A few Hermann questions

[TortoiseCharlie]

Hello. I'm currently keeping my 2 small hermanns on a tortoise table, they both hatched in 2014. I was just wondering what the best way to keep it humid is? I've heard that spraying water can help, is this true? Won't it just evaporate almost immediately?

I only got them 3 days ago, however I'm concerned about how little they eat. I've found plenty of information about what to feed them, but not much about quantities. I've been putting out an array of different leaves, vegetables, and some tortoise pellets each morning, not much gets eaten, they don't seem too interested. I know ideally they shouldn't be eating it, but they seem to like cabbage, and they'll eat a few tortoise pellets too. I'd rather see them eating this for now, than nothing at all. I really want to get them on a nice nutritional diet asap, but first I need to work out what things they like best, and how much they eat. Maybe they'll just take time to settle in, I've seen a few people say that some tortoises can take a few weeks to gain an appetite after the stress of a new environment. How long should I leave it before they should see a vet? Maybe they just eat less then I expected, there could be nothing to worry about, but I'd just like to check before any major problems occur.

Is it possible to bath them too much? It seems that their baths are very beneficial, and I'm paranoid about them becoming dehydrated. I've seen that lots of people bath them about 3 times a week, but could I do it every day?

Any questions or advice are welcome - thank you so much, this website is a brilliant resource

 

[wellington]

@HermanniChris can help you the most with Hermanns

 

[HermanniChris]

It's going to be very difficult for you to keep the humidity high in the tortoise table this is why I normally suggest using Rubbermaid containers for them when they are so young. The most important factor here is deep, moist substrate. A completely closed enclosure does not normally work well for Hermann's tortoises due to the outbreak of skin nodules and other things so a Rubbermaid works well because it allows the substrate to stay moist, easier. Spraying it will only wet the surface for a short time and then it'll dry up again. Actually pouring water into the substrate works much better. Using bulbs that are not too hot or too close helps as well to prevent it from drying out too much. This species does not need it hot anyway and they do better when kept warm with a warmer basking area and cool nights.

As for diet, yes they can be stressed and finicky for a while but it's important that you do not continue to feed the cabbage. It's better to withhold food then to keep offering the wrong thing. You will only cause them to get "hooked" on the wrong thing which will cause big problems for them and yourself down the road. They're tortoises, they can go quite a while without a morsel of food. Let them settle in, leave them alone completely and let them adjust to their new surroundings. Give them a few days and then start feeding again.

When it all comes down to it, these animals really require our absence. They need only the basic requirements and then if we simply step aside, they can thrive beautifully.

You can soak as you like but remember that every time you handle them you are potentially stressing them out. Make sure fresh drinking water is always available to them in the enclosure.

Hope this helps.