chill out” for lack of a better term. See if that starts to make a difference. This kind of behavior usually reveals that the animal is trying to escape something. More often than not, it’s heat when it comes to Hermann’s. We had a little warm up here the other day and one of our older females decided to cruise the enclosure when it was only 48F. The sun allowed her to warm up and she actually did not burrow back underground until the temps began approaching the mid 30s. They are more resilient and cold hardy than most think. Try what I said for starters and see if it changes anything.

Thanks, okay I have just removed one heater and 3/4 of the table will go down to at least 65 at night i will leave only one heater on at one end. I thought that at least a ten degree difference was enough for them? I also thought as babies they couldn't take the lower temps at night?
I'll give it a try! Thank you so much. I'll keep you posted!

 

[Lynn1957]

Just wanted to check-in and see how your little guy is doing. I'm a tortoise novice so hoping someone more knowledgeable than I can offer you something here. Thinking good thoughts!
Thanks Adam, no change as of yet.
~Adam

 

[HermanniChris]

The assumption that they cannot take cooler temps at night is one of the biggest misconceptions in raising baby tortoises, particularly Testudo species and even more specifically Hermann’s. I have an entire website dedicated to Hermann’s and other Testudo so if you have some time to fish around and want to learn a few tricks please give it a visit. It’s HermanniHaven.com

It’s far from being finished but is full of info and plenty of photos already.

 

[Lynn1957]

I will definitely read i

The assumption that they cannot take cooler temps at night is one of the biggest misconceptions in raising baby tortoises, particularly Testudo species and even more specifically Hermann’s. I have an entire website dedicated to Hermann’s and other Testudo so if you have some time to fish around and want to learn a few tricks please give it a visit. It’s HermanniHaven.com

It’s far from being finished but is full of info and plenty of photos already.

thank you again! How long do you think he can go without eating safely?

 

[Lynn1957]

Just wanted to post that my little guy has quit his travels and seems to be back to normal behaviour. It was ten days that he was acting this way. He now is eating again and basking and just acting normal!