WildeAxel
Member
Hi!
First off I am glad I found this place. I have been cruising the threads for days now and frantically taking notes.
Okay, for the last few weeks I have been watching a friends adult hermann while they house hunted (their home burnt down). This tortoise I was watching was free roam in his home and the owner was pretty lax.Ii however, didn't let him roam my house freely as I had dogs and figured the torty needed more and probably should be treated to a "spa" while away. I researched what an adult would need, created a home and he loved it. Dug in his soil at night, played in his pond, devoured his salads. He tended to sleep for two or three days and then exposed himself and wants to play. I even ended up clipping is nails and started seeing his pads actually hitting the ground properly.
Needless to say, I fell in love. I have reptiles and snakes already so it is not unfamiliar territory but covid struck and lots changed ( I have lupus) and a plan for my own when from the spring when the expo came to, who knew when. Or so I thought. When our friends came to pick up their torty they had a surprise and actually wanted to do a swap. Theirs for a baby they found me from a breeder I didn't know existed.
Of course I said yes and then promptly started learning what a baby requires and suddenly I felt like I was in unfamiliar territory.
So, here we are...
Axl was born Feb 7th and I received him April 5th making him (I am guessing, won't know till about 3 years old I think) just over 2 months currently. He is 1.45" wide and weighs 20.34g. He is in a 1.3 x 2.9 ( that's what the tape measure says ) plastic bin with a 100w zoomed combo light. The substrate is EcoEarth and about 4 inches deep on the cooler side for burrowing. I have two cheap hydrometers stuck to the walls, each on one side respectively. There are two small water dishes, three artificial hides. I have added sphagnum moss to both the substrate when mixed initially and to the top on one side, in an attempt to keep the humidity in the soil. His home is sprayed twice a day. Once in the morning as he is in his bath and the substrate is mixed and in the late afternoon to re-hydrate the substrate and bring the humidity back up.
I am a amateur naturalist and I love identifying local plants so the diet of this hermann is right up my alley and I am collecting, cleaning and storing greens. I have dandelion and the dandelion look a likes, plantain, dead nettle, dandelion flowers currently. I also have kale and the celery leaves. I add a pellet of two of Flukers Crafted Cuisine Tortoise Diet I purchased for the tort I was watching since he came with literally nothing. I have not seen the little dude eat since I got him. The first few days I chopped everything into tiny bits. Then I read that if you put full leaves in you can monitor how much is consumed but I have seen nothing. I have started adding carrot puree into the daily baths and I am taking him outside at least once a day to soak in the sun. In the mornings as the sun is not too hot on my skin.
I see him scoot around his perimeter and he has ran over his food, he knows it is there. The first few days he burrowed and then last night there was no burrowing but his light was left on an hour longer and his home stayed warmer last night than it did the previous nights, I assumed if it was warm out he would still stay out? I have seen no poop but I hear that is normal? I have a heat gun and I check his home a few times a day and he has a few micro climates in there. Also, the first few days he did not open his eyes much, today I have seen them open much more. I have read that eyes can stay closed with humidity issues, substrate issues, dehydration issues OR just being a baby and being sensitive. Other than that he seems to act like a normal baby tort?
I know I need: A long uvb/uva bulb and hydro/thermo combo. Both will be purchased by next weekend at the latest.
What I Know (I think)
Humidity needs to be 60-80%. Basking temp 95-100F. Lights on 12 hours a day. NO HEATING PAD. No spiral lights, CHE can be unsafe, color is bad (seems like depending on who you ask or if you need more heat at night?). UVB needs to be across the whole enclosure and the bulb replaced when recommended. Bath temp 88-94F ( mine usually is done closer to 90F ), water changed two/three times, carrot added and tort electrolytes added. Night temp is ideal at 60-65F.
Calcium 2x/week. Cuttlebone in tank 24/7. Access to food at all times. I have TurtleTable on my phone.
So, I think my question/inquires are:
am I doing it right?
is there anything else or more I can do (besides the meters and uvb which at the moment are waiting for funds since I am currently off work)
is he the right weight for his size?
any thoughts on the eyes?
is the bath temperature right?
general help!
I added photos of his enclosure and his food he receives.
