New owner

[missamedwards]

Hi I got my little Herbie a Herman tortoise for Christmas. I have never had a tortoise before and I am getting very confused on all the different advice I am looking at on the Internet, like what's the best bedding how much food he should have etc. Can anyone help?!!

 

[Moozillion]

Welcome! You'll find lots of help here! But people do have different opinions, so what I do is read LOTS of the threads and postings and make my own decisions. I have also sent personal messages to specific people who were clearly very experienced with Hermanns.'

I have a 3 year old Hermann's. I use 4 inches of Miracle Grow potting soil for her substrate. i have her in an indoor enclosure that's 3ft by 4ft for the winter. That will be too small once she's full grown, but it's ok for now. I have Spider Plants, Swedish Ivy and a Boston fern growing in her enclosure. They help keep humidity up (between 50% - 80%), give her places to hide so she'll feel calm and secure, and she can eat them safely if she wants. In the winter I feed her a pile of organic spring mix that's as big as she is and sprinkle a supplement (Repashy) over it. Make sure you have an ultraviolet light as well as a basking lamp- there's tons of options there.

How big is your tortoise?

 

[missamedwards]

Thank you for the advice

On my certificate it says he/she was hatched in 2011 so still small. At the moment Herbies is in a indoor rabbit cage as the didn't have a tortoise table available when my fiancée got him and only had enclosed glass enclosure which he was advised isn't the best thing to be in and we are using an all in one lamp.

They gave us repti-turf for substrate which looks like compressed straw/hay?? Which I'm hoping won't set off my fiancées hay fever (as the rabbits got put outside because of this). I have read that soil is better to use but do you have to wet it as some site say you do? And that the sand isn't good to use either.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome Be sure the Miracle grow does not have any pesticides or fertilizers. I have even read their organic and it didn't seem very organic to me. So you want dirt that is just that, dirt only. Also coconut coir is great also. I prefer coir for my leopard. Sand is not good, causes impaction. However if you want you can mix it with the dirt or coir. Less sand then the other though.

 

[Moozillion]

I have 2 little digital thermometer/hygrometers (about the size of a digital kitchen timer) and leave one sitting in the warm end a the other in the cooler end of the enclosure. You need a temperature gradient so your tort can move to warmer or cooler areas as they need. If my humidity is getting down to 50% or so, I use a regular garden trowel to pull open a hole, pour some water in, then cover it over again. I do this all over the enclosure, but especially down by her heat lamp. The moisture below evaporates up through the soil but the surface stays dry so they don't get fungus or shell rot. I also got a couple of sheets of plexiglass that I lay over the top to help trap the humidity. I've only had my tortoise 2 months, and she's my first, so I'm still experimenting. I keep waiting for the more experienced Hermann's keeper like GBTortoises or Terry Allen Hall etc to chip in.

What are you using for heat?

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Never mind- I just re-read your post where you're using an all in 1 light.

 

[kathyth]

Welcome! I have a Hermanns tortoise and love her.
Please read the part of the forum that talks about " Enclosures". This is very important. You might want to replace the rabbit cage with a nice affordable rubbermaid container. The sizes are good, waterproof, easy to clean.
If you read these postings it will help.
You are in the right place!
Enjoy!

 

[missamedwards]

Thank you

I will look into getting some soil and into another enclosure.

Someone did say that taking him into the bathroom whilst having a shower is good coz of the humidity, is this ok?

The shop we got him from said I should give him half a handful of pellet and and handful of lettuce, but I have been using rocket instead as I read lettuce isn't that good for them. as they graze do I need to keep topping up his food or is once a day enough?

How often do I need to give him a lukewarm bath? Or is his water bowl enough?

He has a cuttlebone in with him and I am going to get him something's to climb on and hide in any suggestion on this?

Strange question we have Bosnia trees and thought it would be a nice decoration to put in with him but I can't find anything out if the leaves are poisonous to tortoises would anyone know?

 

[Moozillion]

Thank you

I will look into getting some soil and into another enclosure.

Someone did say that taking him into the bathroom whilst having a shower is good coz of the humidity, is this ok?

The shop we got him from said I should give him half a handful of pellet and and handful of lettuce, but I have been using rocket instead as I read lettuce isn't that good for them. as they graze do I need to keep topping up his food or is once a day enough?

How often do I need to give him a lukewarm bath? Or is his water bowl enough?

He has a cuttlebone in with him and I am going to get him something's to climb on and hide in any suggestion on this?

Strange question we have Bosnia trees and thought it would be a nice decoration to put in with him but I can't find anything out if the leaves are poisonous to tortoises would anyone know?

Most people seem to agree that a wide variety of greens and weeds is best for Hermann's. I buy spring mix, collards, mustard greens, turnip greens etc and pick dandelion leaves from my yard. There are many opinions about using the pelleted food- some are better than others. If you check the section on diets and feeding, you'll get some good suggestions. I feed my Hermann's a pile of mixed greens as big as she is every day, and i sprinkle a reptile vitamin supplement on it (Repashy). Again, you'll get lots of opinions.

PLEASE remember, I'm just a beginner myself- I've had my first tort for not quite 2 months and have been a member of this forum for the past 8 months. I've learned a lot but I'm definitely a newbie. i'm mainly responding because I know how anxious I get about wanting to do the right thing for my tort! Some people soak their torts, some don't. I think most people agree that a water dish big enough for him to crawl in but low enough to drink from (and to crawl out of!) is a good thing. Lots of people use those terracotta plant saucers for water dishes.

NO idea what a bosnia tree is, sorry.

You might want to check out an amazing website called tortoiselibrary.com. It's run by one of our forum members and truly is a library of information. That and this forum is basically all I use. That seems to get me reliable information that isn't overwhelming.

This forum is a treasure-trove of information. I was originally wanting to be spoon-fed information and given specific instructions, but it doesn't really work like that. I STRONGLY suggest you read, Read, READ any and all threads related to your questions. You'll learn a lot and develop your own approach. And ultimately THAT will be best for you and your tortoise!

Relax and have fun! (...and READ!)

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Oops- I see that when I said I use Miracle Grow Potting Soil I left out the most important word: ORGANIC!! I was unsure of what to use, but when I found a mother toad and her babies living in an open bag of partly used Miracle Grow Organic Potting Soil, I decided to give it a try. I read that toads have specialized membranes on their thighs and abdomen that absorbs water and moisture directly from their environment. This makes them EXQUISITELY sensitive to pollutants and acid rain. If you've got lots of toads and frogs living freely in your environment, then it's my understanding that is a good sign that the soil is not polluted. I figured if a toad chose to live in that opened bag of potting soil when she could live in my pesticide-free garden, it must be Okay. BUT I COULD BE WRONG.

I also know companies change their mixtures and formulas all the time, so that's no guarantee that it'll always be good. One of the many great things about this forum is that the members all help keep each other on our toes!