Baby Hermann Behavior

[bryl]

Hello everyone! First off thank you for being such a wonderful resource

I recently got a hatchling who is 5-9 weeks old. The first few days he was in his new enclosure, he woke up at around 9am, and was fairly active, running around his new home for 2-3 hrs a day and sort of checking everything out, and then heading to bed at 8pm. After the 4th day or so, he started spending most of his time basking or resting on his rocks- he hasn't really been as active or exploratory. He is also now going to bed at around 4pm.

I just wanted to check if the excess sleeping/resting was a sign of a problem, or just because he is a baby? I was thinking he stopped exploring once he got used to where everything is? Also, should I leave my lights on for 12-13 hrs even though he is asleep?

Here's other details about my care just so you guys have all the info
-He eats spring mix, honeysuckle, and dandelion, i've given him rose petals and grape leaves but he doesn't eat them (I'm thinking this is because they aren't as tender?)
-calcium/D3 dusted 3x a week
-every morning he gets a soak in warm water for 10 mins, followed by his food
-he has an MVB bulb, with the average enclosure temp at around 80, with cooler and warmer spots, as well as several places to hide. it gets down to 60-65 at night
-he's been pooping about every other day
-when he's in his bath, he uses his paws to wash his face almost like a cat does, I think that's normal? It's pretty cute
-we go outside and he gets about an hour of real daylight and he plays in the grass every day
-he has a terra cotta water saucer in his enclosure, but he doesn't go in it. i mist his substrate 2-3x a day, and the ambient humidity is around 50-60
-his substrate is a play sand/topsoil mix with cypress mulch on top, and his enclosure is 6 sq feet

Thank you all so much!! I attached a photo of him so you could see his cute little face

 

[Jabuticaba]

Hi. Congrats on you new little guy! He's really cute! I'm new to the whole captive tort keeping thing. (Had torts roaming around in my backyard, in the Amazon; either yellow- or red-footed.) Anyway, as far as I know, from everything I've read and observed in wild torts, babies tend to sleep a lot and they're not very active. As long as he's eating well, he should be fine.

 

[ColinF87]

He's adorable I wouldn't panic - my guy has some days where he's really active, then others when he eats, basks, repeats. The face-washing is normal too. Your set-up sounds good. You should keep the lights on - if he gets up again then he needs to have a basking spot available, and he'll still absorb UVB if he's asleep.

 

[GBtortoises]

Not only should you leave the lights on during the daytime, despite your tortoise sleeping, I would also recommend keeping them on 14-15 hours day. This duration is more in tune with what they would experience during a normal summer day if in the wild or outdoors in captivity.

 

[bryl]

Thank you guys so much!!! You're the best