Georgiamai
New Member
My Hermann tortoise is about 4 years old and weighs 104 grams he is roughly 70-80 millimetres. I thought he seemed small for his age but maybe not can anyone help?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Is my tortoise a healthy size?
- Thread starter Georgiamai
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Georgiamai
New Member
Georgiamai
New Member
Sorry i’m new here not sure if I responded correctly but i’ve added some photos!
saleena.lewis
Active Member
I don't think that he is 4 years old, more like a year or two. If he really is 4 years old he is very small.
Georgiamai
New Member
Hi, thanks for the reply! He was 1 when i got him and I've had him for 3 years, making him 4! I have the documents of when he was born so I'm not sure why he's so small!
saleena.lewis
Active Member
Then I would say he is on the smaller side, he looks healthy but i would try to feed him a little bit more.
Georgiamai
New Member
Okay thank you, he is always active and seems healthy so I wasn't overly concerned but I will gradually increase his meal sizes then!
He is on the small side, and in your pics I can see several possible reasons why. Wrong diet, wrong water bowl, and wrong substrate. Any or all of these could be contributing to slow growth and other problems too. Forgive my bluntness, but the point is for you to know what needs improvement and how to make things better. I say these things to be helpful, not to hurt feelings. Pet stores, "experts" breeders and vets all give out the wrong info, so this is very common.
Here is the current and correct care info with sections on diet, substrate, water bowls and more. Give this a read and then come back with all your questions.
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...
tortoiseforum.org
Georgiamai
New Member
Hi, thanks this isn't where he lives he was just out in the sun and had some tomato and carrot as a rare treat but I'll look through this thanks! I also use calcium powder frequently to ensure he is consuming enough.He is on the small side, and in your pics I can see several possible reasons why. Wrong diet, wrong water bowl, and wrong substrate. Any or all of these could be contributing to slow growth and other problems too. Forgive my bluntness, but the point is for you to know what needs improvement and how to make things better. I say these things to be helpful, not to hurt feelings.
Here is the current and correct care info with sections on diet, substrate, water bowls and more. Give this a read and then come back with all your questions.
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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Georgiamai
New Member
May I ask what is wrong with his water bowl as he often goes in it in the day himself and it isn't too deep for him either?He is on the small side, and in your pics I can see several possible reasons why. Wrong diet, wrong water bowl, and wrong substrate. Any or all of these could be contributing to slow growth and other problems too. Forgive my bluntness, but the point is for you to know what needs improvement and how to make things better. I say these things to be helpful, not to hurt feelings. Pet stores, "experts" breeders and vets all give out the wrong info, so this is very common.
Here is the current and correct care info with sections on diet, substrate, water bowls and more. Give this a read and then come back with all your questions.
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...
The tall vertical sides make it difficult for an animal in a rigid shell to navigate. Many will avoid the water source because of things like this. A terra cotta saucer sunk into the substrate is much easier for them to get into and out of, and we want to encourage them to use the water bowl as much as we can. Hydration is critically important for babies and smaller tortoises. Dehydration is one of the biggest growth stunting factors. In multiple experiments I've conducted, tortoises will grow 2 to 3 times faster on the same amounts of the same foods, when grown in a humid stable closed chamber and kept well hydrated, vs. their clutch mates housed in open tables or in open air outdoor enclosures with seemingly similar temperatures and conditions.
Minority2
Well-Known Member
Wrong diet doesn't just mean sugary fruit and watery veg. Store bought grocery, for example, often don't have enough fiber needed in a tortoise's diet. So in essence, by feeding foods like lettuce or any other types of watery veg, tortoises owners are overfilling their tortoise's stomach on water rather than packing them down with fibrous material that they can continually get nutrients from while their digestive system works to compact and break the waste down.
Hermanns need broad leafy weeds, flowers, and succulents. You can easily buy tortoises approved seed mixes, succulent cuttings, and dried leaf mixes from online tortoise retailers.
Georgiamai
New Member
Okay thanks I have one so I'll have to give this a try! I try to soak him a couple of times a week but I maybe need to create a more humid enclosure.
Babies need to be soaked daily. Its all explained in the care sheet.
Georgiamai
New Member
I have recently been researching about these mixes I am definitely going to try it now thank you! I really need to get some succulents for him.
Georgiamai
New Member
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And with succulents I can't seem to find any that are free of any soil additives etc. Do you know of anywhere I can look for some?
Minority2
Well-Known Member
Any online tortoise retailer. Here is one for example:
You can also purchase some from amazon or your local gardening shop. If the cuttings were chemically grown do not feed the cutting but only feed the new pads that grow from the original cutting. Replacing the soil with your own backyard soil that is pesticide and chemical free is also a good option.
Check "tortoise table UK" on google, to make sure the plant or item is safe for tortoise consumption.
Georgiamai
New Member
Okay thank you so much I'm having a look around now!
Best to grow your own from seed, or from cuttings of long established plants.
Look for weeds growing nearby, and use a local nursery for ID help. Also look for mulberry trees and grapevine leaves.
You can use grocery store greens if you must, but favor curly endive, escarole, arugula (aka: rocket in the UK), and a wide variety of others. The grocery store foods must be amended to add fiber and variety. ZooMed makes a "flower topper" product that you can sprinkle on and mix in, and they also make a Grassland and forest tortoise pellet that you can soak and mix in. All are good and available in the UK. You also have Komodo pellets over there. From What I've read, those are another way to improve the quality of grocery store greens.
All fo these new things will be met with some resistance by your tortoise at first. Start any new food with tiny amounts mixed in with old favorites. The introduction process of new foods can take weeks or months in some cases. Be persistent. It is worth the effort.
