Hello!

[estherwatson]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum so please go easy! I have a 5 week old Hermann tortoise. We got her at 3 weeks old. She's being kept indoors in a tortoise table for the moment. We have a uv strip light and a heat lamp at one end. A covered hut light bed is at the other end. We are using tortoise life as a substrate (got it sold to us by a local reptile shop!) with tortoise hay & dried dandelion in her bed. I'm a little concerned I'm not doing what she needs. She sleeps all the time-I have to get her out, she doesn't come out by herself. I give her a 15 minute tepid bath, put her in her food then under lamp-she may wander round for 30 mins or so but then will go back to bed. I make her substrate is damp. Is this behaviour normal? How long will it take for her to come out in the daytime? Also when she goes under the hear lamp-she has once or twice completely retracted her head into her shell??? As I say i am completely new at this and want to make sure I'm doing everything right. Thanks all

 

[tortdad]

Welcome, sounds normal to me.

Babies need humidity for smooth healthy growth. What humidity level are you maintaining? I would ditch the hay, it's too dry and molds quickly.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Esther, and welcome to the Forum!

We have a very good care sheet for you to read. It's pinned at the top of our Hermanns section here on the Forum.

 

[mike taylor]

Welcome!

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the form. A cute little tort, it really is-GOD bless.

 

[Falcon70]

Welcome!

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Your substrate looks very dry.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

DO read the care sheets provided.
Most babies sleep 23 hours a day.

 

[bouaboua]

Hello and Welcome ! ! ! !

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.

 

[estherwatson]

Thanks all....

 

[Blkjkoknhrt]

Mine is 6 months old and still sleeps 20 hours a day. He gets up between 5 and 7am, wanders about turtling or whatever (I feed or leave food for him) and Munster's back to sleep by 12 or 2, sometimes a brief 1/2 hour appearance between 3 and 5 but is always asleep by 6, lights out at 7pm.lights on at 4am,