Hello from an Essex bloke...

daveed0

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Jan 15, 2020
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chelmsford
Hello all,

I recently acquired a male 12-year old Hermann tortoise that I have named Robert. He is a Macedonian captive bred tortoise who, since being imported to the UK, has been with the same owner. When I went to pick him up he was in a vivarium 36 inches by 18 inches (90cm x 45cm) with a UVB that was a few years old and a 12w basking spotlight. I was informed that he 'eats anything' - mainly supermarket shop-bought fruit and vegetables. No water was ever provided in the vivarium but he was bathed occasionally - I was told that he got all his water from his food. Robert has never hibernated but during the summer months he was put outside for short spells. I was very concerned about the conditions Robert had been kept in but I brought him home and the next day I took him to my vet for a checkup; the vet advised that he seemed fine and both weight and size were commensurate with a Hermann's tortoise of 12 years.
*** FIRST QUESTION - do you think the conditions that Robert has been kept in for the last 12 years will have a long-term detrimental affects on him and if so how can I help reverse them? The vet didn't seem overly concerned.

Since getting Robert I have been changing his diet - he now eats dandelion, bristly oxtongue, mallow and plantain (when I can find them) + winter-flowering pansies, geraniums and sedum from my garden. I have also been feeding him some supermarket lettuce florets and occasional pieces of cucumber which he seems to really enjoy. I add a small amount of calcium dust + D3 supplement a few times per week. There is always water provided and I have been bathing him three times each week. Trevor seems very active, eats well and seems to like human contact.

I have, as a temporary solution, removed the beech chips from the vivarium and replaced with topsoil - additionally, the top has been removed from the vivarium and it has been extended by about 24 inches. There is now a 75w basking light and new UVB in the vivarium. It doesn't look good but, hopefully, ok whilst I am working on his new enclosure. The new one is in my garage - it is approximately 7.5 feet long and 2 feet wide (2.4m x 0.6m) with a ramp up to a second level. I hope to move Robert into the new indoors enclosure next week once i have got the heating/lighting fixed up - this leads me onto my next question:
*** SECOND QUESTION - I intend to have a UVB strip light in the enclosure + a basking light (75w or 100w) and a ceramic heater, connected to a pulse thermostat, for overnight. Will this be sufficient or do I need heat mats etc?
*** THIRD QUESTION - I am assuming I will need some mouse-proof wire mesh covering for the enclosure as it is in a garage. Is this correct?

I apologise for this long introductory post and for asking so many questions first time round. Thanks in anticipation for any replies. I will supply some photos of Robert when he is in his new enclosure.
 

Yvonne G

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LOL! In your first paragraph you say you've named your new tortoise Robert, then at the end of the second paragraph you refer to him as Trevor!

I don't keep Hermanni, so I'll wait for other more experienced members to answer your question.
 

daveed0

New Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2020
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3
Location (City and/or State)
chelmsford
LOL! In your first paragraph you say you've named your new tortoise Robert, then at the end of the second paragraph you refer to him as Trevor!

I don't keep Hermanni, so I'll wait for other more experienced members to answer your question.
 

daveed0

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chelmsford
Haha, my first choice was Trevor but the grandchildren won and he was named Robert.
 

TechnoCheese

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Welcome to the forum! Very glad you’ve joined. No such thing as too many questions!

1- Luckily for us, tortoises are very hardy. As a testimate to that, this tortoise has lived in these conditions for 12 years. It should be able to live a perfectly healthy life now that you have it, as long as it does not seem to be disfigured or ill.

1.5- this was not a question, but his new diet is looking pretty good! One change I would make, however, is just giving him a small pinch of calcium without D3 or a cuttle bone now that you have a UVB light. Unless this tortoise is suffering from MBD, it will receive sufficient D3 from the light.

The new enclosure is definitely an upgrade and great for now, but in the future you may want to upgrade to something at least close to 32 square feet. I like a minimum of no less than 8x4 feet for these tortoises, since they are quite active and use locomotion to digest their food.

2- This is fine! In fact, you may not even need the CHE. As long as temperatures do not fall below 60 degrees, no night heat is required.

Heat mats are not recommended for tortoises because they are made to receive heat from above, and do not have heat receptors on their plastron. They can very easily be burnt.

3- if you believe that you have mice or rats, then yes, that would be a very wise decision.

Good luck!
 

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