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    Tommen is a fast growing and doing well!

    My Hermann's tortoise Tommen is 14 months old now, and I have had him for exactly 11 months now. Look how big he is (almost 5 inches now!), and how nice his shell is! The one picture is the day I got him and the other is from today. It's been a while since I have been on TFO, but thanks to...
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    Feedback on tortoise enclosure expansion

    I just opened up my enclosure for my 5 month old eastern Herman's Tommen (closed top). It's a 6x3, and I am going to add more cover. I got some spider plant, and I have some pothos coming too. I put in two heat lamps, since the enclosure is longer, but I noticed on here, most enclosures...
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    186 year old tortoise Jonathan

    Not sure if anyone here has seen this, but Jonathan is apparently the oldest known tortoise alive. This article is making the rounds on social media, calling him a "gay" tortoise because he tries to mate with a 30 year old male tortoise. I am thinking this is another clear cut example of human...
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    Shell rot or squiggly lines?

    I'm sure you've gotten this question 10,000 times already, but I want to ask, can you tell if these marks on the plastron are shell rot or just the squiggly lines people talk about? I got some athletes foot cream to put on there, but I was hoping for some input before I start trying to treat...
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    Plant identification

    My plant app tells me these are either hairy goldenasters or spiny goldweeds, but I can’t find either on the tortoise table under common or Latin names.
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    Sulcata tortoise in new jersey

    Saw this post, I’m really hoping someone can get him a better home.
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    Another interesting article on temperature sex determination, but in Sulcatas

    This is an older article, from 2009, so apologies if it's been posted already. These scientists got a bunch of eggs, from a few different clutches, and tried to see if incubation temperature had any effect on metabolic rate, which it doesn't. Clutch and egg size had a much larger effect on...
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    California reptile basking bulb recommendations

    I just visited my parents out of state, and bought a large case of 65W incandescent flood lights... turns out I need higher wattage for my enclosure. I carefully packed a suitcase full of lightbulbs for nothing lol Do you have recommendations for specific "reptile basking floodlights"? I mean...
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    Coco coir string stuck halfway out

    Hello! So, I got my 3.5 month old Hermann's on Monday, and monday and tuesday he pooped normally. Wednesday, I noticed he had poop stuck to his butt, so I soaked him and gave him about 2 hours worth of warm soaks, and cleaned the poop off with a q-tip. But, I noticed he had a string of what I...
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    Just got this little guy today!

    Just got my baby Hermann's today! He has already won my heart :) And yes, he's eating off a plate - even though I ordered everything 2 weeks ahead of time, his terracotta dishes got lost in the mail! He'll be getting his tomorrow. His name is Tommen, but if it turns out female, she will be...
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    Cuttlebone vs eggshell vs supplements vs other bones

    I am more curious with how this relates to testudo, but any information is welcome. My Russian does not touch cuttlebone, and it's fine since he's an adult, but since I have a hatchling hermann's coming, I have been trying to figure this out. Do you have preferences for how you give calcium or...
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    Three options for hatchling housing

    Hey! I am back again, still preparing for my incoming hatchling. I have been fussing over the housing, and I want some help on deciding the best enclosure for a 3 month old Hermann's hatchling. 1. His juvenile enclosure - It's a 3'x6' wooden enclosure, and I could use half of it to start...
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    Plants bought from a commercial nursery

    This is more a rant about myself than anything else, but I just bought like $50 of plants from the home depot nursery, and didn't even consider that they could have pesticides! I feel like an absolute fool! I planted tickseed and cornflower in my adult russian's enclosure, that he fortunately...
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    Enclosure transitions from baby to adult?

    Hey everyone! I am seriously considering getting a baby Hermann’s tortoise, and there are a ton of good resources on here for helping me see what I need. If I get it, this would be my first hatchling. There is one thing I can’t figure out - how do you know when to size up the enclosure? How...
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    Classic hidden tortoise!

    Today, I went outside to bring Tywin back inside, since he has no outdoor heating. Normally, I cover his cage when he's out there, but since I was working from home today, 5 feet away from the balcony, I left the cover off. Well, I went out there to look for him, and couldn't find him...
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    Estimating Russian Tortoise age? (Spoiler: he wasn't a year old!)

    I only just realized that when I bought Tywin, I fell for the classic "He's about a year old" scam (lol). The only reason I even questioned this was because they said they got him as a hatchling, and had him for a year. But, they had him in a 20 gallon fish tank with half the bottom covered in...
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    Showing off my outdoor/ balcony enclosure

    I just finished putting this together, and I am very happy with it! I'm sure there's people here who could make better ones with their eyes closed ;) , but given my lack of space, experience, and resources, I think it came out very well! Still need to add some things - like a thermostat...
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    Looking for 5'x2' outdoor enclosure, that can be shipped to me

    Hey! Looking for some advice here :) I move and got my first outdoor space ever! The balcony of my new apartment has room for a 5'x2' enclosure, and I am hoping to maximize the room that my russian tortoise Tywin has outside. Constraints: I have no car, though I am willing to Uber from the...
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    Feeding Russian tortoise with indoor gardening

    Hey everyone! I have started growing indoor plants for my Russian tortoise, and I am looking for some advice on the best things to grow indoors for him, as well as the best way to incorporate variety into his diet. Currently, this and this are the easiest for me to grow, and I have also been...
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    Trying to properly heat indoor enclosure with poor insulation

    Hey everyone! This is my second post to this forum. I’ve been making a ton of updates to my Russian tortoise’s enclose, and I still have more to do! I have attached a photo of my tortoise’s current setup. (I’m waiting on a better UVB light, getting more substrate, and looking into getting...
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