How MUCH do Hermann tortoise grow per year?

[Teesh]

Hi , i m Teesh! I will have a hermann tortoise very soon and I am super excited I my sure it's a boy, he's very young since he's my uncle s hatchling. A couple months! Any way I need to know how much they grow either per year or per month. Should he be Charlie or Harold or George? Is the diet different from the summer one during the winter? And if so, what is it? And also, can I keep it in a very large OPEN cardboard box with all the UVB and UVA lights? And last question, what are the temperatures required night and day? Btw, I ve met him ( just a day) and he is super social!!! He doesn't ever go back in his shell, but how do I know if he doesn't like what I'm doing to him, bath or cuddle or.... And what are the best ways to bond with him?

Thanks a lot I can't wait to meet all of you!!!!

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome to TFO!

 

[Teesh]

Welcome to TFO!

Oh. Thank you!!!

 

[Tort-Rex]

Hi Teesh, and welcome to the forum!
People on here are really experienced and helpful, you'll love this forum.
I personally love the name Harold for your tortoise, it sounds really cute for a hermann's tortoise

 

[Teesh]

Thanks I ll name him Harold in that case!!!

 

[Teesh]

So, in your opinion, what are the answers to my questions, if you would be so kind to answer!!!! Thanks a lot for responding by the way!!

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Teesh welcome to the TFO from AZ . I too have Hermann's they are great but they seem to eat and eat and eat some more mine stay out year around .


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

 

[Flipper]

Cardboard box= no. Babies need a humid environment and a cardboard box won't survive that. You could get a Rubbermaid bin or stock tank but with both you want lots of surface area.

Check out the enclosure part of this forum for more ideas

And look at these for food ideas. Torts need to eat a variety of food not just 1-2 things.

http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/diet.htm#plantlist

http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plants_19.asp?mode=az

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[Lady Thompson]

Hi and welcome I'm really new here too and also have a Hermann Hatchling named Ormond. He is only 4 months old. He is 2 inches. He was 1 1/2 inches when I got him. He was 2 months old. I don't know if this is normal growth rate. I sure hope so. My little guy seems quite happy and is eating well.

I personally wouldn't use a cardboard box because I think it would be very drying. Like sucks the moisture out and they need some humidity. I had my little guy on paper towels inside his plastic cage but the moisture was disappearing. so now he is on coconut husk bark. The coco coir was not good only because he had it stuck in his eyes. Maybe when he gets old he can go back to it.

 

[Lady Thompson]

I meant maybe when he gets older he can go back to using coco coir. It was fabulous and he could walk really fast on it.

 

[Teesh]

Hello Teesh welcome to the TFO from AZ . I too have Hermann's they are great but they seem to eat and eat and eat some more mine stay out year around . View attachment 87367


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

Awww

 

[Teesh]

Cardboard box= no. Babies need a humid environment and a cardboard box won't survive that. You could get a Rubbermaid bin or stock tank but with both you want lots of surface area.

Check out the enclosure part of this forum for more ideas

And look at these for food ideas. Torts need to eat a variety of food not just 1-2 things.

http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/diet.htm#plantlist

http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plants_19.asp?mode=az

Alright, but should it be closed? Or open lid?

 

[Tort-Rex]

Sorry, I would answer your other questions, but I don't know very much on hermann's. (I have a Russian tortoise named Rex ) However, I know there are many others who are much more experienced than I am

 

[Teesh]

Sorry, I would answer your other questions, but I don't know very much on hermann's. (I have a Russian tortoise named Rex ) However, I know there are many others who are much more experienced than I am

Thanks

 

[Teesh]

Oh and should the lid be closed? I think it should be open... And can I use a humidifier in the Rubbermaid bin? Or next to?

 

[StarSapphire22]

Hi , i m Teesh! I will have a hermann tortoise very soon and I am super excited I my sure it's a boy, he's very young since he's my uncle s hatchling. A couple months! Any way I need to know how much they grow either per year or per month. Should he be Charlie or Harold or George? Is the diet different from the summer one during the winter? And if so, what is it? And also, can I keep it in a very large OPEN cardboard box with all the UVB and UVA lights? And last question, what are the temperatures required night and day? Btw, I ve met him ( just a day) and he is super social!!! He doesn't ever go back in his shell, but how do I know if he doesn't like what I'm doing to him, bath or cuddle or.... And what are the best ways to bond with him?

Thanks a lot I can't wait to meet all of you!!!!

If he's a couple months old, you will not be able to sex "him." A tortoise needs to be 3-7 years old before being able to be reliably sexed.

There is no "rule" for determining growth. Every tort grows differently and will reach a different size. Males will be 5-7 inches at adult size, females 6-9 inches. It will take about 7-10 years before hitting full adult size. My Hermanns turns one in a week, and it took him 9 months to go from 10 grams and 1.5" to 85 grams and 2.5". In the last month he shot to 3" and 127 grams, with no change in husbandry. It depends on environment, genetics, diet, etc.

