Soon to be tortoise owner!

[BlueBaron]

Hey everyone,

I am going to be getting a 2.5 month old hermann's tortoise mid may and decided to pop onto this forum to make sure everything goes all right. I have owned many reptiles over the years and currently have a sand boa, 5 stenodactylus sthenodactylus, 2 gonatodes, and a leopard gecko. My non reptile family consists of a dog, a cat and a senegal parrot, and I am a full time student living in Canada.

Cheers!

 

[BlueBaron]

Also, this is a pic of the enclosure I have set up. Thoughts? I was going to put damp moss in the back half of the hide house on the warm side (right).

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello and welcome to the tortoise forum.
Well, you've come here for advice and I'm sure you'll get lots when people see your enclosure.
Sorry, but I think it's much too small and I'm not sure about the substrate or water bowl either.
Have a look at the enclosures form here and check out the Hermann's care section and beginners guides.
I think you've got a bit of reading to do.
Sorry to sound so negative, but you wanted advice and others on this forum are much more knowledgeable than I am, really glad you're here for help and good luck.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Your guinea pig cage will be ok for a short while because your tortoise is a baby, but it's too small. The substrate - what are those white dots in it? They might look like something the baby wants to eat. We use coco coir or cypress mulch or orchid bark...even clean garden soil (without the perlite). You can use a plant saucer instead of the waterer with straight-up-and-down sides. Sometimes babies get over balanced when getting in or out and they tip over backwards. It's a drowning risk. Baby tortoises need a lot of humidity in their environment. The moist air helps them grow smoothly. In the wild babies stay hidden, either under ground or under bushes, where there is more moisture.

Take a look at the care sheet pinned at the top of the Hermann's section here on the Forum. It was written by one of our members who has a very good knowledge of the Hermanni species.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO from AZ, USA . Torts aren't like snakes they need room to roam and grow . Hermanns rule ! This is a few of my Hermanns .

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome. Read.
Don't use the cage.
Also, none of your lighting is the coiled type bulb variety is it?

 

[BlueBaron]

Hey guys, I realize that the cage will only be a good size for about a year or less; it is a temporary enclosure until I build something. The substrate is a mix of coconut and aspen chips but I can change it to just coconut if you guys think that's best. There is sooooo much conflicting information out there its hard to know what to believe; one place says feed clover another says dont, one place says feed mazuri another says dont, its pretty confusing lol!

Currently I am trying to decide where to get seeds from so I can grow appropriate foods. I have it narrowed down the three places in the US that will ship to Canada, might just order from them all and see what works best.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

BlueBaron, as you can see by our names, some of us, like myself are pretty new here...Like you.
I'll tell you this...Everything you need to know is here and here only. These folks are from every corner of the world and have been there. Done that.
My criticism isn't meant to be mean. You'll need too much humidity for that cage to work very well and I am concerned about your lighting only because many new keepers have purchased the very harmful types from the tortoise section at the pet store.
Seeds from TORTOISESUPPLY.COM are great!

 

[BlueBaron]

To keep humidity up I was planning on misting a couple times a day and as mentioned above the hide on the right in the warm area will have moist moss at the back. If that's not enough I could cover the sides to help keep it in. I was also planning on warm 15-20 min baths 4 times a week. For lighting I am running a 100 watt heat lamp on the right and a 10.0 UVA/UVB on the left.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

I think clover is ok as part of a mixed diet and mazuri good as a food supplement or backup, but not instead of a balanced diet.

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[Tom]

I think its good to get multiple opinions. Its all been said already, but I like to put things in my own words.

1. The substrate will need to be damp. Fine for the coco coir, not so good with aspen chips. I would switch to coir only or orchid bark.
2. Dehydration is the number one killer of baby tortoises. Low humidity from open cages like yours are a contributing factor. Misting the cage a couple of times a day causes some evaporative cooling for a few minutes and nothing more. The room air is too dry, and that cage is too open to hold in warmer more humid air. You need to re-think your housing strategy. You can get a 50 gallon plastic storage tub for $20 at the hardware store.
3. That 10.0 coil bulb on the left should not be used. Some of them burn tortoise eyes and even the ones that don't are not effective as a UV source. Get a long tube type or a mercury vapor bulb.
4. Like Yvonne said, sink a terra cotta plant saucer into the substrate for water. I use a second one for food.
5. Related to number 2., I would soak the baby daily for the first 6 months or so. It won't hurt anything to miss a day here and there, but try for every day.
6. Neither clover or Mazuri are good as a sole food source, but both are good as a small part of a varied diet.

Please read these:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

These were written for russians, but the care is very similar, so you might see some good ideas here:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

 

[leigti]

Hello blue Baron welcome to the forum. You have definitely come to the right place for all the information you will need. I did a lot of research on many sites before I realize that this is the only one with the most updated information. Books, pet stores, and even veterinarians are full of wrong information. Baby tortoises take a little different care than adults, primarily they require more heat and humidity than the adults do. Check out the above threads, and read through the site in general. Look at the enclosures section for specific ideas. So, do a lot of reading and keep asking questions. And don't forget to give us some pictures of the new tortoise when you get him or her

 

[BlueBaron]

Alright, the substrate is now 100% coconut roughly 3" deep, I returned the UVB lamp and am currently searching for a fixture for an 18" 10.0 UVB fluorescent tube, and I am planning on covering the sides of the cage to keep in humidity; should I also cover part of the lid? I haven't picked up a pot saucer yet, I am a little worried about what sort of additives they might contain? Am I being overly cautious?

 

[leigti]

I would cover the top and the sides. But don't put anything directly under the UVB or heat lamp. You can use a plastic or a terra-cotta pot plant saucer. Just wash it good with soap and water. I haven't heard of any problems from them.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Not overly-cautious at all. Better safe than sorry. The terracotta idea from leigti above seems to be a very popular choice around here.
i use Moroccan earthenware myself, but that's pretty much the same thing I suppose.

 

[Heather H]

Hi and welcome. I'm a new tortoise mommie. You will find lots of info. But listen to the folks here. They are great. A lot of times they have advice that will save you money and time. You will have to cover the cage completely to get the desired humidity. My Hermann is 51. Days old. He is soaked everyday. I can share pictures of my setup if you like. Or look at my thread introducing Charlie.

 

[BlueBaron]

Here are some pics of the tort I have chosen from the breeder; hatched out around March 9th

 

[Tom]

I have raised 100's of babies into maturity using terra cotta plant saucers. Its never been an issue for me.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Here are some pics of the tort I have chosen from the breeder; hatched out around March 9th
View attachment 123478View attachment 123479

what a lovely looking tortoise!