Good evening,
I’m just looking for some advice as I rehomed a tortoise yesterday and seem to be finding conflicting advice online.
A friend’s relative was giving their tortoise away ‘free to a good home’ and, as I was concerned about where it would end up, I volunteered to take her on. They had very little information about her as they said they’d had her less than a year and had been given her from someone down their street, they think it’s a female Hermann tortoise who’s around 6 years old. They brought her with a tortoise table which is 1m x 1m and 8” high, an Exo Terra Reptile UVB150 bulb (which doesn’t seem to provide much heat), a water dish, and a feeding plate. I’m unsure what the substrate is called but it is visible in the pictures. They also brought her with a salad bag (iceberg lettuce/grated carrot), strawberries, some tortoise food in a jar, and calcium supplement (though this is in a container, so I can’t provide details on brand etc).
I am aware this is not a good diet for her and I think it may have caused her shell not to form properly as it seems misshapen and flatter than what I have seen in images, though it’s still hard and she can move around properly. I think she needs a larger enclosure too as she has been scratching against it a lot, but I have seen some advice that they should not be removed from their own environments to have a walk around. I’m also concerned about the bulb not providing heat as she doesn’t feel very warm, I did give her a soak in some luke warm water to try and help.
My main questions are:
Does that type of bulb provide heat, or will she need a separate bulb?
How many hours a day should the UVB bulb be on?
What’s the best substrate for this breed?
What should I feed her? (I will be ordering one of the seed packets which I’ve seen be mentioned, but in the meantime, what is best to give her?)
What is the best calcium supplement to give her?
Should she be kept in her enclosure at all times?
Will she need to hibernate in winter?
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I’d like to do my best for her.
I’m just looking for some advice as I rehomed a tortoise yesterday and seem to be finding conflicting advice online.
A friend’s relative was giving their tortoise away ‘free to a good home’ and, as I was concerned about where it would end up, I volunteered to take her on. They had very little information about her as they said they’d had her less than a year and had been given her from someone down their street, they think it’s a female Hermann tortoise who’s around 6 years old. They brought her with a tortoise table which is 1m x 1m and 8” high, an Exo Terra Reptile UVB150 bulb (which doesn’t seem to provide much heat), a water dish, and a feeding plate. I’m unsure what the substrate is called but it is visible in the pictures. They also brought her with a salad bag (iceberg lettuce/grated carrot), strawberries, some tortoise food in a jar, and calcium supplement (though this is in a container, so I can’t provide details on brand etc).
I am aware this is not a good diet for her and I think it may have caused her shell not to form properly as it seems misshapen and flatter than what I have seen in images, though it’s still hard and she can move around properly. I think she needs a larger enclosure too as she has been scratching against it a lot, but I have seen some advice that they should not be removed from their own environments to have a walk around. I’m also concerned about the bulb not providing heat as she doesn’t feel very warm, I did give her a soak in some luke warm water to try and help.
My main questions are:
Does that type of bulb provide heat, or will she need a separate bulb?
How many hours a day should the UVB bulb be on?
What’s the best substrate for this breed?
What should I feed her? (I will be ordering one of the seed packets which I’ve seen be mentioned, but in the meantime, what is best to give her?)
What is the best calcium supplement to give her?
Should she be kept in her enclosure at all times?
Will she need to hibernate in winter?
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I’d like to do my best for her.
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