Hermanns weight
- Thread starter phoebes15
- Start date
The_Four_Toed_Edward
Well-Known Member
@Tom might be able to advice you.
What foods have you tried? How long have you had him? Where did you get him?
How is he kept:
What foods have you tried? How long have you had him? Where did you get him?
How is he kept:
- Temperature? (Basking and mebient)
- What lights do you use? (basking and UVB)
- Humidity? (Basking and ambient)
- Is he in a closed chamber?
- Substrate?
- Do you keep him alone?
Hi. What did he weigh previously? What is the rate of weight gain over time? How long have you had him?
I see some problems here. The way to get him growing and thriving is to optimize your care and housing routines. The following is intended to help you improve things. Please don't feel attacked or insulted in the least. If no one points out what is wrong, you won't know what to fix. Most of the care info out in the world, on the internet, from vets and pet shops, is all old wrong out-dated info. I'll link the current and correct care info for you at the bottom of this post. Read through those two threads, and please feel free to ask ALL of your questions. Our only goal is to help you and your tortoise.
-Where is is 28C? There are four temperatures to monitor and adjust if needed. Warm side, cool side, basking area, and overnight low. SO where is it 28, and what are the other three temps?
-Topsoil is not a good substrate to use and possibly not safe.
-There is no way humidity is 91% with an open topped enclosure. That can't be done even in tropical humid areas. You might need a different hygrometer, or it might need to be placed somewhere else. Are you using the stick-on dial type from the pet store? Or a digital one from a hardware store?
-Spot type bulbs should not be used over tortoises. They are too hot and focus too much desiccating IR-A into too small of an area. Get a flood bulb. Arcadia makes and sells them in the UK.
-Those cfl type UV bulbs are ineffective as a UV source and they sometimes burn reptile eyes. They should not be used. If that bulb hurts your tortoise's eyes, it could very well make him stay hidden more of each day and spend less time eating. That could be a contributing factor. Get rid of that bulb and replace it with an Arcadia HO 12% tube.
-Hydration is a critically important part of health and growth for babies. How often are you soaking? What type of water dish are you offering?
Here is all the correct care info. As you read through these two threads, you will see some changes that you need to make, to help get your little one growing more:
Info For New People. Please Read This First.
Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...
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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...
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Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Hello and welcome from a fellow uk member!❤️There are a few things off unfortunately..
I’m going to include some information below on how I’d personally tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size in the future, the types of equipment to use, how to maintain humidity, and a cost effective way for you to get a suitable sized enclosure, hopefully it helps inspire an idea for you🙂
Basking light should be an incandescent floodlight(example attached) on a 12 hour timer. The kind you’re using is too harsh.
Basking temperature directly under the floodlight should be 95-100f. The rest of the enclosure should be ranging 75-80 during the day.
You may also wish to add ambient lighting on the same timer, providing shady areas with hides and safe plants.
Then CHE/CHE’s(ceramic heat emitters) always on a thermostat, for night heat if your house drops below 60’s at night. They are a non light emitting bulb. Set the thermostat for a night temperature place the probe in their cooler end, plug the che into it and the thermostat into the mains, it’ll be plugged in 24/7 but will only turn on when the temperature drops. When in a cooler climate like us, you’ll probably need them.
Any indoor Uv should be a t5 fluorescent tube, avoid the compact and coil uv bulbs like you’re using, they don’t give out enough uv and can hurt the tortoises eyes. The uv can be on a 4 hour timer from noon. I’ve attached examples of the two brands to go for and examples on how to mount them. I’d personally go with the Arcadia, it comes with the reflector fitting ready to mount.
With lighting always avoid anything labelled halogen or mercury vapour.
For substrates, either coco coir, dampened and packed down by hand as a base, with a layer of orchid(fir not pine) bark or forest floor on top, or just the orchid bark/forest floor. Never use anything with sand mixed in, no top soils and no kinds of moss. The trouble with top soil is you don’t know what kind of plants have gone into it, they could be toxic. Sand and moss are impaction risks.
You want to aim to have the bottom layer of substrate damp, to do this pour lukewarm water into the corners, not loads but enough to dampen the entire bottom layer. To stop that top layer getting a little too dry/dusty, mix the substrate now n then, which also helps boosting humidity or give the top a spray. Check your monitors and substrate to do the pours as and when needed. I don’t recommend misters or foggers, they get the air too wet and cause respiratory problems. Spraying won’t last as long.
Humidity for young growing tortoises needs to be maintained around 85+, 24/7, you’ll find that difficult to achieve with an open top and there’s no way humidity is that high in an open top in the uk, the humidity monitor you’re using isn’t correct. for the set up I’m recommending I’d get a greenhouse cover. Once the tortoise is older a cover won’t be needed.
To maintain humidity whilst the tortoise is younger a greenhouse style set up works well and provides more space, as an adult they are going to ideally need a minimum of an 8x4, the bigger you go the better, it’s ideal if you can build your own base to go as big as you can for the room you have. A 4x2 or 4x4 will last you until they’re a bit bigger🙂
If you can’t find an exact fit for your base with the cover, then place it over like the one with the white base in the photo, I’d put lining down under the base and cover though to stop condensate getting on your floor.
When making your base, just make sure the material is safe, some use flower beds or just make their own, for both these options I’d line with cheap pond liner to protect the base, making sure the liner goes up the sides too and make sure those sides are deep enough to prevent escapes.
Some people even hang their lighting from the greenhouse frame! Simply wrap the wire round so it’s at the height you need(check with temp gun/put thermostat in, 18-21 inches for uv I recommend) then secure with cable ties&chains.
