New arrival...hatchling Hermanns and needing some help

[Deb82]

Hello all,
I need everyones opinions and help please. My newest arrival came today. He is a beautiful Hermanns hatchling and right out of the box he was happy and active with good responses, clear eyes, and no breathing issues. I watched him explore his new enclosure which is a ZooMed Tort house with repti bark as the substrate a hiding place and a few decorative plants.
I left some mixed greens and a shallow dish of water for him and went to bed ( work 3rd shift so I sleep late)
When I woke up he was on his back in the corner opposite his food and not moving. Scared me to death# I righted him and he seemed ok.
About an hour later I checked on him and he had buried his entire body under the substrate in the hide box area. I uncovered him and put him near his food, 30 min later he had done it again!
Am I doing something wrong? His enclosure is about 70 degrees on thr cool end and 84 on the warm end. Heated and lighted by a mecury vapor bulb.
Thank you for all of your help! He's such a darling and I want to take the best care that I can of him.

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[GBtortoises]

The best thing you can do is leave the tortoise alone right now. The first thing a tortoise placed in completely unfamilar surroudings will usually do is seek a hiding place for security. It's an instinct that increases their chance for survival. It will take a few days, maybe longer, for your tortoise to begin to explore it's new surroundings. It has to feel secure and familiar with it's new environment before it will become active on a regular basis. Even then, it's going to establish a routine which will probably include spending a lot of time in hiding. This also is a natural instinct for survival with young tortoises that if in the wild could become food for something if they're out in the open too often.
If the tortoise is buried, leave it that way. Each time you pull it out it is being terrified all over again. Feed it daily, ensure that it has clean drinking water that it can easily access, keep the temperatures and humidity at correct levels. It also helps to spray the enclosure a few times a day, particularly where the tortoise is hiding so that it doesn't dry out. In time it will begin to become comfortable in it's new environment.

 

[Deb82]

Thank you so much for the info. I wiol leave him alone and let him become accustomed then. I really appreciate it.

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