hello from princess and George!

[mibblead]

Just wanted to say a quick hello and thank you for allowing me to join, I acquired these two Hermann's last week., I've done quite a bit of research over the last few days as this was not planned i was ill prepared, feel like I'm just starting to get to grips with life as a tort owner and i think they seem happy enough, moving around quite a bit during the day and resting at night, my only concern is they began to breed this morning so I've since adapted the enclosure to include a soil pile in case princess decides to lay eggs!

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Hello! Welcome !!
Have you read the care sheet for Hermann's tortoises we have?
In my opinion, I would separate them so they are not breeding until youre comfortable with caring for them. But if you dont mind going straight into it (as you've added extra soil) the more experienced members will be able to help you and walk you through everything, just ask!

 

[mibblead]

Thank you so much I'm terrified of doing something wrong, i read somewhere about egg retention so was more concerned about causing princess harm if i didn't provide a safe spot should she produce eggs, I'll definitely have a look at the care sheet it no doubt contains info i don't have, these pair where kind of sprung on me, while visiting family 200 miles away they were offered to me by my sister in law insisting she'd rather know they are going to a loving home so they travelled 200 miles back to our home after our visit, they certainly seem to have settled in well and are definitely more active than I've ever seen them before but previously they were kept in a very small enclosure and no real heat source so I'm hoping what I'm providing is very much better than what they are used to sorry for the massive reply lol

 

[JoesMum]

Hi and welcome. I'm going to have to break some news to you that you don't like.

"Breeding" as you call it can just be dominance behaviour. They have a new territory (enclosure) and right now they are working out who owns what. Bullying can be mental as well as physical and the dominant animal isn't necessarily male.

The problem is that torts are largely solitary in the wild, they meet up to mate and move on. They don't get lonely and they don't want or need company or the same or the opposite gender.

In captivity the subordinate tortoise cannot easily escape the harassment of the dominant tortoise and can rapidly go into decline.

It is not recommended to keep pairs of tortoises for this reason.

Three or more torts may work in a very large outdoor enclosure with plenty of sight barriers, but there are no guarantees.

You should plan to separate these two on a permanent basis.

 

[mibblead]

Oh no :-( see this is my concern that i just don't know enough that's why I've joined here, I'll have to start planning a second enclosure then in that case., hope I've got enough room

 

[Rue]

Congrats! I have a baby Hermann's...and am new to tortoises as well. They are remarkably endearing. I hope you enjoy learning about , and caring for your pair!

 

[popeye tortoise]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Don't panic about making mistakes. There are a lot of experienced Keeper on this forum that are very kind and will help you . Most of us on this forum have made mistakes.

 

[JoesMum]

Oh no :-( see this is my concern that i just don't know enough that's why I've joined here, I'll have to start planning a second enclosure then in that case., hope I've got enough room

Ther are a couple of threads you should probably read as thry will help you get things right for your new friends

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

and Chris' s Hermanni Care Sheet http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

 

[mibblead]

Thank you, I've just had a good read through, so much to take in! I'm totally in love with these two already and absolutely want what's best for them, i can see it's going to be a long process learning all i need to know

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Once you read the care sheet, you'll learn that alfalfa pellets cannot be wetted, and thus are a poor choice for a substrate (they mold when wet). Your tortoises will benefit from a bit of humidity in their enclosure.

 

[Momof4]

Welcome!
It can be overwhelming at first but once you get everything set up properly you can enjoy your happy tortoises.

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome , don't get frustrated it will work out ! !

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome there is a lot to learn but this is the best place to learn it. Just read the caresheets etc and ask as many questions as you need. I still learn something new everyday!

 

[mibblead]

Thank you everyone for all your help and support I'll have plenty to read up on over the next few days that's for sure