New Hermanns Parent

[thepurringirish]

Okay, I'll admit it. Tortoises are like Pringles...you can't just have one...or two.

I got my first Sulcata on Memorial Day of 2011 and he's doing very well. Growing like a weed. His name is TURBO.
I also got a baby Sonoran Desert Tortoise from a breeder friend late last fall. He just finished experiencing his first hibernation which was a complete success. His name is TANGO.

Monday night this week I adopted a very tiny Hermanns Tortoise. I don't know how old it is, although the guy at the pet store said roughly 3 months. I named him TORRO. My other tortoises were purchased from private breeders.

I don't know if this tortoise is an Eastern or Western, it's gender (is it too soon to tell?), and I'm trying to make sure it's separate habitat is sufficient.

What can I feed this little guy? I've been giving Timothy hay, some crumbled up Grassland Tortoise Food, calcium powder, and this morning I fed it a few very small pieces of fruit (which I had read yesterday were okay). I saw it eating this morning which put me at ease.

I know the habitat needs some humidity. Is there a substrate that is better for that? I currently use forrest bark in my other tortoise terrarium. The pet store had what looked like wood chips. My little guy has liked to burrow in the forrest bark.

I keep a long but thin water dish with fresh water in the terrarium for TORRO at all times. It looks like a swimming pool compared to his size and he can wade around in it without drowning. Should I also soak him like I do with my other tortoises?

What about lighting? I have a UVB light that I put over his tank when I leave in the morning for work, and I shut it off when I get home from school (it's on about 8-10 hours total). Is that sufficient? Is time length okay?

I know this tortoise breed requires different care than my other two and I want to make sure I am accommodating to its needs properly. Any advice and insight would be greatly appreciated!

I've attached some photos if anybody can help me identity Eastern v. Western, and possibly gender. It's tummy is flat and does not concave.

Thank you in advance!

 

[cherylim]

Congratulations on your new, and gorgeous, addition. I'm going to add my suggestions to a few questions, but of course it's all subjective.

What can I feed this little guy? I've been giving Timothy hay, some crumbled up Grassland Tortoise Food, calcium powder, and this morning I fed it a few very small pieces of fruit (which I had read yesterday were okay). I saw it eating this morning which put me at ease.

Emrys lives mostly off garden weeds (dandelion and clover being his favourite), spring mix, leaving leaves (mixed lettuce leaves growing in a block of soil, available in some grocery stores) and occasional carrot, parsnip, mushrooms (not that he seems to enjoy any of these much), plus various flowers growing his enclosure and the odd fruit as a monthly or fortnightly treat (he loves peppers, tomatoes and strawberries). I tend to visit the grocery store late at night and pick out whatever's on sale at a discount - that way, he always gets variety because his diet is based purely on what's soon to be past its sell-by date.

I know the habitat needs some humidity. Is there a substrate that is better for that? I currently use forrest bark in my other tortoise terrarium. The pet store had what looked like wood chips. My little guy has liked to burrow in the forrest bark.

Emrys has 100% soil in his enclosure, which works fine. I regularly pour water over and mix it up when it's looking dry, and I also spray it (and him) often.

I keep a long but thin water dish with fresh water in the terrarium for TORRO at all times. It looks like a swimming pool compared to his size and he can wade around in it without drowning. Should I also soak him like I do with my other tortoises?

Yes, he'll need soaking regularly. Emrys has a large dish but it's rare he self-soaks, so he has a plastic box I soak him in.

What about lighting? I have a UVB light that I put over his tank when I leave in the morning for work, and I shut it off when I get home from school (it's on about 8-10 hours total). Is that sufficient? Is time length okay?

I have Emrys' light on for twelve hours in the summer months, and fourteen in the winter. I use a 100 watt MVB.

I've attached some photos if anybody can help me identity Eastern v. Western, and possibly gender. It's tummy is flat and does not concave.

Thank you in advance!

I would say Eastern, but I'm not clued up on anything other than Eastern and Western so I don't know what the signs are of a Dalmatian. Either way, too young to sex.

 

[GBtortoises]

Looks like it may be an Dalmatian Hermann's Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis. A clearer photos of the lower half of the plastron would help to identify it. Similar shot to the one you posted, just showing the area in front of the rear legs more clearly. Looking for the lack of or presence of inguinal scutes. Dalmatians and Easterns have the same care requirements.

 

[Pokeymeg]

OMG he's TINY! I can't believe a pet store had him...definitely not the legal 4"!! but he is super adorable Congrats! You won't be able to tell sex for a few years yet.

 

[l0velesly]

Such a cute Hermanns!

 

[thepurringirish]

Thank you for all the replies! And I really appreciate the tips, I will definitely get some soil for his habitat, and I soaked him tonight when I got home from work. The pet store had 5 Hermann's, and the other 4 looked to be about 2-3 inches. I picked this guy because he was the smallest. I did get a couple more pics of him today -

Here he is soaking.

Here is a size comparison to my sulcata and my sonoran desert tortoise. Don't worry - the Hermann's has his own private living space.

And here is TORRO riding on TANGO's back!

Are "dalmation" Hermann's common?

 

[Pokeymeg]

They are becoming more common. A lot of the Hermanns in the U.S. now seem to be either Eastern or Dalmatian. Western Hermanns are far more rare, and more expensive, but there are one or two members of this forum who breed them. I myself also have a Dalmatian.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Congrats!

 

[l0velesly]

Aw, cute pics!!

 

[Sunshine]

Beautiful pictures and beautiful tortoise - he is adorable!!

 

[dmarcus]

Nice tortoises...

 

[DanaLachney]

Very pretty!