Advice on Hermanns

[immiexxo]

Heya,
I've had my 5 year old Hermanns for around 2 weeks now and everything seems fine with him however I have a few general questions about him.

His previous owner said he was over hibernated last year. Does this affect him in any way? Also how do I go about hibernating him this year? I've never done it before. When is the best time to do this and for how long? Is there any way to NOT hibernate a tort?

Also, creeping Virginia I've seen is listed as toxic however my tortoise has just been caught munching on the leaves of one! He also found a tomato and ate that too! Hoe much will this affect him?

Any help and advice would be great! Thank you!

 

[Merrick]

For the food stuff as long as you don't feed him anymore he should be fine

 

[Gillian M]

Welcome to the forum.

A bit of tomato won't do any harm, though it its not recommended for torts. It is something they LOVE, but have difficulty in digesting.

 

[THBfriend]

His previous owner said he was over hibernated last year. Does this affect him in any way? Also how do I go about hibernating him this year? I've never done it before. When is the best time to do this and for how long? Is there any way to NOT hibernate a tort?

Over hibernated? I guess you just mean hibernated.
Hermann's tortoises do hibernate in their natural habitat. It's still debated whether or not hibernation in captivity is necessary, but many people think it is beneficial. First you should determine what subspecies your tortoise is, Western or Eastern. Eastern Hermann's tortoises have a slightly longer hibernation period. Start and length depend on environmental factors (temperature, daylight hours), which you can control at least to some extent in an indoor setup. My Eastern Hermann's tortoises live outdoors and typically hibernate for 5 months, from the end of October / start of November to middle or end of March. To minimize the risk, beginners like you should start with a shorter period, e.g. 3 months. This website explains the procedure in detail.

 

[immiexxo]

Apparently she hibernated him for too long
I'll check out the website tomorrow
Thank you x

 

[immiexxo]

Oh and he's an Eastern too x

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and a belated warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.
Sorry, I've been away for a few days.
Read, learn, contribute, ask questions and have fun.