Sleep

[Avy]

I have a four-year-old Hermann's tortoise, and I have a pretty well-set-up habitat with a hide that he uses sometimes in the day, but at night he never sleeps in it, and he just sleeps outside the hide where the basking spot is. Is this normal (Note: night temps - 68-70 degrees F)

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I have a four-year-old Hermann's tortoise, and I have a pretty well-set-up habitat with a hide that he uses sometimes in the day, but at night he never sleeps in it, and he just sleeps outside the hide where the basking spot is. Is this normal (Note: night temps - 68-70 degrees F)

I would not be worried. It could be a bit too humid or cold in the hide at nights and he just prefers the spot which warms up first. My tortoise, when kept outside, prefers a hide which gets only the earliest morning sun and some sun rays in the evening (so this spot has the most stable temperature across the pen).

 

[Avy]

I would not be worried. It could be a bit too humid or cold in the hide at nights and he just prefers the spot which warms up first. My tortoise, when kept outside, prefers a hide which gets only the earliest morning sun and some sun rays in the evening (so this spot has the most stable temperature across the pen).

Also, how much are they supposed to sleep

 

[Avy]

Because my tortoise sleeps a LOT

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I guess it's fine. In the wild, they are most active from 8 to 10AM with occasional movements through the day. On average, walking distance is around 150-200 feet.

Maybe, some Hermann's keepers can confirm or disprove.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Because my tortoise sleeps a LOT

Is this a change in behavior or has it always been like that?

 

[Avy]

Is this a change in behavior or has it always been like that?

Most of the time it has been the case

 

[Avy]

But recently a bit more

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Would you say he is still eating normally?

What are your day temperatures like? (Basking spot, cool side, warm side)

One possibility is that he is feeling the urge to brumate.

 

[Tom]

I have a four-year-old Hermann's tortoise, and I have a pretty well-set-up habitat with a hide that he uses sometimes in the day, but at night he never sleeps in it, and he just sleeps outside the hide where the basking spot is. Is this normal (Note: night temps - 68-70 degrees F)

Wild reptiles know where the sun's ray will hit first thing in the morning, and often park there for overnight. I see it all the time. Captive tortoise will sometimes do this too. It might be a sign that your ambient is too cool, or that the basking area isn't warm enough. Tortoises seeking heat sources excessively are telling you that they are too cold.

 

[Avy]

I guess it's fine. In the wild, they are most active from 8 to 10AM with occasional movements through the day. On average, walking distance is around 150-200 feet.

Maybe, some Hermann's keepers can confirm or disprove.

Yeah Alex, he is definitely active 8-10 am. Dunno about the walking distance tho

 

[Avy]

Also, does anyone know about how to tell the gender of a Herman’s tortoise

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

We need photos of the plastron (bottom shell) and tail. To make a plastron photo it's better to hold tortoise in your hands, head up and not to flip it over on its back. More convenient if someone else will take photos.

At 4 years it can be still early to tell, though.

 

[Avy]

Would you say he is still eating normally?

What are your day temperatures like? (Basking spot, cool side, warm side)

One possibility is that he is feeling the urge to brumate.

He is just a week and a half since he was brumating and I am thinking that

We need photos of the plastron (bottom shell) and tail. To make a plastron photo it's better to hold tortoise in your hands, head up and not to flip it over on its back. More convenient if someone else will take photos.

At 4 years it can be still early to tell, though.

will do

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

He is just a week and a half since he was brumating and I am thinking that

will do

So he brumated this year and woke up just week and a half ago?

 

[Avy]

So he brumated this year and woke up just week and a half ago?

Yeah, live on n the east coast so winter just ended

 

[Avy]

He has statutes to get more active now

 

[Avy]

He has statutes to get more active now

He has started to get more active

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

How did you pull him out of brumation? Maybe he just needs more time to fully wake up.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Right after the brumation they usually need some time to fully wake up and activity increases gradually.