Please help! Baby Hermann not eating/sleeping all day

snickitysnack

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Hi all,

I purchased a 2 month old hermann tortoise about a month ago and this is my first time owning a reptile. Up until now, shes been doing great—eating, pooping, exploring. However, for the last 3 days she hasn't touched her food (I've been feeding her dandelion greens and romaine) and she sleeps constantly (in weird positions and totally splayed out so she looks dead). The temp in her enclosure is around 92-95 F under the lamp and 65-70 on the cold side. I also swap out the light at night for a red light because my apartment is really cold right now, so its about 80 under the lamp at night. I spray the substrate a few times a day to keep it humid and I soak her for 15 minutes 4-5 times a week. She has access to water at all times, and before she started acting sick, she loved to soak. The only thing I can think of is that she's currently in a glass vivarium, which I know is bad. I ordered a wooden one, but it's taking forever to arrive. I put up construction paper so she wouldn't go crazy, though, and I take her out into my yard once a day to get some fresh air.

I can't think of anything I'm doing wrong! Please help! I'd be so devistated if she died... Should I take her to a vet? Do reptile vets even exist? I'll attach a pic of her enclosure and of her sleeping in a weird position.

IMG_2044.jpegIMG_2093.jpg
 

Tittlestortoise

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I don’t know much because I just had my first ever tortoise it was a Hermann tortoise and was acting same and he just died I only had him four days ? take yours to the vet so you don’t get same outcome.
 

Juan20669

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Take her to a vet that specializes on exotic animals. I keep red foots so idk much about hermans, but I can tell you lettuce and dandelion greens have little to no nutrition. also be careful feeding dandelions if you dont know if they have been sprayed with pesticides.
 

Juan20669

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get her mazuri or zoomed tortoise pellets, there are mixed opinions on this, but from personal experience if you dont over feed it, it does wonders.
 

snickitysnack

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Thanks! Heading to the pet store now to get some tortoise pellets. Maybe that will entice her to eat a little. Made an appointment for an exotic vet tomorrow... really hoping she makes it through the night. I read on this forum that you can soak them in carrot juice when theyre sick. Does anyone have any info on this?
 

KarenSoCal

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First, it may be wise to cancel the vet appt. Many vets don't really know how to care for torts, and frequently do more harm than good. If you do go, DO NOT let the vet give any vitamin shots! They usually want to give them Vitamin A, which can actually cause the skin to slough off. Also, if he prescribes antibiotic shots, tell him no Baytril. It is agonizingly painful for the tort, and given to a baby, could potentially be lethal. Give us a few days to try to get him feeling better.

I think your baby is too cold. Torts need to be warm enough to digest their food. If they're cold, they just stop eating. I have never kept a Hermann's, but you won't go wrong following the info in this link.


You need to raise his temp now. You will need to close off the top of his tank to get it warm enough. Maybe you could make a tent of sorts that will cover the tank and light...a shower curtain possibly? Don't let it touch the light though. You don't want melting or to start a fire. You need a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) to supply heat with no light, especially at night. The tent cover will also help keep the humidity up where it should be. Just spritzing the substrate does not work to raise the humidity...it all just goes out the open top.

This is a link to a Hermann's care sheet, and a link to mistakes commonly made by beginners. Please read all of these and see what improvements should be made in your set up.



It would be better for your baby if you would get rid of the red light at night. The light makes everything look red to the baby, and red is a favorite color for flowers. So they will try to eat their substrate, which is a big impaction risk.

There are other fixes you could implement, but take care of this heat issue first. Warm him up, and hopefully he will eat.
 

snickitysnack

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First, it may be wise to cancel the vet appt. Many vets don't really know how to care for torts, and frequently do more harm than good. If you do go, DO NOT let the vet give any vitamin shots! They usually want to give them Vitamin A, which can actually cause the skin to slough off. Also, if he prescribes antibiotic shots, tell him no Baytril. It is agonizingly painful for the tort, and given to a baby, could potentially be lethal. Give us a few days to try to get him feeling better.

I think your baby is too cold. Torts need to be warm enough to digest their food. If they're cold, they just stop eating. I have never kept a Hermann's, but you won't go wrong following the info in this link.


You need to raise his temp now. You will need to close off the top of his tank to get it warm enough. Maybe you could make a tent of sorts that will cover the tank and light...a shower curtain possibly? Don't let it touch the light though. You don't want melting or to start a fire. You need a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) to supply heat with no light, especially at night. The tent cover will also help keep the humidity up where it should be. Just spritzing the substrate does not work to raise the humidity...it all just goes out the open top.

This is a link to a Hermann's care sheet, and a link to mistakes commonly made by beginners. Please read all of these and see what improvements should be made in your set up.



It would be better for your baby if you would get rid of the red light at night. The light makes everything look red to the baby, and red is a favorite color for flowers. So they will try to eat their substrate, which is a big impaction risk.

There are other fixes you could implement, but take care of this heat issue first. Warm him up, and hopefully he will eat.

Thanks for your reply! I think her enclosure is definitely warm enough. She won't even sit directly under the light most of the timee because it can get up to 100 F. How do I keep her warm enough at night then? My apartment drops to the low fifties at night and I heard it's bad to keep the regular heat light on all night. I don't think she tries to eat the substrate at night with the red light on. She's usually in the exact spot I left her in the morning.
 

KarenSoCal

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As to the temps...your basking spot is a bit warm. When you read the care sheet you will see the recommended temps. The basking area should be 95deg. During the day, all the rest of the enclosure should be 80-85. That's in every nook and cranny, even the areas farthest away from the basking spot. Finally, the nighttime low should be in the lower 70's all night long. So your tort is getting way too cold at night. Then he basks, and then most of his remaining space is also cold, by his standards. Have you measured the temp at tortoise level, daytime, in the back corners away from both lamps?

