Hello, my name is Chris, (female). I have 2 Herman tortoises called Molly and Eric,

ZenHerper

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Can anyone tell me why my tortoise tries to climb up the glass,

To get to the other side...?

*rimshot*

But seriously! =DD

They do it because they can see beyond it and the glass is a barrier to where they'd like to explore (or hide). Tortoises just plow right over everything between Here and There. They can smell potential mates, potential rivals, water, food. They can see furniture to hide under, lights to try and bask under.... They might be trying to get away from a poor living situation. They understand the glass exists, but they also think they can climb and surmount it if they reach far enough.

To help reduce their obsession:

*Provide plenty of cover inside the enclosure.

*Make sure that the micro-environment and micro-climate inside the enclosure is appropriate for the species you care for.

*Place a 6-8 inch sight barrier around the outside of the glass to stop them longing for other vistas. Plain brown paper, something decorative, children's art...
 

Chris.clive

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Thankyou. I replaced the glass panel with a clear piece of glass, so we could watch them, I think I will have to put the pattered glass back in.
 

Marinda

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Heat mats shouldn't be used with tortoises. Pet shops are infamous for giving poor care info and selling all the wrong products. Some of these wrong products are dangerous, like the heat mats, cfl UV bulbs, ramped water bowls, and sandy substrates.

The behavior you are seeing is normal, and its the reason we tell people they shouldn't be kept in pairs.

Read the link Lyn left for you in post number 7 for the current and correct care info.
Tom can you please help, we are currently using top soil for our Hermanns, is it wrong and if so why?
 

Tom

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Tom can you please help, we are currently using top soil for our Hermanns, is it wrong and if so why?
Hi. Soil is made from composted yard waste. There is no way to know what it is. Could be toxic plants like oleander or azaleas, could be non-toxic plants sprayed with toxic yard chemicals or pesticides. No way to now. Best to not use it.

Orchid bark is the best all-around substrate for adult Testudo. Coco coir for babies.

More here:
 

Yossarian

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Tom can you please help, we are currently using top soil for our Hermanns, is it wrong and if so why?

Im not Tom obviously and he has given a comprehensive answer already, I wanted to just add that Soil in theory is not a problem and probably 99% of the time soil would not be a problem. We dont reccomend it because its one of those variables that we cant really control and why take the risk if you can avoid it? In addition to potentially harmful plant matter and chemicals in soil, there is also risk of other contaminants like screws, nails and other hardware that unless you are sifting all of it, you cant be sure it doesnt contain. Also, compared to orchid bark and coco, soil is pretty poor at holding moisture, tends to dry out on top and become compacted. The other products dont do that so much and hold a lot of moisture which is important in an indoor enclosure.
 
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