Homeana Care Guide- What must it include?

2turtletom

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Hi All- I've been helping quite a few people on Facebook with their newly acquired imported Home's Hingebacks. It doesn't look like we have a good care guide here at this forum, and I'm toying around with the idea of putting one together.

For those that have been successful acclimating homeana, what are some things that must be in the care guide?

Here are some of the big pitfalls I have seen since keeping homeana again for the past year. I'm currently responsible for 3.4 animals..

1. Owners try to get their newly acclimated animals to eat a diet more appropriate for a Russian Tortoise. "This is a TORTOISE! Why won't he eat greens?"

2. Owners have a hard time overcoming that these are omnivorous animals and are hesitant to feed them protein.

3. Often because they won't eat greens, and people are afraid to feed protein, they end up feeding the tortoise plenty of sugary fruits.

4. Owners set up their tortoises with a high intensity heat lamp or emitter, and make the enclosure so hot it's virtually impossible to provide their high humidity requirements.

5. Owners don't give the tortoises enough hiding spots or room to dig- these animals love to submerge themselves just under the forest floor.

6. Owners blast them with strong light- These are forest tortoises with huge eyes adapted to low light conditions that rarely see direct sunlight as there are layers and layers of vegetation between the forest floor and the sun.

6. The biggest one: They don't understand how Homeana are completely connected to water. Rain and humidity trigger behavior and feeding response. If they are too dry and too hot, they will burrow under the soil, or, just stop eating, being active, etc, and not thrive.

Well, those are a few things for thought. What would you include in a guide? I hope this inspires discussion about the best management practices for Homeana and I'll be happy to write up a little guide to their care that we can point others to when they show up on Facebook (or here) needing help with their newly acquired "cheap" tortoise.

Thanks,

-Tom
 

2turtletom

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2018
Messages
324
Location (City and/or State)
Akron, Ohio
I'll add another- These tortoises tolerate a very limited temperature range, from about 70 degrees F to the lower 80 F. Anything above that, they become less active.
 
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