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SuIcata

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Hey I recently bought this enclosure from Amazon and I was thinking about getting a baby hermans tortoise for it just not sure what I should use as substrate any ideas?
 

SuIcata

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That thing I don't even want to call it enclosure is way and I mean WAAAY TOOOO SMALL

U cant house a tortoise in that they need uvb and heat
It's a baby I know it needs more space as an adult I asked for substrate not for ur opinion on my enclosure
 

ayrgrn

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Hey I recently bought this enclosure from Amazon and I was thinking about getting a baby hermans tortoise for it just not sure what I should use as substrate any ideas?
Could you tell us the dimensions of the enclosure? Is it a vivarium or a open table? Maybe a picture?
Over the past four months I have swapped out my hermanns substrate many times. I started with topsoil, then switched to Coco coir, and now I'm using Reptibark (orchid/fir bark). I can easily say that Coco coir and reptibark are the winners. Reptibark is great for under the basking and UV bulbs for your tort to rest on and burrow a little. The Coco coir is great for retaining moisture and burrowing. So if I was you, I would mix the two together and have reptibark on your warm desert area under the bulbs, and Coco coir on the other side where it is moist and humid. This will create a good microclimate for your tort. Obviously if you can't afford or don't want to do this then just go for one of these, I would probably choose coir over the reptibark.
I hope my little anecdote has helped you!
 

xMario

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It's a baby I know it needs more space as an adult I asked for substrate not for ur opinion on my enclosure
But think about what a tortoise needs a hide a water bowl a few inches of substrate a heat lamp and an uvb lamp and even if u could fit all of that in such a small enclosure ur tort wouldn't be able to move and also couldn't escape the heat
 

SuIcata

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Could you tell us the dimensions of the enclosure? Is it a vivarium or a open table? Maybe a picture?
Over the past four months I have swapped out my hermanns substrate many times. I started with topsoil, then switched to Coco coir, and now I'm using Reptibark (orchid/fir bark). I can easily say that Coco coir and reptibark are the winners. Reptibark is great for under the basking and UV bulbs for your tort to rest on and burrow a little. The Coco coir is great for retaining moisture and burrowing. So if I was you, I would mix the two together and have reptibark on your warm desert area under the bulbs, and Coco coir on the other side where it is moist and humid. This will create a good microclimate for your tort. Obviously if you can't afford or don't want to do this then just go for one of these, I would probably choose coir over the reptibark.
I hope my little anecdote has helped you!
Thank u this is dimensions 20190416_161406.jpeg
 

ayrgrn

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I'm sorry if this offends you in any way but there is no chance of a baby Hermann's being able to live a healthy life in that small tub. If you are actually planning on using that then I am begging you please don't. Speaking from experience, my hermanns is a baby and is only 6cm big - he has a massive 130 x 60 cm enclosure and that's just for himself and he loves to walk around. They need the space to roam around and get exercise. Please don't use this tub.
 

SuIcata

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I'm sorry if this offends you in any way but there is no chance of a baby Hermann's being able to live a healthy life in that small tub. If you are actually planning on using that then I am begging you please don't. Speaking from experience, my hermanns is a baby and is only 6cm big - he has a massive 130 x 60 cm enclosure and that's just for himself and he loves to walk around. They need the space to roam around and get exercise. Please don't use this tub.
The guy in the pet shop told me that this would be ok for 1 year till he needs a upgrade and I mean they sell them often I think they have experience also I'm gonna place the tub in the sun so he doesn't need lamps thx
 

ayrgrn

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The guy in the pet shop told me that this would be ok for 1 year till he needs a upgrade and I mean they sell them often I think they have experience also I'm gonna place the tub in the sun so he doesn't need lamps thx
Pet shop employees hardly ever know what they are talking about. You CANNOT put a hermanns in this. It is too small. They need a basking lamp that heats their shell to about 32°C (95-100°F) so they can digest properly. If they don't have this, they are inactive, don't move and won't eat. If you a placing it outside in the sun and it is warmer than 20°C all the time then they don't need a uvb bulb but still need the basking bulb. They also need some decor, a water dish, a food dish and a humid hide which you will not be able to fit into that tub.
They also need a temperature gradient so they can find the right spot for them when they need it, which it will need be able to do in there.
Please, don't use that enclosure.
 

Cheryl Hills

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As the members above said, that is way to small. Even if you put it in the sun, you will ether overheat the tortoise and cook him or he will get no uvb. Uvb will not go through glass, plastic or plexiglass. Specially with it so small, outside it will heat up since it is closed, and can cook your tortoise in less then an hour. Please read our Herman’s tort section care sheets. It will tell you all you need.
 
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I use a mixture of coco coir and orchid (fir) bark for my 3 hermann's
Have a look at animal plastics enclosures, they have them in large sizes and they work well for baby hermann's.
When they grow up though, they will need lots of space.
Alot of people here just use plastic storage bins of various shapes and sizes, just make sure that the temperature is correct for all 4 microclimates within the enclosure and make sure that the humidity is kept up around 80%.
Keeping them warm and moist as babies is important, as they get older you will need at least an 8ft by 4ft enclosure for one adult.
I have my 3 yearling babies in a 4ft x 2ft x 15inch enclosure, they will only be in there for about 2 or three years, then I will have to manufacture something larger.
The fun part about owning a tortoise is designing and building and watching them explore something you built with your own hands.
 

Lyn W

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That looks more like a plant propagator, definitely not big enough for a living and wandering creature like a tort - they need to be active.
Pet shops have plenty to gain by telling you it's OK - your money!!
Please take the advice you have been given from very experienced keepers who know what they are talking about and only have the health of torts at heart ; please don't gamble with a tort's life to try to prove them wrong!
This may help you https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/
 

shellcior

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I'm afraid if that enclosure is put in the sun, the sun will cook the tortoise. Basically it's like leaving your dog or child in a hot car. We are not trying to be nasty, we are just concerned for the health of the tortoise. We are trying to help.
 

Yvonne G

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There's no way to hang lights and heat and have them be far enough from the baby inside to not burn his shell. I'm afraid that is just not going to work.
 

Yvonne G

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This is about the size of a 10 gallon aquarium. No turtle or tortoise should live in a 10 gallon aquarium unless it's being used as a hospital tank. The concept is great! closed chamber, but it's just too small. BEsides that, there's no way to hang heat and lights without burning the animal inside. It needs to be at least 3 times that tall so you can have your light be about 12" away from the top of the shell.
 

SuIcata

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I have to admit that I was a bit angry and so I thought ur answers are offensive against me after reading all ur comments and after i calmed down i have to say I'm sorry for my attitude I'm not gonna use this enclosure for a living animal
 

Sue Ann

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Hey I recently bought this enclosure from Amazon and I was thinking about getting a baby hermans tortoise for it just not sure what I should use as substrate any ideas?

was this sold as a tortoise enclosure? I would return it and get something much bigger.
 

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