Is he happy?

[sarahrebekah]

Hello everybody!

I purchased an 18 month old Hermanns tortoise (he's called Kraken ) 6 days ago. I am a complete tortoise newbie but has tried to do as much research as possible to help him be as happy as he can be and I am so in love with him.

The first 3 days, he was very energetic, eating lots of food, climbing on everything and sliding off, awake for approx 10 hours... Completely lively and fearless basically.

The last 3 days he's only been awake for approx 5 hours and just lies under his heat lamp, appearing to be very sleepy, occasionally going over to nibble some food but not finishing it all, then going back to lie under the lamp before retreating back under his hide. He also hasn't done a poo. I've read a lot about them hiding/eating their poo but I've been watching him very closely and I really don't think he's been. I've bathed him 3 times so far, in the morning in warm water for about 10 minutes and he's passed the white stuff twice, which looks healthy.

I've attached a photo of him and his tortoise table I made. It was made with the correct wood and very low VOC paint etc. The 1 lamp is a 80W heat/UV lamp purchased from a pet store, the other is just a normal light bulb as it can get quite dark in my house if the sun isn't shining. They are both on a timer 9am-9pm. Ive been feeding him a pile of Florette leaves the size of him everyday. The little plants are cacti and the big one is aloe vera, all of which I read are tortoise safe, however they are all too tall for him to reach anyway.

What do you think guys?

Is this just a 'let him settle in a bit longer' situation or a ''take him to a vet' situation?

 

[SweetGreekTorts]

I would change the substrate, that pellet stuff isn't very good. It doesn't hold humidity well, will mold very easily, and prevents burrowing (which Hermann's love to do). Instead, go with a mix of topsoil and coco coir.

And I would also recommend varying his diet if he's eating the same thing every day. I give my babies a variety of weeds, grasses, flowers, spineless prickly pear cactus, dark leafy greens, and Mazuri.

Check out this information as well by Chris Leone. He knows everything there is about the Hermann's and has shared this complete care sheet on the species.
https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/101410/

Welcome to the Forum and your baby tortoise is adorable!

 

[TechnoCheese]

I would add some more hides, and change your uvb bulb. Those coils are no good and can even cause eye burns, so I would change it to a tube flourescent uvb. The reptisun 10.0 is a good brand.

Your basking light needs to be coming straight down, and not clamped to the side. That’s a fire hazard, and makes it impossible to properly read the temps.

What temperature is your basking spot?

Along with this, like irishkitty said, the substrate needs to be changed to orchid bark, coco coir, peat moss, or cypress mulch. Your tort needs deep, damp substrate and a humid hide, and should not be kept dry.

Here’s another care sheet, if you want to read it too-
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet(similar to hermanns) https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

One more vote to change that substrate here. Also, be aware the most pet shops do not give very good advice on tortoise care.

One thing I don't see mentioned is your temperatures. That could easily explain this. What are the warm end, cool end, basking area and overnight low temps?

 

[Baldy Aeschylus]

All my hermann's babies spend most of their time burrowed down in the substrate, i have a layer of coco coir and soil below some fir bark chips. That gives them the ability to access the moist soil if they want by doing what's most natural for them. It also holds moisture very well.

 

[sarahrebekah]

Thank you so much for your input guys.

I've ordered some orchids bark online, it should arrive in a day or two. Shall I completely replace the substrate or mix the old and new together?
I spray the enclosure every morning with a spray mist bottle but hopefully the new substrate will be better.

The basking temperature directly under the lamp is reading at 39 degrees (102F) and at the cool end by his food and water is 23 degrees (73F). At night it's been on avarage at 18 degrees (64F). Are these suitable?

I've moved the lamp now so it's away from the wall and pointing straight down, thanks for the advice TechnoCheese, I definitely don't want a fire. What did you mean about it can cause blindness? It's a bulb specifically designed for reptiles including tortoises, surely it wouldn't be allowed to be sold? Also, the bulb you recommended, is that just UV or combined with heat also?

 

[Baldy Aeschylus]

Thank you so much for your input guys.

I've ordered some orchids bark online, it should arrive in a day or two. Shall I completely replace the substrate or mix the old and new together?
I spray the enclosure every morning with a spray mist bottle but hopefully the new substrate will be better.

The basking temperature directly under the lamp is reading at 39 degrees (102F) and at the cool end by his food and water is 23 degrees (73F). At night it's been on avarage at 18 degrees (64F). Are these suitable?

I've moved the lamp now so it's away from the wall and pointing straight down, thanks for the advice TechnoCheese, I definitely don't want a fire. What did you mean about it can cause blindness? It's a bulb specifically designed for reptiles including tortoises, surely it wouldn't be allowed to be sold? Also, the bulb you recommended, is that just UV or combined with heat also?

Seems like you've done all you can to me, but there are more seasoned experts on here who will help you with the details.

Most problems with tortoises seem to be long term developed problems, so an extra two days won't be that big of a deal, you are already concerned about moisture, so that's the major hurdle.

Don't worry if he isn't very active, tortoises are very hardy and it will take some time for him to get acclimated. It's easy to be overly concerned, but don't be, this is a good resource and tortoises were made to survive.

Do you happen to know who the breeder was?

 

[sarahrebekah]

Seems like you've done all you can to me, but there are more seasoned experts on here who will help you with the details.

