I bought a hermanns turtle about 4 days ago and it's happy to move around outside it's home but inside it doesn't move around much. I've seen her go get food at times, but other than eating she just tucks herself in at the corner of her house and stays there. For ages. She's around 3 years old and I bought her from a friend. She's my first ever turtle (I always wanted one since I was little). She does eat well, I'm just more wondering if her staying in one area for long periods is quite a normal thing?
My hermanns turtle just stays in the same place. Is this normal?
- Thread starter Julie805
- Start date
Ben02
Well-Known Member
Any tortoise would prefer to be outside. Check your temps because if it is to hot they will sleep and if it is to cold they will also sleep. He may be settling in to his new environment.
Ben
Ben
tortoisekev
Member
Mine was 3 when I bought him a few months back. I found that he took a while to get used to his new (indoor) home and wouldn’t explore much, so I’d suggest this is normal settling behaviour. Soon he’ll be walking around, climbing over stuff, burying himself and making a mess (or is that just mine?!)!
Hello and welcome form a fellow Brit 
It is not unusual for torts to hide away when in a new home as they don't always handle change well.
As tortoises (and this is a tortoise not a turtle) are cold blooded they cannot make their own body heat. So being able to bask and having the correct temperatures is vital for them. Your tort must have 35-37C directly under the basking lamp.
Please could you post photos of the enclosure and lights so we can see if there are any changes that we would recommend?
It is not unusual for torts to hide away when in a new home as they don't always handle change well.
As tortoises (and this is a tortoise not a turtle) are cold blooded they cannot make their own body heat. So being able to bask and having the correct temperatures is vital for them. Your tort must have 35-37C directly under the basking lamp.
Please could you post photos of the enclosure and lights so we can see if there are any changes that we would recommend?
Hello and welcome form a fellow Brit
It is not unusual for torts to hide away when in a new home as they don't always handle change well.
As tortoises (and this is a tortoise not a turtle) are cold blooded they cannot make their own body heat. So being able to bask and having the correct temperatures is vital for them. Your tort must have 35-37C directly under the basking lamp.
Please could you post photos of the enclosure and lights so we can see if there are any changes that we would recommend?
Thanks for the reply. Yes she does a lot of basking. Then she eats a little bit, then goes over to one specific corner and stays there. For ages. She's a lot more active when I bring her outside of her home to explore around my sittingroom. Or when I give her a bath. She seems to love bathing, then I will let her dry off on a towel with a variety of foods on offer. (I've noticed she's happy to eat more also during this time). From what I have read online about how to house them, she hasn't got the right stuff for the bottom of her house. Previous owners have been using the stuff you use for hamsters etc? So I want to change that to the top soil as that seems to be the better option but I also don't want to be doing that right away so to give her time to adjust first. I bought her a new lamp/heat light as the one that came with her was broken. The pet shop lady said to get a 2 in 1 so it does both. Ideally I would like to put her in one of those tortoise tables? But again I don't want to stress her out more by changing everything at once. What do you feed your one? Mine's loves lettuce, cucumber, melon, hasn't touched the broccoli, likes celery, apple. I ordered lots of dandelion seeds? So just need to plant those for her to try
Thanks for the reply. Temp seems fine. She was more active today when I put her back in after her bathing. Ideally I'd like one of those tortoise tables for her
Lol yes, She was more active today after her bathing. Noticed she was wandering around more in her house and going over for food. Mines climbs all over her food dish. So fascinated by her though. Thanks for the replies. I was just concerned that her not moving so much may not be right. Maybe she just lazy lol
QUOTE="JoesMum, post: 1687601, member: 13834"]Hello and welcome form a fellow Brit It is not unusual for torts to hide away when in a new home as they don't always handle change well.
As tortoises (and this is a tortoise not a turtle) are cold blooded they cannot make their own body heat. So being able to bask and having the correct temperatures is vital for them. Your tort must have 35-37C directly under the basking lamp.
Please could you post photos of the enclosure and lights so we can see if there are any changes that we would recommend?[/QUOTE]
You are correct that the enclosure is far too dry. It is also far too small. A viv like that is only suitable for babies. Your tort needs a large floor area to roam over. A minimum of 4' x 8' (1.5 x 2.2 metres)
An old bookcase with the shelves knocked out makes a great tortoise table. Line it with heavy duty plastic, pond liner or a shower curtain.
Both fine grade orchid bark and coco coir are popular substrates here. Their earthy texture means they can be mixed with water until evenly damp throughout. Buy them from a DIY store, Amazon or a garden centre as they are both much cheaper there than from pet stores! Just make sure there are no additives such as fertilisers, sand or white bits like vermiculite or calcium pieces (Some branded tortoise substrates contain calcium pieces which is ridiculous... why would you want to encourage your tortoise to eat the substrate?!)
I recommend you read these care sheets written by species experts on this forum working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and sadly from some breeders and vets too.
Beginner Mistakes
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Hermann's Care
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/
An old bookcase with the shelves knocked out makes a great tortoise table. Line it with heavy duty plastic, pond liner or a shower curtain.