Diet should vary all throughout the year, variety is key with torts. There is no need to differentiate diet between seasons...just keep it changing all the time!

I do not recommend cardboard, for the same reasons 0thers have mentioned. A Rubbermaid bin will work well at this size...try a 55 gallon one. You could also use an aquarium. A 75 gallon has worked well for my little one.

Temperatures should reach 95-100 at basking spot, mid-upper 80s on the warm end, fading to low-mid 70s on the cool end. When shopping for UV bulbs, you should either purchase an MVB bulb which is UV+heat in one, or a strip fluorescent reptile UV bulb, which looks like a tube. Do NOT purchase the spiral UV bulbs as these have lead to blindness and eye irritation/swelling. You should also avoid red heat lamps, as these can confuse and disorient your tortoise.

Tortoises don't really bond. They may learn to appreciate you as the food giver and tolerate attention to get food, but tortoises, and reptiles in general, do not feel love and other warm fuzzies like we do. He likes to be alone, and is not a social creature, and does not really want company.

Congratulations on your new family member and welcome to the forum!

 

[Teesh]

If he's a couple months old, you will not be able to sex "him." A tortoise needs to be 3-7 years old before being able to be reliably sexed.

There is no "rule" for determining growth. Every tort grows differently and will reach a different size. Males will be 5-7 inches at adult size, females 6-9 inches. It will take about 7-10 years before hitting full adult size. My Hermanns turns one in a week, and it took him 9 months to go from 10 grams and 1.5" to 85 grams and 2.5". In the last month he shot to 3" and 127 grams, with no change in husbandry. It depends on environment, genetics, diet, etc.

Diet should vary all throughout the year, variety is key with torts. There is no need to differentiate diet between seasons...just keep it changing all the time!

I do not recommend cardboard, for the same reasons 0thers have mentioned. A Rubbermaid bin will work well at this size...try a 55 gallon one. You could also use an aquarium. A 75 gallon has worked well for my little one.

Temperatures should reach 95-100 at basking spot, mid-upper 80s on the warm end, fading to low-mid 70s on the cool end. When shopping for UV bulbs, you should either purchase an MVB bulb which is UV+heat in one, or a strip fluorescent reptile UV bulb, which looks like a tube. Do NOT purchase the spiral UV bulbs as these have lead to blindness and eye irritation/swelling. You should also avoid red heat lamps, as these can confuse and disorient your tortoise.

Tortoises don't really bond. They may learn to appreciate you as the food giver and tolerate attention to get food, but tortoises, and reptiles in general, do not feel love and other warm fuzzies like we do. He likes to be alone, and is not a social creature, and does not really want company.

Congratulations on your new family member and welcome to the forum!

Thank you Soo much!!!!!

 

[Teesh]

If he's a couple months old, you will not be able to sex "him." A tortoise needs to be 3-7 years old before being able to be reliably sexed.

There is no "rule" for determining growth. Every tort grows differently and will reach a different size. Males will be 5-7 inches at adult size, females 6-9 inches. It will take about 7-10 years before hitting full adult size. My Hermanns turns one in a week, and it took him 9 months to go from 10 grams and 1.5" to 85 grams and 2.5". In the last month he shot to 3" and 127 grams, with no change in husbandry. It depends on environment, genetics, diet, etc.

Diet should vary all throughout the year, variety is key with torts. There is no need to differentiate diet between seasons...just keep it changing all the time!

I do not recommend cardboard, for the same reasons 0thers have mentioned. A Rubbermaid bin will work well at this size...try a 55 gallon one. You could also use an aquarium. A 75 gallon has worked well for my little one.

Temperatures should reach 95-100 at basking spot, mid-upper 80s on the warm end, fading to low-mid 70s on the cool end. When shopping for UV bulbs, you should either purchase an MVB bulb which is UV+heat in one, or a strip fluorescent reptile UV bulb, which looks like a tube. Do NOT purchase the spiral UV bulbs as these have lead to blindness and eye irritation/swelling. You should also avoid red heat lamps, as these can confuse and disorient your tortoise.

Tortoises don't really bond. They may learn to appreciate you as the food giver and tolerate attention to get food, but tortoises, and reptiles in general, do not feel love and other warm fuzzies like we do. He likes to be alone, and is not a social creature, and does not really want company.

Congratulations on your new family member and welcome to the forum!

So I need a lot of space for this baby, the minimum space is ... In quarts please .!!

 

[StarSapphire22]

So I need a lot of space for this baby, the minimum space is ... In quarts please .!!

It would make no sense to give you a size in quarts, since they don't care about vertical space, as long as they can't get out and it is deep enough for burrowing, and the vertical dimensions factor into the volume of a container. You need to be concerned with floor space and dimensions, not volume.

Minimum would be 1 foot x 3 feet for a baby, I recommend 2 feet x 4 feet. A 55 gallon Rubbermaid is a standard size bin that would suit your needs well.