New here and have some questions please?

[Lynn1957]

I just got my baby (10 wks old) Hermann tortoise last week. I have done lots of research on the care etc. But have a few questions that I'm hoping someone here can answer. His enclosure is going to be 20" x 60" out of wood.
- can I put a plastic liner down on the wood?
-is pretend turf okay to use in part of it?
- can I use real sod for substrate ?
- use dirt and plant weeds and grass etc
- when he poops, does he only do so in the water? And urinate there as well or in the soil?
- I've read where Tim/brome/ orchard grass hay can be a staple... but it seems almost too dry to feed him that??
Thank you all in advance!

 

[Tom]

I just got my baby (10 wks old) Hermann tortoise last week. I have done lots of research on the care etc. But have a few questions that I'm hoping someone here can answer. His enclosure is going to be 20" x 60" out of wood.
- can I put a plastic liner down on the wood?
-is pretend turf okay to use in part of it?
- can I use real sod for substrate ?
- use dirt and plant weeds and grass etc
- when he poops, does he only do so in the water? And urinate there as well or in the soil?
- I've read where Tim/brome/ orchard grass hay can be a staple... but it seems almost too dry to feed him that??
Thank you all in advance!

Hello and welcome. I'll answer your questions and then link some threads to read.

1. Yes, you can put a plastic liner down. However, if your tortoise is a baby, it will do better, and you'll be able to offer warmer, more humid and more stable conditions with a closed chamber made of plastic or glass. Open table are good for larger tortoises, but growing babies do better in the warmth and moderate humidity that are easier to achieve and maintain with a closed chamber.
2. Pretend turf is a poor substrate for many reasons. I wouldn't use that.
3. Sod is not recommended because its grown with all sorts of chemicals to keep the bugs and weeds out of it. It also has plastic netting in the middle of it to hold it together and your little baby could become entangled while burrowing into it.
4. Without some super duper lighting, you will find it difficult to grow grass and weeds indoors. Your tortoise will also eat or trample just about anything you put in there. Potted plants are what most people go with. You can use dirt as a substrate if yours is of suitable composition, but I prefer coco coir for babies and fine grade orchid bark for adults.
5. If you soak your baby daily, which you should, he'll probably do most of his pooping and peeing during the soak. Not only will this keep your baby hydrated and healthy, it has the added benefit of keeping the enclosure clean.
6. Grass hay is good for adults of grass eating species. You don't have a grass eating species and you don't have an adult. You have a broadleaf weed eater. Still, blended up grass hay can be mixed with grocery store greens to amend them and add in some much needed fiber.

I typed this one up for russians, but care is the same:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

This one is full of general tips:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Lynn1957]

Thank you very much Tom! Appreciate it. Can you to me at what age a baby is no longer a baby?
Thanks

 

[Tom]

Thank you very much Tom! Appreciate it. Can you to me at what age a baby is no longer a baby?
Thanks

Everybody has their own way of assessing this, but generally:
I call them hatchlings until they lose their egg tooth.
Babies until about one year.
Yearlings from 12-24 months.
Juveniles until they reach breeding size.
And finally adult when they reach breeding size.
Some people use sub-adult for a tortoise that is technically breeding size, like a 14" male sulcata, but still far from full grown, like a 32" male sulcata. Most people don't usually use that term for smaller species. I just call them a small or young adult, vs. a full size adult.

If you are asking for soaking purposes, I like to soak them every day until they are about 100 grams. Not a big deal if you miss a day here or there, but try to do it daily.

If you are asking for humidity purposes, I stop worrying about humidity for Testudo when they are around 4-5 inches. I still use damp substrate and a humid hide, but I stop monitoring ambient humidity.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Greetings,
Tom has been providing some fantastic basic care information for you. I don’t have any first hand, broadleaf specie, baby information to share with y’all, I have had a herd of russian tortoises but only as subadult and adult age groups.
I can tell you that all tortoises grass eaters or broadleaf thrive on tortoise save broadleaf plants, “weeds” over most anything else. Fresh, new growing grass is good too, but as a staple you want wild, clean weeds.