Needing help for the best care possible!!!

[Brydierose]

Hello all!

This is my first ever post on here so I’m not 100% it will work out well. But that being said, I’m in need of help with some concerns I have with my Herman.

So, I have an almost one year old Herman called Beanz. I’ve been really busy with life and the animals are normally my partners thing as he had more free time. This is changing now and I’m not sure Beanz is living her (we are guessing that ha) best life. So I’m needing some advice on these few things has I’ve been reading and getting myself more confused.

Bedding! Currently we have a tortoise bedding from our local pet shop & have used for a long while. But I’ve been seeing top soil used a lot as it’s better for being damp & helping with humidity (should I swap it out?

Second is lighting/heat source. Again currently we only have one bulb for the whole set up. My partner has told me it is her heat & uvb, can this be a thing? I’m sure we need a strip light if uvb also, which was set up in the first house she lived in but when we upgraded he said it wasn’t needed.

Also, I’m looking at getting some live plants to keep in with her. What would you recommend to have?

I’m really grateful if you have read this far and any advice you can offer would really help me in making sure she’s super happy and I’m feeling she’s not lately. I’m really open to suggestions but please be nice & a little picture, this was the day we got her <3

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello! You have a cutie there

What kind of bedding is it specifically do you know?(it looks like coir in the photo which is fine) but usually pet store mixes have sand in them which can cause its own issues with captive tortoises, top soils are best avoided because unless you’ve composted it yourself, there’s no knowing each and every plant/ingredient that’s gone into it. If wanting a soil like substrate, damp coco coir is your safest option, others prefer orchid bark.

Lighting wise, he could be using a compact all in one heat and uv bulb, none of those types are the safest or most optimal choice for a variety of reasons, it’s best going with a separate uvb and heat set up, having combined heat and uv, means when adjusting your height to create the desired basking temperature, you’re messing with your UVI zone, they are much more desiccating on the shell and their uv output often very unreliable.
There’s the added fact of uv timing, with the uv timing, every other source of information will tell you 12hours of uv. This is essentially an old fashioned rule that has stuck with a lot of keepers, it stems from the presumption that once the basking light or ambient lighting is on, ie the ‘sun’, that uv must coexist the same amount of hours. Fact is, uv rays only peak for a few hours a day, anyone with a uv meter will confirm this. No tortoise is blasted with 12 hours of uv in the wild, therefore it’s not necessary in captivity. Whilst not necessarily dangerous, it’s potentially annoying to the tortoise to have 12hours on uv in the enclosure.
The right uv bulbs are much more expensive to replace once their uv strength diminishes, so it’s definitely best having it on a 4 hour timer that provides them with all the uv they need, saving your bulb life.
Then some cheaper led lighting for your ambient 12 hour light cycle as well as the basking light on the same 12hrs, your ceramics(if needed) will run 24/7 on a thermostat, hope that all makes sense
The most recommended up to date indoor uv option is t5 tube fluorescent bulbs, they disperse the uv light over a much wider area. Recommended brands are Arcadia proT5 kit 12% or zoo med reptisun t5 10.0(hood usually sold separate).

In the photo you can see she has some mild pyramiding starting, humidity helps preventing this moving forward(more on that below), but the right lighting set up definitely contributes as well.

For live plants, spider plants are a nice start, if buying from a regular store, it’ll need repotting with a quarantine period of 3-6months, but better yet you could get it established as your mother plant and allow her to give you an endless supply of spider babies, once they’re a decent size you can propagate them in water and plant in coir. There’s also lots of different seed mixes out there to grow your own plants, or there’s this website(I see your in uk like me) where you can buy plants ready to be put in, downside is it’s a little more pricey

Tortoise Products | The Tortoise Hut | England

The Tortoise Hut is the leading online specialist tortoise shop supplying a range of products & supplies for the care of all species of tortoises. We have baby tortoises for sale which can be collected from us in Devon or couriered by our specialist Reptile courier service. We offer a nationwide...

www.tortoisehut.co.uk

I think you’ll like reading through these links, and will hopefully find them useful!