I’ve also included examples of stands people make/buy. You could throw some pvc covering over the stands if youre struggling for a topper, but again if you do that, I’d put lining down under the base to stop condensate.
For a water dish a shallow terracotta saucer is considered safest, they have grip in the event your tortoise flips themselves, most pet store options are a known hazard.
If going for this set up, allow up to a week for the materials to ‘off gas’ with the heat running, until there’s no smell, once odourless, it’s safe for use🐢
Ignore whatever else is in these enclosures in the photos, they’re just to give you an idea👍
You may also find this link below useful to look through for some food ideas😊there’s SO many plants in the wildflowers section that grow perfectly in our climate? You could perhaps buy some seeds online and plant them in organic soil(no fertilisers or chemicals)in a planter the tortoise doesn’t have access to. Be wary foraging elsewhere, its needs to be somewhere you are certain hasn’t been touched by weedkiller/fertilisers, there’s also toxic lookalikes, so probably best to plant you’re own😁
Hopefully this helps get you on the right track with your baby, any further questions please ask!❤🥰
I’m going to include some information below on how I’d personally tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size in the future, the types of equipment to use, how to maintain humidity, and a cost effective way for you to get a suitable sized enclosure, hopefully it helps inspire an idea for you🙂
Basking light should be an incandescent floodlight(example attached) on a 12 hour timer. The kind you’re using is too harsh.
Basking temperature directly under the floodlight should be 95-100f. The rest of the enclosure should be ranging 75-80 during the day.
You may also wish to add ambient lighting on the same timer, providing shady areas with hides and safe plants.
Then CHE/CHE’s(ceramic heat emitters) always on a thermostat, for night heat if your house drops below 60’s at night. They are a non light emitting bulb. Set the thermostat for a night temperature place the probe in their cooler end, plug the che into it and the thermostat into the mains, it’ll be plugged in 24/7 but will only turn on when the temperature drops. When in a cooler climate like us, you’ll probably need them.
Any indoor Uv should be a t5 fluorescent tube, avoid the compact and coil uv bulbs like you’re using, they don’t give out enough uv and can hurt the tortoises eyes. The uv can be on a 4 hour timer from noon. I’ve attached examples of the two brands to go for and examples on how to mount them. I’d personally go with the Arcadia, it comes with the reflector fitting ready to mount.
With lighting always avoid anything labelled halogen or mercury vapour.
For substrates, either coco coir, dampened and packed down by hand as a base, with a layer of orchid(fir not pine) bark or forest floor on top, or just the orchid bark/forest floor. Never use anything with sand mixed in, no top soils and no kinds of moss. The trouble with top soil is you don’t know what kind of plants have gone into it, they could be toxic. Sand and moss are impaction risks.
You want to aim to have the bottom layer of substrate damp, to do this pour lukewarm water into the corners, not loads but enough to dampen the entire bottom layer. To stop that top layer getting a little too dry/dusty, mix the substrate now n then, which also helps boosting humidity or give the top a spray. Check your monitors and substrate to do the pours as and when needed. I don’t recommend misters or foggers, they get the air too wet and cause respiratory problems. Spraying won’t last as long.
Humidity for young growing tortoises needs to be maintained around 85+, 24/7, you’ll find that difficult to achieve with an open top and there’s no way humidity is that high in an open top in the uk, the humidity monitor you’re using isn’t correct. for the set up I’m recommending I’d get a greenhouse cover. Once the tortoise is older a cover won’t be needed.
To maintain humidity whilst the tortoise is younger a greenhouse style set up works well and provides more space, as an adult they are going to ideally need a minimum of an 8x4, the bigger you go the better, it’s ideal if you can build your own base to go as big as you can for the room you have. A 4x2 or 4x4 will last you until they’re a bit bigger🙂
If you can’t find an exact fit for your base with the cover, then place it over like the one with the white base in the photo, I’d put lining down under the base and cover though to stop condensate getting on your floor.
When making your base, just make sure the material is safe, some use flower beds or just make their own, for both these options I’d line with cheap pond liner to protect the base, making sure the liner goes up the sides too and make sure those sides are deep enough to prevent escapes.
Some people even hang their lighting from the greenhouse frame! Simply wrap the wire round so it’s at the height you need(check with temp gun/put thermostat in, 18-21 inches for uv I recommend) then secure with cable ties&chains.
I’ve also included examples of stands people make/buy. You could throw some pvc covering over the stands if youre struggling for a topper, but again if you do that, I’d put lining down under the base to stop condensate.
For a water dish a shallow terracotta saucer is considered safest, they have grip in the event your tortoise flips themselves, most pet store options are a known hazard.
If going for this set up, allow up to a week for the materials to ‘off gas’ with the heat running, until there’s no smell, once odourless, it’s safe for use🐢
Ignore whatever else is in these enclosures in the photos, they’re just to give you an idea👍
You may also find this link below useful to look through for some food ideas😊there’s SO many plants in the wildflowers section that grow perfectly in our climate? You could perhaps buy some seeds online and plant them in organic soil(no fertilisers or chemicals)in a planter the tortoise doesn’t have access to. Be wary foraging elsewhere, its needs to be somewhere you are certain hasn’t been touched by weedkiller/fertilisers, there’s also toxic lookalikes, so probably best to plant you’re own😁
The Tortoise Table - Home
The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk
Hopefully this helps get you on the right track with your baby, any further questions please ask!❤🥰
