Eastern Hermann's Tortoise Advice

[LilGaylordGirl]

Hey guys, I'm a new Eastern Hermann's tort owner, and I've had my little guy Boggy for all of about 24 hours. I was looking for some advice on what we should feed him, what temps we should keep his enclosure at during the daytime hours and night hours, and what humidity levels we should keep the enclosure at would help. We read the detailed care sheet (which was written by Chris Leone) and the pamphlet we got from Petsmart but they're both telling us totally different things, and the wondrous internet isn't much help either. Any advice on the three things I've mentioned, as well as any and all other advice would be much appreciated! Thank you so much for your time, effort and help!

 

[Yvonne G]

Have you read our care sheet? I'm pretty sure he tells what their diet and temps should be. After you read that, if you still have questions, we're here to help.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

 

[LilGaylordGirl]

Yes, we've read every care sheet but they all seem to contradict each other. But we've managed to find some decent leads. Any extra advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[JoesMum]

My advice is to stick to Chris's care sheet. He wrote the information on that link.

Ignore the advice from Petsmart which is known to be, at best, outdated and also that found anywhere else.

Here on TFO we are proud to have species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

How big is your little guy? Is this a very young tort?

Your tort will be very shy to start.

To ensure it stays hydrated, it needs to be soaked daily for at least 20 minutes in warm water (think baby bath) Use a high sided, flat bottomed bowl that your tort can't see through or over. A washing up bowl is ideal.

If your tort is very young, the temperature should not drop below 80F day or night. Regardless of age, it must be 95-100F directly under the basking lamp.

Pictures of your enclosure and lighting will help us to help you. We can more rapidly spot any problems or improvements that way.

Your tort's diet is a variety of leafy weedy greens. It cannot digest sugars properly, it causes digestive and kidney problems, so fruit, bell pepper, carrot and tomato should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally - if at all.

Look up the plants that grow around you and the greens you can buy in The Tortoise Table Plant Database for suitability to feed
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

 

[LilGaylordGirl]

Thank you so much! I'll send some pictures tomorrow morning, I know Chris's care sheet said something about a small colored (not clear) sterilite tub since he still fits in the palm of my hand. He's 6 months old

 

[JoesMum]

I find a bigger bowl to be better simply because the larger amount of water cools more slowly. It saves having to change the water

 

[Eklayre]

Yes, we've read every care sheet but they all seem to contradict each other. But we've managed to find some decent leads. Any extra advice is greatly appreciated!

We are in the same boat, I read for months prior - made some decisions on set up, then ended up changing up everything after reading through this forum So much conflicting data, even our specialty small pet store seems to have told us wrong. It's very confusing!
Best of luck, can't wait to see pics!

 

[GBtortoises]

Plastic container lids work well for both water and food dishes. Usually more suitable than what can be purchased in a pet shop. It might take a little searching for the right one but lids come in many different depths and diameters. Water containers used for baby and young tortoises should be shallow and easy for them to get in and out of. They should also be placed so that the top rim of the container is even with the substrate. Diameter should be approximately twice the length of the tortoise to allow it to be able to turn around and easily climb in and out.

 

[Patty P]

Yes, we've read every care sheet but they all seem to contradict each other. But we've managed to find some decent leads. Any extra advice is greatly appreciated!

You can go crazy reading all the conflicting info out there on the internet. Just stick to Chris Leone's advice and you should be fine.
I find the terra cotta saucers that go under flower pots work quite well as a water dish. It is small enough for the young tort to climb inside but not deep enough to drown.