This housing thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

This one includes a bunch of closed chamber options, some do work better than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

This one here is some inspiration on adult set ups(2-3+years old) might come in handy when the time comes. I want to preface that I know the recommended adult size is intimidating to some, especially if you’ve been lead into thinking he’ll be fine in a smaller set up(very common) but tortoises long term health really does rely on lots of roaming room. If you’re unable to go that big, don’t worry, there’s a few creative ways to tackle this issue

Enclosure inspiration

Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is probably most important to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they help! Take all the time you need to go over things and feel free to come back with any further questions, welcome to the forum! Wonderful to have you

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Brydierose]

Hello! You have a cutie there

What kind of bedding is it specifically do you know?(it looks like coir in the photo which is fine) but usually pet store mixes have sand in them which can cause its own issues with captive tortoises, top soils are best avoided because unless you’ve composted it yourself, there’s no knowing each and every plant/ingredient that’s gone into it. If wanting a soil like substrate, damp coco coir is your safest option, others prefer orchid bark.

Lighting wise, he could be using a compact all in one heat and uv bulb, none of those types are the safest or most optimal choice for a variety of reasons, it’s best going with a separate uvb and heat set up, having combined heat and uv, means when adjusting your height to create the desired basking temperature, you’re messing with your UVI zone, they are much more desiccating on the shell and their uv output often very unreliable.
There’s the added fact of uv timing, with the uv timing, every other source of information will tell you 12hours of uv. This is essentially an old fashioned rule that has stuck with a lot of keepers, it stems from the presumption that once the basking light or ambient lighting is on, ie the ‘sun’, that uv must coexist the same amount of hours. Fact is, uv rays only peak for a few hours a day, anyone with a uv meter will confirm this. No tortoise is blasted with 12 hours of uv in the wild, therefore it’s not necessary in captivity. Whilst not necessarily dangerous, it’s potentially annoying to the tortoise to have 12hours on uv in the enclosure.
The right uv bulbs are much more expensive to replace once their uv strength diminishes, so it’s definitely best having it on a 4 hour timer that provides them with all the uv they need, saving your bulb life.
Then some cheaper led lighting for your ambient 12 hour light cycle as well as the basking light on the same 12hrs, your ceramics(if needed) will run 24/7 on a thermostat, hope that all makes sense
The most recommended up to date indoor uv option is t5 tube fluorescent bulbs, they disperse the uv light over a much wider area. Recommended brands are Arcadia proT5 kit 12% or zoo med reptisun t5 10.0(hood usually sold separate).

In the photo you can see she has some mild pyramiding starting, humidity helps preventing this moving forward(more on that below), but the right lighting set up definitely contributes as well.

For live plants, spider plants are a nice start, if buying from a regular store, it’ll need repotting with a quarantine period of 3-6months, but better yet you could get it established as your mother plant and allow her to give you an endless supply of spider babies, once they’re a decent size you can propagate them in water and plant in coir. There’s also lots of different seed mixes out there to grow your own plants, or there’s this website(I see your in uk like me) where you can buy plants ready to be put in, downside is it’s a little more pricey

Tortoise Products | The Tortoise Hut | England

The Tortoise Hut is the leading online specialist tortoise shop supplying a range of products & supplies for the care of all species of tortoises. We have baby tortoises for sale which can be collected from us in Devon or couriered by our specialist Reptile courier service. We offer a nationwide...

www.tortoisehut.co.uk

I think you’ll like reading through these links, and will hopefully find them useful!

