Help! Hermann’s tortoise won’t stop scratching!

[janessad511]

Hi!

I have a 2-3 year old Hermann’s tortoise and I’ve had her for almost a year now. She’s always been so well behaved and loved keeping to herself. She’d come and go out from under her log, to her basking area, food dish, burrowing etc. This past week, she has been obsessed with one particular corner of her tank and she won’t stop scratching. She had never ever been a scratcher and she is barely interested in basking or burrowing. No changes in appetite. I feel like I have tried everything-more baths, providing a dig box (which she does the same thing), different foods, plants in her tank, letting her walk around to blow off some energy, taking her on a car ride (she used to love those), putting black paper on the side. Nothing is working and I can’t stand to see how stressed she is. I want to cry. She has never been like this. The only true change I’ve made is slowly turning the light timer back to adjust to fall/winter times. Right now, her lights go on at 6:45 and lights out at 7:15. I turn it back every Monday and my goal is 10 hours of light for fall/winter time, but I didn’t want to turn it back super fast.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
Can you post pics of her enclosure so we can see if there's anything affecting her?
Meanwhile this is the most up to date caresheet you'll find anywhere which will help you check if anything needs changing -

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[janessad511]

Hi and welcome,
Can you post pics of her enclosure so we can see if there's anything affecting her?
Meanwhile this is the most up to date caresheet you'll find anywhere which will help you check if anything needs changing -

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Here are some pictures. Please don’t mind the calcium powder on her food slab. Today was calcium day ?. We are actually planning on buying her a tortoise table today, but I’m worried she will miss looking out. She loves looking out her glass and watching our every move ?. She is very smart and loves to come to us for pets etc. Her tank has never been a problem for her until this week.

 

[gregcalverley0327]

You’re gonna want a much bigger enclosure for her they really like to roam around

 

[Lyn W]

Here are some pictures. Please don’t mind the calcium powder on her food slab. Today was calcium day ?. We are actually planning on buying her a tortoise table today, but I’m worried she will miss looking out. She loves looking out her glass and watching our every move ?. She is very smart and loves to come to us for pets etc. Her tank has never been a problem for her until this week.

Thanks.
My first impression is that she needs a much bigger enclosure. The minimum recommended for a juvenile is
4 x 8 feet. Torts are roaming creatures and need the space to do that for digestion and bone health so if you are getting a new enclosure look for something that size - it may solve the scratching problem. If she has been used to having outdoor time it could be that she doesn't like being back in her smaller tank.
You could try putting a sight barrier along the glass to see if that will calm her down until you get her a bigger home.

The dial thermometer on the side is also too high so not measuring temps at tort level. You would be better with a digital thermometer/hygrometer so that you can keep an eye on temps and humidity at her level.
I think you could also do with a bigger water dish for her to self soak in many of us use cheap terracotta plant saucers which are safe and if sunk level with the substrate easy for the tort to access and exit.
The caresheet I linked will help.

 

[Tom]

The tank is much too small.

They definitely don't like to be cooped up in a tiny tank when they've have a larger space to roam around in.

Also, are you sure she is a she? They all look female when juvenile. Can we get pics of the tail and anal scute area? Males tend to have more wanderlust, but this is not to say that females don't want to wander too.

That care sheet will help you. There is a lot of misinformation out in the world about tortoise care.

 

[janessad511]

The tank is much too small.

They definitely don't like to be cooped up in a tiny tank when they've have a larger space to roam around in.

Also, are you sure she is a she? They all look female when juvenile. Can we get pics of the tail and anal scute area? Males tend to have more wanderlust, but this is not to say that females don't want to wander too.

That care sheet will help you. There is a lot of misinformation out in the world about tortoise care.

Thank you! Yes, she is definitely a she as she had x-rays at the vet!

 

[janessad511]

Thanks.
My first impression is that she needs a much bigger enclosure. The minimum recommended for a juvenile is
4 x 8 feet. Torts are roaming creatures and need the space to do that for digestion and bone health so if you are getting a new enclosure look for something that size - it may solve the scratching problem. If she has been used to having outdoor time it could be that she doesn't like being back in her smaller tank.
You could try putting a sight barrier along the glass to see if that will calm her down until you get her a bigger home.

The dial thermometer on the side is also too high so not measuring temps at tort level. You would be better with a digital thermometer/hygrometer so that you can keep an eye on temps and humidity at her level.
I think you could also do with a bigger water dish for her to self soak in many of us use cheap terracotta plant saucers which are safe and if sunk level with the substrate easy for the tort to access and exit.
The caresheet I linked will help.

Thank you for the feedback! I will be looking into a bigger water dish. I really appreciate all of your feedback!

 

[Krista S]

I agree with what the others have already said. Your tortoise needs a much larger enclosure. 4ft x 8ft might sound a little excessive, but believe me, it’s not. I housed my Hermann’s tortoise in the same enclosure you have until he was 1 years old. I was worried moving him into such a large enclosure, thinking it might be scary for him because it was so big, but he immediately started using every inch of it, to the point where now (just 8 months later) I’m trying to think of ways to give him even more space. Giving them adequate space to roam really is a requirement for a healthy tortoise.

A couple other observations I have made from your pictures is that it looks like you’re using way too much calcium. It should just be a tiny pinch 2 or 3 times per week. If you’re seeing that much white residue on your slate, you’re using too much. Too much calcium is just as bad as not giving any at all.

I assume the fluorescent tube I see in the picture is your UV source? What kind of bulb is it? Please be aware that most of the UV is being filtered out by the screen on the lid of your enclosure. The UV needs to be unobstructed between the bulb and the tortoise to be effective.

Definitely take a good read of the care sheet that @Lyn W linked above. It really is the best information available. I know all of this can be overwhelming, but know that nearly everyone on the forum has also had to come to the realization that they received wrong or outdated care information and need to make changes. We understand and are here to help answer any questions you have.