Most problems with tortoises seem to be long term developed problems, so an extra two days won't be that big of a deal, you are already concerned about moisture, so that's the major hurdle.

Don't worry if he isn't very active, tortoises are very hardy and it will take some time for him to get acclimated. It's easy to be overly concerned, but don't be, this is a good resource and tortoises were made to survive.

Do you happen to know who the breeder was?

His paperwork says he was bred by Zoological International and we bought him from a reptile shop that was recommended to us.

He was born sometime in March 2017, I weighed him the other day at 51g. Does that sound good?

 

[Baldy Aeschylus]

His paperwork says he was bred by Zoological International and we bought him from a reptile shop that was recommended to us.

He was born sometime in March 2017, I weighed him the other day at 51g. Does that sound good?

Growth rates vary a lot, but for some scale my 6 month old weighs about 28g.

Just weigh him in a few weeks and see if he's growing. Until then try not to worry, if he's eating and pooping he's happy.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Thank you so much for your input guys.

I've ordered some orchids bark online, it should arrive in a day or two. Shall I completely replace the substrate or mix the old and new together?
I spray the enclosure every morning with a spray mist bottle but hopefully the new substrate will be better.

The basking temperature directly under the lamp is reading at 39 degrees (102F) and at the cool end by his food and water is 23 degrees (73F). At night it's been on avarage at 18 degrees (64F). Are these suitable?

I've moved the lamp now so it's away from the wall and pointing straight down, thanks for the advice TechnoCheese, I definitely don't want a fire. What did you mean about it can cause blindness? It's a bulb specifically designed for reptiles including tortoises, surely it wouldn't be allowed to be sold? Also, the bulb you recommended, is that just UV or combined with heat also?

- Replace the substrate entirely.

- the night temp is a bit low, but it should be fine.

-coil and compact lights are designed for reptiles, but they aren’t very good. They don’t produce much uvb, and some of them have been known to cause eye burns in tortoises. You can search the forum for examples.

Florescent UVBs are uvb only.

Thank you for making the changes

 

[sarahrebekah]

- Replace the substrate entirely.

- the night temp is a bit low, but it should be fine.

-coil and compact lights are designed for reptiles, but they aren’t very good. They don’t produce much uvb, and some of them have been known to cause eye burns in tortoises. You can search the forum for examples.

Florescent UVBs are uvb only.

Thank you for making the changes

Great thanks!

What do you think about the fact he hasn't had a poo yet? Is it normal having just been rehoused or is there something I could do to encourage it?

 

[TechnoCheese]

Great thanks!

What do you think about the fact he hasn't had a poo yet? Is it normal having just been rehoused or is there something I could do to encourage it?

Probably normal, but I would try soaking for 20/30 minutes. To keep the water warm, you can put the soaking container under or near your heat lamp.

 

[Baldy Aeschylus]

Great thanks!

What do you think about the fact he hasn't had a poo yet? Is it normal having just been rehoused or is there something I could do to encourage it?

Being in the water will encourage it most times.
But i do have one baby that will not poop in the water and he does it in the cage somewhere. Sometimes i find it, sometimes i don't.
If you provide for all of their needs that have been listed, you've done all you can, enjoy your time with them while they're small.
Just my experience so far.

 

[Minority2]

Zoological International site and possible owner:
https://www.zoological.org.uk/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/t...57894/Meet-UK-s-largest-tortoise-breeder.html

Read up on their recommended care information and housing practices. A good deal of it is outdated pet-industry advice.

 

[sarahrebekah]

Guys! Tried a longer soak this morning and after 25 minutes... It was HUGEEEEEE! (Normal?)
Now he's practically running around his enclosure and eating loads of food.

Thank you so much

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum.

You tort is simply adorable! God bless.

 

[JwalterH]

Looks like a normal poo to me.

 

[tinytortoise]

You should look into getting a Hygrometer. Misting isn't reliable enough to ensure proper humidity, you need the numbers (above 70% humidity for baby Hermann's):
Digital Temperature and Humidity Meter UYIGAO LCD Mini Psychrometer Thermo-Hygrometer

A tube UVB like this is a necessity:
Exo Terra Repti-Glo 10.0 Fluorescent Lamp, 15-Watt/18-Inch

It fits into a common lamp like this:
GE 18 in. Fluorescent Under Cabinet Light Fixture

This light setup will last longer, and provide more coverage than your coil - while also being better for your tortoise's eyes! The bulb has a 20 inch range, so place it at-least 10 inches away covering basking area.

You'll need a separate lamp solely for basking, this is cheap:
300-Watt 6 ft. 18/2 SJTW Incandescent Brooder Clamp Work Light and Heat Lamp with 10 in. Reflector and Bulb Guard

With bulb:
75-Watt Equivalent PAR30S Halogen Energy Advantage Wide Flood Light Bulb

I use a dimmer on my basking lamp to ensure proper temps, and adjust when needed (DO NOT TRY TO DIM YOUR COILED HEAT/UVB LAMP - only for standard bulbs):
300-Watt Incandescent-CFL-LED Tabletop Dimmer, Black

As an extra, my lights are plugging into a Wifi Smart-Plug with a set timer:
Smart Plug TanTan Wi-Fi Wireless Mini Socket Outlet


Hope this helps, and maybe gives some ideas. Let me know if I can help you with anything!