Basking lamp

[Kbou]

Hi I have two 1 year old Hermann tortoises. Iv only had them 2 days. They don’t seem to like sitting under there basking lamp is this something I should be worried about? They would rather sit in the cool area and in the hide. Basking lamp is 32-35 and cool area is 23.27.
The room there is always around 20-24 anyway. Advice please

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. The first bit of advice is to separate them. Tortoises should never live in pairs. Groups of juveniles can work, but not pairs.

What size is the enclosure? What size are the tortoises? I read one year, but that could be four inches or one inch.
What type of bulbs are you using?
Is there a UV bulb? What type?
What type of substrate?

With some more info we will be able to help you get it figured out.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome! As Tom stated above they need separating, tortoise of any species should NEVER be housed in pairs under any circumstances, they’re incredibly territorial, behaviours that look cute to us really aren’t, following one another and sleeping huddled up is all bullying the the tortoise world, you’ll eventually see more extreme signs of aggression. Anyone who tells you pairs are fine, have no idea what they’re talking about.

Small groups are ok when there’s lots of land and the correct male to female ratio.

Some more information would be great if you’re willing to answer toms questions, a pic of your full set up would be good too!🙂

In the meantime, feel free to check this thread out, it covers appropriate equipment, levels etc, hopefully it comes in useful🐢💚

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Kbou]

Thankyou for your reply. I was told they would be fine until there older. I have a 4ft table but they seem to be under there lamp at the moment. I have the mercury vapour lamp

 

[Maggie3fan]

It takes time for a tortoise to get used to a strange place but you really do need to separate them

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thankyou for your reply. I was told they would be fine until there older. I have a 4ft table but they seem to be under there lamp at the moment. I have the mercury vapour lamp

Babies do tend to be less aggressive but they can still definitely cause one another stress, which can actually be fatal in itself, but there’s also the risk of one stunting the others growth.

Mercury vapour lamps aren’t a good choice, you want a incandescent floodlight for the basking light and a t5 fluorescent tube for your uv(always go branded)pics attached, I go over all of it in the thread I posted too, take you’re time going over the info, then feel free to come back with any further questions!🙂