Both fine grade orchid bark and coco coir are popular substrates here. Their earthy texture means they can be mixed with water until evenly damp throughout. Buy them from a DIY store, Amazon or a garden centre as they are both much cheaper there than from pet stores! Just make sure there are no additives such as fertilisers, sand or white bits like vermiculite or calcium pieces (Some branded tortoise substrates contain calcium pieces which is ridiculous... why would you want to encourage your tortoise to eat the substrate?!)
I recommend you read these care sheets written by species experts on this forum working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and sadly from some breeders and vets too.
Beginner Mistakes
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Hermann's Care
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/
Thank you so much for all that info! I did think her house was small as she's actually just a little bigger than my hand. I saw a beautiful tortoise table on eBay that is in the shape etc of a tortoise, so id have to check the sizes on that. As house is on the small side, should I bring her out into my sitting area to roam more often? Or will that interfere with her heat? (My house is usually quite warm anyway). I bring her out to bath every morning and let her bath at night since having her and she seems to love it. She will stay there for a while and then just let me know she wants out by trying to climb out after a while. I also feed her straight after her bath, whilst she's drying on the towel. Just to make sure she is definately eating plenty as she does seem more active after baths. (Whilst she also has food in her house). She's certainly amazing to watch and we have learned so much already and we have only had her nearly a week now. I shall post a pic of her light/heat to make sure it's the right kind. It seems to be working so far as she is happy to lay under it. She does barely move from the corner though and I can't figure out why. A bigger area will definately be first on my list with the correct floor stuff. Thanks a lot for that info
It will be too small. Guaranteed. We have yet to fimd a table that is big enough that you can buy online or from a pet store.
Definitely don't allow your tort to roam your home. You are correct that it takes her away from the heat, humidity and UVB that she needs to be healthy.
Other risks include escape and being stepped on (you only have to be distracted for a moment and sadly we see both too often on this forum). Also there's a risk of eating something she shouldn't. Hair and dust bunnies impact in the gut and they will try to eat anything brightly coloured whether it is edible or not.
Your soak then feed regime sounds great. It's best to soak first thing in the morning and then feed, leaving food to be browsed on throughout the day.
Don't be afraid to start a thread asking if something is suitable before you buy it. We can save you making expensive mistakes
It will be too small. Guaranteed. We have yet to fimd a table that is big enough that you can buy online or from a pet store.
Definitely don't allow your tort to roam your home. You are correct that it takes her away from the heat, humidity and UVB that she needs to be healthy.
Other risks include escape and being stepped on (you only have to be distracted for a moment and sadly we see both too often on this forum). Also there's a risk of eating something she shouldn't. Hair and dust bunnies impact in the gut and they will try to eat anything brightly coloured whether it is edible or not.
Your soak then feed regime sounds great. It's best to soak first thing in the morning and then feed, leaving food to be browsed on throughout the day.
Don't be afraid to start a thread asking if something is suitable before you buy it. We can save you making expensive mistakes
Oh wow, that house is so cute too lol. I like the bookcase idea! My hubby could possibly help me with that. I want to get it right to see her move around more in her house. Not that I expect her to be moving all the time, but I mean like she does just sit there for ages, which I would have thought she would go exploring etc. She has this big tray thing with water in it that is big enough for her to fit in and I haven't seen her even go near that yet. (It came with the house when I collected her). She also has a small rock with an artificial plant on. Or a big leaf even. From what I've read so far she actually needs a spot where she can go in and hide if she chooses to. I'm excited to plant the dandelion seeds with the kids and see how she does with those. I don't think she's great with new foods to be honest. When I asked what they feed her they just said lettuce and Turtoise pellets? So I searched online a little and spent a bit in Tescos buying a variety of veg that was listed online lol. What I am confused with though is that some info sais it's ok to feed them fruits. Other info said not to at all. She's tried Apple to far and loves melon. She won't even touch the broccoli or peppers. Loves cucumber. I'm more fascinated by her than the kids lol. I had terripins as a small girl, wanted one of these for ages. My kids are of decent ages (7-12) to really be able to learn about her and what it takes to take care of her. I definately won't hesitate to ask if I'm unsure. Very informative forum.
Lettuce and pellets isn’t a great diet. Both lettuce and cucumber lack fibre and nutrients.
Diet is a variety of weedy and leafy greens. Hermann’s can’t digest sugars properly, they cause digestive and kidney problems, so sweet foods like fruit, carrot, bell pepper and tomato should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally if at all.
Write a list of greens/plants/weeds that you can buy and those that grow around you and look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database for suitability to feed. It’s a fabulous online search facility that tells you what you can or can’t feed and the reasons why.
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/
Few of us manage in winter, when the weeds are in short supply, without supplementing with pellets soaked in water.
Diet is a variety of weedy and leafy greens. Hermann’s can’t digest sugars properly, they cause digestive and kidney problems, so sweet foods like fruit, carrot, bell pepper and tomato should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally if at all.
Write a list of greens/plants/weeds that you can buy and those that grow around you and look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database for suitability to feed. It’s a fabulous online search facility that tells you what you can or can’t feed and the reasons why.
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/
Few of us manage in winter, when the weeds are in short supply, without supplementing with pellets soaked in water.
