Critique me! - Brand new setup (Hermann's)

KatAttack

New Member
Joined
May 28, 2023
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Firestone, Colorado
Sorry up front for the wall of text! If this belongs somewhere else, please tell me, I'm brand new here.

We're getting our first tort. Technically it'll be my daughter's, but since she's 4, it's really a family pet. We've decided on a female Eastern Hermann's. It'll be a well stared hatchling from Tortstork. We're building an indoor enclosure and she'll have an outdoor play area in my back yard.

Enclosure will be 4x3 15in deep, wood with a lid (so we can cover to keep humidity). I'm planning on 6" of substrate. This comes out to about 6cuft. I'll do 3cuft organic soil, 2cuft sphagnum moss and 1cuft sand, with a couple inches of cypress bark on top. We'll have a hide box, a humid hide, basking area and other tort friendly enrichment. I'd like to plant a few spots of snacks too (advice welcome here). She'll have a shallow water dish that'll be replaced daily and 3-4 x weekly luke warm soaks.

We'll have UV light and daylight bulbs, 12-14 hr day on. (My hubs us researching the bulbs, so I don't have specifics yet).

We'll use Mazuri food (I used this brand for my chinchillas and it was awesome) and appropriate leafy greens (which I'm going to try to grow). Question here, how do you offer the 2 different foods? Do you always have the pellets out and then offer the greens for 15-20 min each day? Will have a cuttlebone for calcium.

Planning on 3-4 hygrometer/thermometers to monitor the temp/humidity throughout. Humidity is a huge concern for us since we're in dry Colorado. We'll do soaks, fresh water every day, spray down and humid hide.

Is that everything? I'm sitting at my allergy doctor, and that's all I can come up with right now lol.

Thanks all!! These forums have been SO helpful!

Oh and I think my daughter picked Tortina for her name lol.
 

KatAttack

New Member
Joined
May 28, 2023
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Firestone, Colorado
I'm ready to be lambasted lol. I know there are opinions on everything. The care sheets here say organic soil, other people say no-no. I just want a substrate good for tort that she can burrow in, that will help with humidity that I can keep clean and afford. Nothing has been bought yet, fyi, so everything is open to change (except enclosure size, that's really as big as we can get for the next several years.

Thanks again!
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,660
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Okay, no on the substrate you chose l. Use coconut coir or orchid/fir bark or combo of the two. Sand can cause impaction, moss can get tangled around limbs and inside parts and cause problems and the soil, you have no idea what kinds of stuff is in it.
At the age you are getting, there is no way of knowing if it's male or female. Sex temp hatching is no guarantee.
The mazuri should be fed sparingly, like one to two pellets, soaked a few times a week. Leave food out all day, not just 15-20 minutes. They should be able to eat all day long when they want. Do not use any mercury vapor bulbs or any cfl(coil bulbs). You want tube florescent for uvb, incandescent flood bulb for basking and use ceramic heat emitter or radiant heat panel for night heat and if added day heat is needed.
If it's under a year, do daily warm water soaks.
The 4x3 is fine for a young one, but will need more space as it gets to larger.
 

KatAttack

New Member
Joined
May 28, 2023
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Firestone, Colorado
Okay, no on the substrate you chose l. Use coconut coir or orchid/fir bark or combo of the two. Sand can cause impaction, moss can get tangled around limbs and inside parts and cause problems and the soil, you have no idea what kinds of stuff is in it.
At the age you are getting, there is no way of knowing if it's male or female. Sex temp hatching is no guarantee.
The mazuri should be fed sparingly, like one to two pellets, soaked a few times a week. Leave food out all day, not just 15-20 minutes. They should be able to eat all day long when they want. Do not use any mercury vapor bulbs or any cfl(coil bulbs). You want tube florescent for uvb, incandescent flood bulb for basking and use ceramic heat emitter or radiant heat panel for night heat and if added day heat is needed.
If it's under a year, do daily warm water soaks.
The 4x3 is fine for a young one, but will need more space as it gets to larger.
Can you send me a link to the orchid bark? There's so much disparity online, I'm not sure which product.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,660
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Just Google fir bark or orchid bark. Any that do not have any added stuff fertilizer etc will do.
Repti bark will work too.
 

KatAttack

New Member
Joined
May 28, 2023
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Firestone, Colorado
Just Google fir bark or orchid bark. Any that do not have any added stuff fertilizer etc will do.
Repti bark will work too.
These work in your opinion? I'd mix them (not sure why I've got the idea of mixing in my head), or not if not necessary. I've been reading so much that it's getting hard to keep straight lol
Edit to add pic
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20230530_171106_Amazon Shopping.jpg
    Screenshot_20230530_171106_Amazon Shopping.jpg
    231.1 KB · Views: 3

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,660
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
These work in your opinion? I'd mix them (not sure why I've got the idea of mixing in my head), or not if not necessary. I've been reading so much that it's getting hard to keep straight lol
Edit to add pic
If you want to mix. Get coconut coir for bottom damp area it won't mold and holds moisture/humidity well. Then put the reptile bark on top.
 