This housing thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

This one includes a bunch of closed chamber options, some do work better than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

This one here is some inspiration on adult set ups(2-3+years old) might come in handy when the time comes. I want to preface that I know the recommended adult size is intimidating to some, especially if you’ve been lead into thinking he’ll be fine in a smaller set up(very common) but tortoises long term health really does rely on lots of roaming room. If you’re unable to go that big, don’t worry, there’s a few creative ways to tackle this issue

Enclosure inspiration

Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is probably most important to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they help! Take all the time you need to go over things and feel free to come back with any further questions, welcome to the forum! Wonderful to have you

Wow, such a lovely response.

Thank you for taking the time for this!! I’ve found it really helpful & I’ll be off today going to get all fresh things!

My plan is to restart and hopefully I can be better but I wanted to mention after looking through the threads you have about her enclosure as she’s in a table. I’ve seen that she should be covered, in a greenhouse type way. I’m going to be building a new house for her in the next few weeks would I be best having it covered? Also I’ve already got some spider plants and had for a few months so they are ready to be planted over! Ace.

It’s been really useful to read these as it wasn’t something I’d done prior as I didn’t have the time to help. I’m super excited to make sure she’s going to be as healthy as possible!

Thank you again, I’m sure I’ll be back with more questions ha

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Thank you again, I’m sure I’ll be back with more questions ha

Feel free to do so by all means we are happy to help!

 

[Brydierose]

Feel free to do so by all means we are happy to help!

Thank you, I felt nervous to post incase people were a little too harsh and would be judgemental! Your kind words are helpful in getting this right!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Wow, such a lovely response.

Thank you for taking the time for this!! I’ve found it really helpful & I’ll be off today going to get all fresh things!

My plan is to restart and hopefully I can be better but I wanted to mention after looking through the threads you have about her enclosure as she’s in a table. I’ve seen that she should be covered, in a greenhouse type way. I’m going to be building a new house for her in the next few weeks would I be best having it covered? Also I’ve already got some spider plants and had for a few months so they are ready to be planted over! Ace.

It’s been really useful to read these as it wasn’t something I’d done prior as I didn’t have the time to help. I’m super excited to make sure she’s going to be as healthy as possible!

Thank you again, I’m sure I’ll be back with more questions ha

No problem at all! So glad it’s helped, yes until she’s about 2+ she’ll be best covered up to maintain a higher humidity, though I will say with how nippy it gets in the uk over winter, if you don’t ever plan to brumate her, a covered set up comes in handy during our colder months into adulthood too

 

[zolasmum]

Hello all!

This is my first ever post on here so I’m not 100% it will work out well. But that being said, I’m in need of help with some concerns I have with my Herman.

So, I have an almost one year old Herman called Beanz. I’ve been really busy with life and the animals are normally my partners thing as he had more free time. This is changing now and I’m not sure Beanz is living her (we are guessing that ha) best life. So I’m needing some advice on these few things has I’ve been reading and getting myself more confused.

Bedding! Currently we have a tortoise bedding from our local pet shop & have used for a long while. But I’ve been seeing top soil used a lot as it’s better for being damp & helping with humidity (should I swap it out?

Second is lighting/heat source. Again currently we only have one bulb for the whole set up. My partner has told me it is her heat & uvb, can this be a thing? I’m sure we need a strip light if uvb also, which was set up in the first house she lived in but when we upgraded he said it wasn’t needed.

Also, I’m looking at getting some live plants to keep in with her. What would you recommend to have?

I’m really grateful if you have read this far and any advice you can offer would really help me in making sure she’s super happy and I’m feeling she’s not lately. I’m really open to suggestions but please be nice & a little picture, this was the day we got her <3

Welcome to the forum from Devon. Beanz looks very cute. We have a Hermanns tortoise, who is 25 years old in a few weeks, and we have had him since he was a baby - there was very little help or useful information about keeping him at that time - and this forum didn't exist, of course. However, we muddled through, and having him has brought us a great deal of joy - as well as anxiety and exasperation sometimes, of course !
You will find that the people on this forum are very kind and helpful - they just want your tortoise to have the best life possible.
Best wishes to you and Beanz from Angie