Help Pyramiding

[Yorkshiredeb]

Hi, I am a new tortoise owner to two lovely 9 year old hermans one male and one female. A friend of mine gave them to me and she has had them since they were hatchlings. Unfortunately they have been kept in vivariums all their life and I will be rectifying this ASAP...I am currently building a tortoise table for them.
The problem is that they already have pyramiding and I want to make sure that it does not get any worse. The female is worse than the male and I think this might be because the females vivarium has ventilation whereas the males does not. His tank gets a lot more humid than the females. I was told by the previous owner that I should leave the tank doors slightly open until the substrate dries out as they do not like humidity at all. I was also told not to put a water bowl in their as they just make a mess...to feed them cucumber instead. I was told to feed them kale, spring greens and cucumber every other day.

I have looked on lots of sites now on what to feed them, how to keep them and it is all very confusing! At the moment I am pretty sure they are too warm, the whole tank must be 30 degrees! Please help, I would really like to know what to feed them and what heating is best for their new table etc. so that they have the best possible life from now.

Many thanks in advance

Debbie

Here they are...
This is Trev (the female!)

And here is Phil

 

[wellington]

There is a great caresheet on this forum under their species section. Check that out and follow. It's written by a member that knows hermans

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum, Debbie!

Here's a link to that care sheet:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

Sounds like you got incorrect info all around…

-Vivariums are actually best for tortoises, as long as they are large enough for the species and size tortoise housed in them. Store bought vivs are only big enough for babies, but home built custom closed chambers are the best way to go, especially in a cold climate.
-The female looks like she might have MBD, and not just pyramiding. UV, proper diet and calcium supplementation should be a priority with this one.
-Are they housed separately? They should be. Tortoise don't do well as pairs.
-This species DOES need some humidity. Not "high" humidity, but at least some moderate humidity. They do well in 50-70% humidity, which is easy to achieve in a closed chamber, but very difficult to maintain in an open table.
-Your substrate needs to be replaced ASAP. THose little white limestone bits encourage your tortoises to eat their substrate to satisfy calcium cravings. This is a very bad idea.
-30 degrees is fine for a daytime ambient temp, but they still need a basking area around 36-37 for 12 hours a day, and night temps should drop to around 18-19. These temps are much easier to maintain in a closed chamber than in an open table.
-All tortoise need to have a water bowl. They need to be able to drink and feeding cucumber is not a substitute. Damp substrate is actually good for them. Overly dry conditions are not good for them. Given the prior treatment these guys have had, I think you should soak them daily for a few weeks to insure they are properly hydrated and not forming stones.
-Grocery store foods are not the best choice, but if you must use them, favor endive and escarole, but use lots of variety. Also supplement the grocery store produce with some blended grass hay, Zoomed Grassland tortoise chow, or herbal hay to give it some much needed fiber. Introduce these new items slowly and in tiny amounts at first to give the tortoises time to get used to them.


Here are a couple of threads that will explain the housing and feeding in more detail. The care sheet was written for russians, but care for all of the Testudo is pretty similar. Warm days, cool nights, broadleaf weeds and damp substrate for moderate humidity, etc…
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum, Debbie.

Please read the "Beginners Mistakes" Thread, and give your cute torts daily soaks in warm water.

Keep us updated.