Krista S

Well-Known Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 4, 2019
Messages
1,364
Location (City and/or State)
Saskatchewan
We'll use Mazuri food (I used this brand for my chinchillas and it was awesome) and appropriate leafy greens (which I'm going to try to grow). Question here, how do you offer the 2 different foods? Do you always have the pellets out and then offer the greens for 15-20 min each day? Will have a cuttlebone for calcium.
I wouldn’t use Mazuri as a main food, but rather a supplement to weeds and leafy greens. If you mostly feed Mazuri, your tortoise is not likely to eat anything else. The tortoise should have a heap of greens and weeds available all day long. They are grazers and will nibble throughout the day. Then maybe a couple times per week, offer Mazuri, but I wouldn’t do that until after your tortoise is used to eating a large variety of greens. Mazuri (5M21) doesn’t have enough fibre in it and is quite high in protein. That is one of the reasons why it shouldn’t be fed everyday. It is an excellent supplement to the regular diet though, so your tortoise gets all of the extra vitamins and nutrients in the pellets. When I feed Mazuri to my Hermann’s tortoise, I soak ZooMed grassland tortoise diet pellets (very high in fibre) over night, then about 15 min before putting the food out, I will soak the Mazuri pellets. Once they’re soft I mix the grassland pellets and Mazuri together. I do about 40% grassland pellets to 60% Mazuri and this gives it an excellent boost of fibre.

Take a look at this link below. It contains an incredible amount of information that will make your life easier and take some of the guesswork out of the equation. Near the bottom of the big write up in the first post, there are some links. Take a good read of the one for temperate species. That’s the category Hermann’s tortoises fall into. It is using all of the information in those threads that gave me a helping hand and the knowledge I needed to raise a tiny 3 month old into a happy, healthy and thriving now 4 year old.


I also just wanted to say I think it’s awesome that you came to the forum before getting your tortoise. Usually it’s the other way around. You are doing it the right way. I hope once you have your tortoise all settled in that you‘ll share some pictures with us.
 
Joined
May 31, 2023
Messages
71
Location (City and/or State)
Oklahoma
Hello, I don’t honestly know if you did anything right or wrong! I am just also brand new to having a tortoise and being on this group, so I wanted to say hi!
 

KatAttack

New Member
Joined
May 28, 2023
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Firestone, Colorado
I wouldn’t use Mazuri as a main food, but rather a supplement to weeds and leafy greens. If you mostly feed Mazuri, your tortoise is not likely to eat anything else. The tortoise should have a heap of greens and weeds available all day long. They are grazers and will nibble throughout the day. Then maybe a couple times per week, offer Mazuri, but I wouldn’t do that until after your tortoise is used to eating a large variety of greens. Mazuri (5M21) doesn’t have enough fibre in it and is quite high in protein. That is one of the reasons why it shouldn’t be fed everyday. It is an excellent supplement to the regular diet though, so your tortoise gets all of the extra vitamins and nutrients in the pellets. When I feed Mazuri to my Hermann’s tortoise, I soak ZooMed grassland tortoise diet pellets (very high in fibre) over night, then about 15 min before putting the food out, I will soak the Mazuri pellets. Once they’re soft I mix the grassland pellets and Mazuri together. I do about 40% grassland pellets to 60% Mazuri and this gives it an excellent boost of fibre.

Take a look at this link below. It contains an incredible amount of information that will make your life easier and take some of the guesswork out of the equation. Near the bottom of the big write up in the first post, there are some links. Take a good read of the one for temperate species. That’s the category Hermann’s tortoises fall into. It is using all of the information in those threads that gave me a helping hand and the knowledge I needed to raise a tiny 3 month old into a happy, healthy and thriving now 4 year old.


I also just wanted to say I think it’s awesome that you came to the forum before getting your tortoise. Usually it’s the other way around. You are doing it the right way. I hope once you have your tortoise all settled in that you‘ll share some pictures with us.
Thanks!! That's what I'd read about the pellet food as well. I'm going to set up a grow table and see what all we can grow ourselves. Thanks for the tip on the ZooMed pellets, I'll definitely grab those too. I just remember how helpful the chinchilla forums were lol, I was super glad to find this one! We will definitely share pics!
 

KatAttack

New Member
Joined
May 28, 2023
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Firestone, Colorado
Tortini is home!! Arrived perfectly from TortStork yesterday! We're definitely enjoying watching beer settle in, hoping we give her the best home possible!
 

Attachments

  • 39679.jpeg
    39679.jpeg
    363.6 KB · Views: 6
  • 20230621_100926.jpg
    20230621_100926.jpg
    508.4 KB · Views: 6

TammyJ

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
7,120
Location (City and/or State)
Jamaica
Both your daughter and the tortoise are adorable! All the best.
 

KatAttack

New Member
Joined
May 28, 2023
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Firestone, Colorado
Tortini is settling in beautifully! We went with this enclosure to help with humidity while she's a babe. When she's bigger we'll have a big custom table built. Thank you everyone for the tips! I'll definitely keep asking questions lol.
 

Attachments

  • 20230624_143318.jpg
    20230624_143318.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 6
  • 20230624_143243.jpg
    20230624_143243.jpg
    1.1 MB · Views: 7
  • 20230624_142432.jpg
    20230624_142432.jpg
    707.9 KB · Views: 6
  • 20230624_142429.jpg
    20230624_142429.jpg
    937.9 KB · Views: 6
  • 20230624_140453.jpg
    20230624_140453.jpg
    1.1 MB · Views: 6
Top