My tortoise is so small!

Loujd

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So a bit of back ground we brought sunshine a Herman 2020 hatchling last month. Today I decided to weigh him 43g and she’ll is 7cm he’s utterly tiny. Now he only likes to be hand fed which I really don’t mind at all I think it’s sweet! I’ve just ordered him a working kit to send off too. But is he really underweight? What am I doing wrong. He has pellets and a lot of weeds on offer daily. Sorry if any of that is irrelevant. I’ll add a pic of him so you can see. Ignore his messy table he gets spot cleaned daily and I always do it while he’s sleeping as not to disturb him
 

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Ink

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Is it a Western Hermanns or an Eastern Hermanns? My Western was so tiny
 

Sarah2020

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Ensure fresh food is available in a dish he can walk into and sit in ideally daily in the morning and remains for the day. Hand feeding is ok once in a while but not the norm they are grazers so will eat when they want. They have a terrible bite so if he accidently bites you you will find out the hard way. Water should be in 24 x 7 refresh twice a day . Growth is slow as your aiming for a smooth even growth and will depend on environment, heat, light, regular shallow warm water soaking ( in a container with high edge), diet and substrate. I think a 2020 43g is ok and good that you weight regularly and retain a log to check growth. I weight weekly on a Sunday for convenience.
 

Loujd

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Hi I seem to be doing everything environmentaly the best I can I hope. We’ve got dimmers, regular baths, humid hides, lots of food, supplements and exercise. But I will start weighing him weekly to check. Xxx
 

Loujd

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Ensure fresh food is available in a dish he can walk into and sit in ideally daily in the morning and remains for the day. Hand feeding is ok once in a while but not the norm they are grazers so will eat when they want. They have a terrible bite so if he accidently bites you you will find out the hard way. Water should be in 24 x 7 refresh twice a day . Growth is slow as your aiming for a smooth even growth and will depend on environment, heat, light, regular shallow warm water soaking ( in a container with high edge), diet and substrate. I think a 2020 43g is ok and good that you weight regularly and retain a log to check growth. I weight weekly on a Sunday for convenience.
Hi I did use a bowl before hand but he just wouldn’t go in it or eat from it I changed to slate (it’s cleaned daily) and food offered twice a day as he won’t eat anything wilted from his lights. Oh my he’s nipped me by accident a few times. I have also been giving him soaked tortoise pellets is this ok? I try to bath him daily as he’s not a drinker but he does go in the water when he wants to toilet. I may start doing a Sunday weigh in. His substrate is coco coir but once he’s had his next load I will change to top soil xxx
 

Jan A

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Hi I did use a bowl before hand but he just wouldn’t go in it or eat from it I changed to slate (it’s cleaned daily) and food offered twice a day as he won’t eat anything wilted from his lights. Oh my he’s nipped me by accident a few times. I have also been giving him soaked tortoise pellets is this ok? I try to bath him daily as he’s not a drinker but he does go in the water when he wants to toilet. I may start doing a Sunday weigh in. His substrate is coco coir but once he’s had his next load I will change to top soil xxx
No top soil. he can easily get impacted eating it.
 

Tom

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So a bit of back ground we brought sunshine a Herman 2020 hatchling last month. Today I decided to weigh him 43g and she’ll is 7cm he’s utterly tiny. Now he only likes to be hand fed which I really don’t mind at all I think it’s sweet! I’ve just ordered him a working kit to send off too. But is he really underweight? What am I doing wrong. He has pellets and a lot of weeds on offer daily. Sorry if any of that is irrelevant. I’ll add a pic of him so you can see. Ignore his messy table he gets spot cleaned daily and I always do it while he’s sleeping as not to disturb him
Don't switch to soil. Many people get sold the wrong heating and lighting stuff. The coir is a good substrate, but yours looks to dry and dusty. Read this to make sure all your care and lighting is correct:
 

zolasmum

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Hello and welcome from Devon. Your Sunshine is absolutely lovely, and he will grow quickly.,I'm sure. We have a Herman's tortoise too - he has recently turned 21. We had to hand feed him all the time at first, and we still do when it comes to treats. I think, looking back, that it is one reason he is so friendly, and likes being picked up. I would put out just a very small bit of food several times a day - you said he doesn't like it wilted. So in between being hand fed, he gets a chance to try stuff on his own as well. Zola loves radicchio - he would eat it all day ! (not a good idea, by the way)
I think it would be good to do a weight chart, and also put him on some paper and draw round him, as it is interesting to see how his shape changes as he grows.
Sunshine is a lovely name
Angie
 

Dorothy

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Try cutting the greens into little pieces , they get tired of trying to pull big pieces. I also have a eastern Herman’s that was really tiny and seemed to work for him. He is now a Year old And weighs 160 grams.
 

TaylorTortoise

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I have a western hermanns who is the size of a golf ball. I recieved him 2 weeks ago so he is only about 1 month old to a few months old. He is so so tiny!! Sometimes hard to find him in his enclosure. My baby eats more tha my male adult russian. His eyes are bigger than his stomach but actually finishes his food.
 

Loujd

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Hello and welcome from Devon. Your Sunshine is absolutely lovely, and he will grow quickly.,I'm sure. We have a Herman's tortoise too - he has recently turned 21. We had to hand feed him all the time at first, and we still do when it comes to treats. I think, looking back, that it is one reason he is so friendly, and likes being picked up. I would put out just a very small bit of food several times a day - you said he doesn't like it wilted. So in between being hand fed, he gets a chance to try stuff on his own as well. Zola loves radicchio - he would eat it all day ! (not a good idea, by the way)
I think it would be good to do a weight chart, and also put him on some paper and draw round him, as it is interesting to see how his shape changes as he grows.
Sunshine is a lovely name
Angie
Thsnk you so much for your reply. Im glad to see my hand fed tortoise isn’t the only diva. Ours is also super friendly and loves attention. I will keep a growth chart for him xxx
 

zolasmum

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Thank you all so much for your reply’s and taking the time to help and reassure me xxx
Hello again - I just wondered what you were referring to when you mentioned a "working kit" in your first post? Maybe I'm a bit dim, but I could only think of school work equipment - rulers and pencils, etcetera - and I'm pretty sure you are not starting him on educational stuff yet !!
Angie x
 

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