Gandalf the Hermann's Tortoise, is my diet ok for him?

[GandalfTheTortoise]

Hey there!

Yesterday I ended up buying a Western Hermann's called Gandalf. Unfortunately I don't know whether it's a male or a female, but until I do I'll use the male pronoun.

Here you can see a video of my setup as well as the diet I've given him for the day:

I'm very afraid of giving him too much protein and phosphorus. Obtaining plants and growing them in my yard isn't an issue. Right now the only suitable fresh foods I can supply him with are clovers and raspberry leaves. I'm going to start growing dandelions as well as aloe vera and endive in order to have some staple foods for him, but until then I've got dry dandelions, dry herbivore food, clovers and raspberry leaves. I'll be giving him supplements three times a week, like the pet shop advisor told me to. He also has an edible plant inside his shelter just in case he wants to gnaw on something.

The lamps are both on one side of the terrarium (from 7:00 to 21:00), so that he has one hot side and one cool side. I'm aware that the tank is somewhat small, but I am planning on letting him move around in my room after tortoise-proofing any crevices I don't want him to go into. The enclosure currently has around 75-85% humidity, but the pet shop advisor told me in a call that it should be fine and will become drier as soon as the terrain dries out.

I won't be interacting with him too much for the first two weeks. Just changing his water and food, and some stools should I find some.

I'm also afraid of him not being able to sleep, as I live in a 15 square meter/160 sq ft room with a high bed where he sleeps under. Whenever I move around, it makes some noise. Will he learn to adapt to it?

Would you say he's going to be a happy tortoise?

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome to TFO

There is a lot of outdated, contradictory and incorrect information out on the internet and from pet shops and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Here on TFO we are lucky to have species experts who have written care sheets with the most up to date information on correct care.

I suggest you read these:

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Not sure of the size/age of your tort so...

Care of young testudo - written about Russians but applicable to Hermann's
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

Hermann's Care Guide (more mature animals)
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

My observations are
1. The enclosure is too dry. The substrate needs to be evenly damp. You take the decor out, tip water in from a jug and mix it thoroughly with your hands until every bit of is damp, but not wet.

2. There's no lid to retain the humidity or maintain temperatures.

3. Hay goes mouldy in the humid conditions your tort needs to grow healthily. It should not be used in the enclosure.

4. Those pet store water dishes are hard to use and a tipping hazard. A flat rock or slate makes a great food plate and helps to maintain your tort's beak with abrasion. A terracotta plant saucer pushed into the substrate is a good safe water dish.

5. What type of bulbs are those?

6. What temperatures do you have warm side, cool side, directly under the basking lamp and overnight minimum? It's impossible to maintain temperature stability without a cover as I said before.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and Gandalf.
Joe's mum summed it up pretty well, i think.

 

[RosemaryDW]

You’ve already got links to the most important thing so I’ll leave that bit alone and just say “Welcome!”