Tortoise questions

[Shelldog]

Hi guys I’ve been on here before and wanted to check back in and ask a few questions, but first I wanted to thank you guys for all the previous advice, her shell looks a lot better and she has been eating more (and pooing a lot more as I was worried about that too).



Diet:

I’ve got a plant pot in my garden that I feed my tortoise from and I feel like it’s not enough variety? It’s only got like 4 different things in it but I recently got another packet of seeds I’m growing and I really hope it’s not just all the same. I would also like to pick stuff when I’m out and about, I use this app called seek to identify the plants and then tortoise table to see if they are safe but there isn’t much for her in my area when I use the app (I only pick things the app is sure of what they are). I feel like she needs more variety but I’m not sure how to improve this beyond what I’ve already done.



Currently I use those tortoise balls and plants and mush them together but she doesn’t have much interest when I reduce the tortoise balls. I know those balls aren’t the best for her so should I keep being persistent?



Enclosure:

She’s settled well in her new home but I feel like it’s a bit boring? Like it’s got all the basics but I feel like I should add more plants. So I’m wondering if I should get fake ones or real ones. I had 2 real ones but one died but the other has been all good, she doesn’t eat them so I don’t see the problem with getting fake. I would just like some recommendations on what to add to make it less boring? Also she doesn’t seem to come out as often and walk around?



Also, some of the table has a lid so it’s dark inside but I don’t really see the point, so should I just take the top off? Or is it worth keeping it as is?



Growth:

I’m still a bit concerned about growth? She’s 3 ish years now and she still fits in the palm of my hand so I wanted to check if that’s something I should be concerned about.



Additionally, I looked up what age I should let her hibernate (is it called brumation in tortoises????) and it said at 3-4? I have her inside and don’t rlly know how to encourage her to do it? Like if I just reduce the heat from the lamp over a couple of weeks will she just do it or just be cold ?? So any advice on if I should wait another year or how to get her to do it would be really appreciated. I’ve seen people put their tortoises in the fridge but that worries me.





Sorry for such a long post but I wanted to provide context with all my questions.

Thanks any advice is appreciated.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
If you can post some photos of tortoise and the enclosure - it will be helpful (probably, there are some in older threads but haven't found any).

You can add some variety to diet using toppers or grass pellets. Agrobs Pre Alpine, Arcadia Optimised52 Tortoise Food, Arcadia DragonFuel and others (e.g. ZooMed Flower Toppers).

If tortoise is addicted to pellets - yes, you should be persistent and reduce amount of pellets. 2-3 days a week is enough. What kind do you use?

There is no point to have opaque lid over the enclosure. They, of course, need some hides but not 1/3 of the enclosure.

Dying plants and less active tortoise hint that ambient light is not enough.

Growth rate is very different for every tortoise. Hermann's aren't large species so probably all is fine. Keeping track of weight can be useful - stable monthly little gain is a sign of a healthy tortoise.

You don't need to encourage your tortoise to hibernate. It can be beneficial but overwintering doesn't put their health in imminent danger. They can brumate at any age (since hatching) but brumation should be done right. Fridge method is the safest as temperatures are controlled and there are no risks of predators, flooding and such.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

For diet some of the stuff Alex suggests could definitely be worth a try! We use this stuff

It’ll help getting some variety in if he’s picky.

If we could get some more info on the set up as a re fresh that’d be great!
What are your temperatures like? Ie basking temp(directly under the bulb), overall day temps, night temps?
What kind of basking bulb are you using specifically? Packaging photos are good if you have any
What kind of uv is that you’re using?
What level is your humidity currently? What do you use for substrate?

An up to date photo of it would be good too!

Growth wise you’re best to monitor his weight with monthly weighings. You want steady gains.

For brumation, you technically don’t have to, but if you do, the right preparation needs to take place prior, perhaps this thread will be useful

Tom's Brumation Thread

Every fall we get bombarded here on the forum with all sorts of questions and problems regarding hibernation and tortoises "slowing down" for winter. The purpose of this thread is to talk about all aspects of this subject, to dispel some of the myths and mysteries, and give a "how to" list of...

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