UP THE WALL!

amg2126

New Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Birkenhead Merseyside UK
Morning!
I wonder if I can ask for some help - again?

I have a Hermann who keeps falling on to his/her back (one year old).

I have read previous posts and there is nothing he/she can climb as I have removed everything - the problem is he/she keeps trying to climb the walls, always in the same spot and always ending upside down. I've
had to put him/her the right way around 4 times in than two hours and have to go out later and am concerned as to
what will happen when I do go out.

The first time it happened I gave enough time to try to do it her/himself but it was obvious after 5 minutes it was a struggle.

Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

Enjoy your day
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
What size tortoise?
What size enclosure?
What type of heating and lighting? UV? What kind?
What substrate?
A pic of the enclosure would allow us to give you more and better tips.
 

amg2126

New Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Birkenhead Merseyside UK
Hi
Many thanks for getting back to me.
The tank is 34 x 19 inches.
I have attached some pictures.
There is hemp and tortoise soil/substrate on the floor.
I have a basking light to the right, a florescent tube at the back
and a red lamp to the left. I was advised to remove the red lamp
but I have tried to find out why I should do this as it gives out heat at night and if I
remove it I remove the heat. As you can tell I'm a newbie to this.
I have a piece of slate by the basking light, a bridge which he/she sleeps under - it does walk
over it a couple of times each day but has never fallen off.
He/she (I wish I knew the sex!), is 3 inches in size and as you can see from the pictures, is
determined to escape.
The basking spot reads "daylight basking spot 50W"
The red lamp is a ProRep spot but I can't see what the wattage is
The UV lamp at the rear is 25W
I feed greens, tortoise diet with buddleja and hibiscus leaves from the garden, cucumber
all containing the required calcium.
I have tried to give you all the information possible.
Many thanks for taking the time.
Kind regards.

tort 4.JPG tort.JPG tort3.JPG tort2.JPG tort1.JPG
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
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If it were my enclosure, these are the changes I would make:

Get rid of that substrate and use moistened orchid bark
Use a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) or a RHP (radiant heat panel) instead of the red light
Get rid of the basking light, the ballast from the fluorescent UVB tube light probably adds enough heat
Add some potted plants or pieces of driftwood - lots of things to break up the sight barrier
Sink a clay plant saucer down into the substrate for a waterer
Use a piece of broken cement or a ceramic tile for a feeder
Add another hiding place

(I'm not sure, but I THINK your UVB tube light may need to be lower. How far is it from the top of the tortoise?)

If you make changes like this, he will soon settle down and be more comfortable in his enclosure, and will stop trying to escape (climbing the walls).
 

amg2126

New Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Birkenhead Merseyside UK
Hi

Funnily enough, I was reading about torts liking humidity and a good thing was oyster bark so I ordered some
and it came yesterday and was planning to change over tomorrow.

The fluorescent light (just took it out to see what it said) says desert 10%+ UVB lamp 25w so I assume this should
be okay?

The tube I have measured at 15 inches above the domed part of the shell - ideally, what should this be please?

Off to the pet store tomorrow I think.

Many thanks for all your advice
 

GBtortoises

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The Catskill Mountains of New York State
What the are actual temperatures and humidity within the enclosure? The temperature directly under the basking light (once up to maximum temp), the ambient air temperature at the opposite end from the basking light during the daytime and the ambient night time temperature? What is the humidity level near the substrate?
 

amg2126

New Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Birkenhead Merseyside UK
Hi

The temperature is at present 90.

I don't know the humidity levels but do mist the soil daily.

I have ordered another thermometer for the other end of the tank and a hygrometer
which I am going to pick up today.

I do have orchid bark which I am going to put in once I have removed the hemp and soil
so this may improve humidity further.

Once I have the meters in place, I will be in a position to answer your question more accurately.

Many thanks
 

Ray--Opo

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Palm Bay Fl
Hello and welcome, my experience with the green mineral block you have is over time it will get full of mold . I tossed mine and use a mineral spray for the food.
 

squirrelkitty

Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
73
Location (City and/or State)
Birkenhead
Our baby Hermann's does that too. So we've built him a playground in addition to his 'primary residence' (tortoise table). He can climb in the playground under supervision when we're at home. He still keeps falling over in the playground, but we can pick him up. Playing in there tires him out and then he snoozes on the days when we're not at home. He's always had a pattern of being very active one day and sleepy the next. So we this works well for us. If you both work all day, every day, you could let him climb somewhere under supervision Saturday and Sunday and hope that he knackers himself out.
Putting flat rocks in the corners of his tortoise table has also put him off trying to climb there.

(I will post a photo of the playground in a second, have to change over to my phone from the laptop).
 

squirrelkitty

Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
73
Location (City and/or State)
Birkenhead
Here is a picture of our baby's playground. He loves walking up the hill and climbing unto the log from behind. He will even go up the ramp (board) on his own after we showed it to him, which is a really good workout for him. But he is only allowed in there under supervision. IMG_20181024_180508.jpeg
 

tinytortoise

Active Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2018
Messages
142
Location (City and/or State)
Austin, Texas
Hi

The temperature is at present 90.

I don't know the humidity levels but do mist the soil daily.

I have ordered another thermometer for the other end of the tank and a hygrometer
which I am going to pick up today.

I do have orchid bark which I am going to put in once I have removed the hemp and soil
so this may improve humidity further.

Once I have the meters in place, I will be in a position to answer your question more accurately.

Many thanks
I'm a newbie looking to getting my first tortoise and doing loads of research, so take what I say with grain or three of salt.

From what others have mentioned, even with your new substrate, you need to do more than just mist for optimal humidity. "Watering" the enclosure, like a plant, to keep bottom layer of substrate wet enough to increase humidity as the moisture is released into the air. Ideally a Hygrometer will help find this optimal balance for the enclosure itself, but otherwise maybe just use your hands to make sure the bottom of the orchid bark is WET, while the top layer will inevitably dry out. Not sopping wet, but wet under the surface. Then you can monitor the top level, and keep it damp by misting or tossing the substrate, add more water as bottom layer becomes dry.

Just hoping to add a little clarity as I've read similar dialogue several times, and it seems extremely important to keep that humidity UP for babies, and it seems a common misconception that misting is enough.
 

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