First time tortoise owners!

Seb

Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2020
Messages
46
Location (City and/or State)
Cheshire
Hi everyone!

We got our amazing little Hermanns tortoise around 2 weeks ago from a local breeder. His name is Esio (after the Roald Dahl book Esio Trot), he's 6 months old and he seems to have settled in really well!

His favourite food so far seems to be dandelions and aloe vera and he won't touch any dried stuff. He hates baths ? but loves climbing and sliding off things so we've given him a few things to do that safely in his table.

He has flipped himself a couple of times but I think we've managed to fix it so this won't happen again. I have seen him flip himself back though.

He is pretty active when he's awake but seems to spend a lot of time sleeping and takes a while to wake up in the mornings. I'm putting it down to him being 6 months old. And to be honest, I can't really blame him - I love a good sleep too.

I've added a couple of pictures of him and his table. If anyone has any suggestions or guidance for us, please comment! Still trying to get this right but this forum has been a huge help!

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BeepbaDoop

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Joined
Mar 31, 2020
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7
Location (City and/or State)
london
I recently got a Hermann myself and it has set me at ease a little bit to see that my tortoise doesn't just have completely abnormal behaviours! In fact they are identical from the dandelions to the climbing and jumping to sleeping
 

Seb

Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2020
Messages
46
Location (City and/or State)
Cheshire
I recently got a Hermann myself and it has set me at ease a little bit to see that my tortoise doesn't just have completely abnormal behaviours! In fact they are identical from the dandelions to the climbing and jumping to sleeping
Phew! It's definitely a relief to hear yours is acting in the same way! Ours is a little daredevil ? He's so funny to watch. And if we don't pay him enough attention, he starts making loads of noise, scratching at things and bumping things - I'm convinced he's just a show off!

A lot of his behaviours made me worry at first (mostly because I didn't expect them) but I have been lurking on this group since before we got him and it's been super helpful. So I thought I'd finally introduce us!
 

Hanami

New Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2020
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
New Milton
Hey!
Only thing I'd say is be careful of the fibers in his bedding.
I was using coco fiber and when ingested his poops would be attached to a piece of fiber stuck in his bottom, happened so often! Mines only 6 months and there was a good inch or so up in there ?
Yucky.
Enjoy your gorgeous boy ❤️
 
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jsheffield

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Sep 29, 2018
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Westmoreland, NH
Welcome to TFO!

This is a great place to learn about your tortoise.

Jamie
 
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Yvonne G

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Hi and welcome!

I have a couple suggestions. First, I like to use a plant saucer for water, and I sink it down into the substrate to make it easier for your baby to access the water. Next, I feed on a flat piece of tile or cement so they don't have to climb over a lip to reach the food. Water the substrate, mix it up to get it evenly moist, then pat it down with the palm of your hand to flatten it and make it easier for him to walk on. Your two hiding places are very open, and don't really provide him with a safe feel. They would be better if they were cut in half so they could be lower to the substrate.

You've done a pretty good job making a nice place for your little tortoise to live. Try adding a few plants, either real or fake, to give him an extra safe feel to his home.
 
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Seb

Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2020
Messages
46
Location (City and/or State)
Cheshire
Hi and welcome!

I have a couple suggestions. First, I like to use a plant saucer for water, and I sink it down into the substrate to make it easier for your baby to access the water. Next, I feed on a flat piece of tile or cement so they don't have to climb over a lip to reach the food. Water the substrate, mix it up to get it evenly moist, then pat it down with the palm of your hand to flatten it and make it easier for him to walk on. Your two hiding places are very open, and don't really provide him with a safe feel. They would be better if they were cut in half so they could be lower to the substrate.

You've done a pretty good job making a nice place for your little tortoise to live. Try adding a few plants, either real or fake, to give him an extra safe feel to his home.
Thank you Yvonne! That's really helpful advice. He does have a built-in hide at the other end of the table (although he very rarely uses it and prefers the side with the light).

We're struggling to keep the humidity up at the moment - do you have any tips? He doesn't seem to drink much and sits in the heat quite a bit in the mornings. We're bathing him every other day at the moment to keep him hydrated. I'm just concerned about pyramiding. Thanks :)
 

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