Newbie -Hermann questions

[pinkydinkydoo]

hi everyone, please forgive my ignorance im new to the world of torts and learning fast, but i have a few questions to put to you all....
(hides behind hands and hopes you wont laugh......)

When are torts no longer classed as hatchlings?

at what age / size do the torts no longer need the uv and heat lamps (or is this a must at whatever age , while indoors)
i know that they love to be outside when the weather is nice,...which is lovely! but here in the UK that is a rarity!

is it correct that they are not classed as adults until 15/20yrs old.

can they eat the normal grass from the garden? (ive planted lots of tort safe seeds but just checking!)

and last but not least....are there any safe fruits or are they all not really much good to them?


thanks for reading

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

hi everyone, please forgive my ignorance im new to the world of torts and learning fast, but i have a few questions to put to you all....
(hides behind hands and hopes you wont laugh......)

When are torts no longer classed as hatchlings?

Judgement call, really, but I'm going with 6 months...some say sooner, some say later.

at what age / size do the torts no longer need the uv and heat lamps (or is this a must at whatever age , while indoors)

Indoors (unless you can get them 2-3 hours of sunlight each week), UV heat/lights forever, except days when they get to go outside.

i know that they love to be outside when the weather is nice,...which is lovely! but here in the UK that is a rarity!

Even sunlight filtered through clouds has value (they just need more exposure to it). so keep your torts outside whenever you can, even if it's only for a few hours a day, anytime the weather is warm enough (65F or whatever that is in Celsus).

is it correct that they are not classed as adults until 15/20yrs old.

Another jugment call...in "domesticated" tortoises, it's more like 5 to 10 years, depending how they've been fed/cared for, because they grow much faster in captivity, and many of us don't hibernate them, so they eat all winter, too.

can they eat the normal grass from the garden? (ive planted lots of tort safe seeds but just checking!)

They can, as long as you've used no chemicals on your lawn (very important!)...Hermann's will eat some kinds of grass w/ enthusiasm (2 of mine are nuts about St. Augustine, 1 is ok with it, one ignores it), some kinds if there's nothing else.

OTOH, all of mine love dandelions, Prickly Lettuce, sow thistle, cactus pads and verious other weeds, and Marion Red Tortoise sticks (one of our members, Coastal, sells this, btw) is NEVER turned down, so I mix dried weeds and/or chopped cactus pads w/ it, so they'll recognize it as a winter ration.

and last but not least....are there any safe fruits or are they all not really much good to them?

I give each of mine 1 strawberry a month, as a treat...much more can make them have diarrhea.

thanks for reading

Hope this helps and welcome to our little slice of Heaven.

 

[tortoises101]

Welcome to TFO.
The diet Terry recommended is excellent. Hermann's tortoises need a diet high in fibre, rich in calcium, but low in sugar and proteins.
Terry mentioned "various other weeds", so here are a few lists to get you started:
http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/Diet.htm#plantlist
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/enews/
http://tortoisetrust.org/articles/plantfoods.html