Thank you guys!
First off I am glad I found this place. I have been cruising the threads for days now and frantically taking notes.
Okay, for the last few weeks I have been watching a friends adult hermann while they house hunted (their home burnt down). This tortoise I was watching was free roam in his home and the owner was pretty lax.Ii however, didn't let him roam my house freely as I had dogs and figured the torty needed more and probably should be treated to a "spa" while away. I researched what an adult would need, created a home and he loved it. Dug in his soil at night, played in his pond, devoured his salads. He tended to sleep for two or three days and then exposed himself and wants to play. I even ended up clipping is nails and started seeing his pads actually hitting the ground properly.
Needless to say, I fell in love. I have reptiles and snakes already so it is not unfamiliar territory but covid struck and lots changed ( I have lupus) and a plan for my own when from the spring when the expo came to, who knew when. Or so I thought. When our friends came to pick up their torty they had a surprise and actually wanted to do a swap. Theirs for a baby they found me from a breeder I didn't know existed.
Of course I said yes and then promptly started learning what a baby requires and suddenly I felt like I was in unfamiliar territory.
So, here we are...
Axl was born Feb 7th and I received him April 5th making him (I am guessing, won't know till about 3 years old I think) just over 2 months currently. He is 1.45" wide and weighs 20.34g. He is in a 1.3 x 2.9 ( that's what the tape measure says ) plastic bin with a 100w zoomed combo light. The substrate is EcoEarth and about 4 inches deep on the cooler side for burrowing. I have two cheap hydrometers stuck to the walls, each on one side respectively. There are two small water dishes, three artificial hides. I have added sphagnum moss to both the substrate when mixed initially and to the top on one side, in an attempt to keep the humidity in the soil. His home is sprayed twice a day. Once in the morning as he is in his bath and the substrate is mixed and in the late afternoon to re-hydrate the substrate and bring the humidity back up.
I am a amateur naturalist and I love identifying local plants so the diet of this hermann is right up my alley and I am collecting, cleaning and storing greens. I have dandelion and the dandelion look a likes, plantain, dead nettle, dandelion flowers currently. I also have kale and the celery leaves. I add a pellet of two of Flukers Crafted Cuisine Tortoise Diet I purchased for the tort I was watching since he came with literally nothing. I have not seen the little dude eat since I got him. The first few days I chopped everything into tiny bits. Then I read that if you put full leaves in you can monitor how much is consumed but I have seen nothing. I have started adding carrot puree into the daily baths and I am taking him outside at least once a day to soak in the sun. In the mornings as the sun is not too hot on my skin.
I see him scoot around his perimeter and he has ran over his food, he knows it is there. The first few days he burrowed and then last night there was no burrowing but his light was left on an hour longer and his home stayed warmer last night than it did the previous nights, I assumed if it was warm out he would still stay out? I have seen no poop but I hear that is normal? I have a heat gun and I check his home a few times a day and he has a few micro climates in there. Also, the first few days he did not open his eyes much, today I have seen them open much more. I have read that eyes can stay closed with humidity issues, substrate issues, dehydration issues OR just being a baby and being sensitive. Other than that he seems to act like a normal baby tort?
I know I need: A long uvb/uva bulb and hydro/thermo combo. Both will be purchased by next weekend at the latest.
What I Know (I think)
Humidity needs to be 60-80%. Basking temp 95-100F. Lights on 12 hours a day. NO HEATING PAD. No spiral lights, CHE can be unsafe, color is bad (seems like depending on who you ask or if you need more heat at night?). UVB needs to be across the whole enclosure and the bulb replaced when recommended. Bath temp 88-94F ( mine usually is done closer to 90F ), water changed two/three times, carrot added and tort electrolytes added. Night temp is ideal at 60-65F.
Calcium 2x/week. Cuttlebone in tank 24/7. Access to food at all times. I have TurtleTable on my phone.
So, I think my question/inquires are:
am I doing it right?
is there anything else or more I can do (besides the meters and uvb which at the moment are waiting for funds since I am currently off work)
is he the right weight for his size?
any thoughts on the eyes?
is the bath temperature right?
general help!
I added photos of his enclosure and his food he receives.
Thank you guys!