Hopefully you have a temp gun. That way you can spot measure exactly where you want to. If you don't have one, Lowe's or Home Depot have them for around $20.

You asked about nighttime heat...you could use a CHE (ceramic heat emitter). They screw into a lamp socket and provide heat, but no light.


OMAYKEY 75W 2 Pack Ceramic Heat Lamp, Infrared Reptile Heat Emitter Heater Lamp Bulb for Pet Brooder Coop Chicken Lizard Turtle Snake Aquarium, No Light No Harm, 24hr Heat Source https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075XJXPGC/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

You didn't mention if he ate yet. Try this every day when you soak him. Get a bottle of non-flavored Pedialyte, like for babies. And also a jar of baby food...pureed carrots. Mix the Pedialyte and water 50/50, enough for his soak. Then add some baby food carrots and stir it all up. Make it warm, and put him in to soak. He needs to stay in for at least 30-45 min. If he struggles to get out, it's time for tough love...keep him in, and keep it warm. Most torts drink when put into their soak, so he will be getting some nutrition. Doing this has helped bring babies back from nearly dying. Hopefully it will perk yours up too.

Keep us up to date...I really care about your little friend.
 

Randy Micheals

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lettuce and dandelion greens have little to no nutrition.

Agree on the lettuce, though unsprayed washed romaine wont hurt once in a while. However dandelion is a great tort staple, is high in fiber/vitamins and, also calcium which helps bone and shell growth in young torts especially. Curious where you heard it had little to no nutritional value?
 

Juan20669

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Agree on the lettuce, though unsprayed washed romaine wont hurt once in a while. However dandelion is a great tort staple, is high in fiber/vitamins and, also calcium which helps bone and shell growth in young torts especially. Curious where you heard it had little to no nutritional value?
No my point was that you shoulnt feed it just that all the time. Tortoises cant get everything they need just from dendelion.
 

snickitysnack

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Thanks, everyone. I've been offering her some toroise pellets and she ate a couple bites yesterday, but not any since. I do have a temp gun, but i'm ordering the ceramic heat lamp right now! thanks for the suggestion! I tried the carrot soak yesterday and it definitely perked her up! I'll go get some pedialyte tomorrow.

She's still really letharic today... I'm so worried!
 

VegasJeff

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I don't think I would worry too much about her sleeping in weird positions as I've caught my tortoise sleeping in some weird positions near the opening of their hide. What worries me more is that they are not sleeping in the hide but out in the open. Is it pitch black in the room at night? That part seems odd to me.

I'd recommend switching the food out. My tortoise will refuse to eat if they don't like their food. Try some kale. Mine absolutely loves that. Also, see if you can get them some real sun once the weather warms up. I know it's cold in Oakland right now.
 

VegasJeff

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I just figured out why she is sleeping out in the open and not in her hide. The clue is in the pictures! I think @KarenSoCal hit the problem dead on. It's too cold for her! She won't sleep in the hide because it's too cold there. She can only get enough warmth to fall asleep by being under the lamp. If you have one of those portable electric heaters in your house, I'd recommend putting one in this room to help warm it up at night.
 

Krista S

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I’m sorry you’re having a hard time with your baby right now. I agree that I don’t think you should worry too much about her sleeping in odd positions. I caught my baby Hermann’s taking a nap out in the open. The first couple times it freaked me out seeing his little head resting on the orchid bark looking like he stopped mid step...I thought he had died, but no, he was just having a little nap. Just try and monitor how long those sleeps are if they occur during the day and are directly under the heat lamp. Don’t want the baby to overheat. I also don’t believe that a glass enclosure is bad thing for a baby especially when you’ve got the perimeter covered like you do. Something larger wouldn’t hurt though. The one thing I do think could help with the “sleeping out in the open“ part is if you put a hide on the warm side of the enclosure. I have a hide on both sides of mine and my little guy has never gone to sleep on the cool side. Good luck and please keep us posted.
 

snickitysnack

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Thank you guys! Really appreciate your thoughtful responses! Ordering a space heater and a smaller hide so it'll fit on the warm side of the tank. Still worried about her lack of appetite though...
 

Krista S

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Keep trying different foods and try feeding them different ways. See if she will be more encouraged to eat if you hold the leaf for her or does she want to do it on her own. Try cutting the leaves into smaller pieces and leaving them bigger...is there a preference? Try different colours of foods. For the longest time my little guy seemed to have an aversion to anything that wasn’t the ’right’ hue of green...and if it was purple, he’d just snub his little nose at it. Now there’s a preference for things that aren’t dark green. Most tortoises are more hungry after a soak where I find at times my guy will eat more before a soak. Just get creative and try different ways of feeding and hopefully something will do the trick.
 

jso

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Not sure what the substrate is? Pine bark chippings? I believe pine can give off noxious fumes/vapours when heated?
Could that be an issue?
 

snickitysnack

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I just changed the substrate to coco husk and put a space heater near her tank, but she's STILL not eating. It's been about a week and she's taken like two bites... Should I just take her to the vet? I really don't know what else to do.
 

method89

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Thanks for your reply! I think her enclosure is definitely warm enough. She won't even sit directly under the light most of the timee because it can get up to 100 F. How do I keep her warm enough at night then? My apartment drops to the low fifties at night and I heard it's bad to keep the regular heat light on all night. I don't think she tries to eat the substrate at night with the red light on. She's usually in the exact spot I left her in the morning.
The temps as you listed are too cold... You don't have to agree but you would be making a mistake not listening to the sound advice you are receiving...
 

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