Wondering if a Hermanns is right for me!

[KatQ]

Hello friends, I am looking to make an addition to my family and am interested in a tiny hermanns tortoise at a local pet shop . I've been a long time reptile person (along with a lifetime of other animal children) I kept mostly chameleons and had a box turtle which made me decide that having animals that eat other animals is not something I want to do this time around . anyway there is a tiny guy and after reading a ton on this forum (chameleon forums were such a great resource, I love hearing from the front line people) I feel like the Hermann might be a good option staying relatively small in size and not meat eaters . however I'm slightly worried about how tiny this guy is he's about 3 months old and seems like he's doing great in the store but are they super fragile at that age? And is this a good age to start? I have a 20gal long tank (yes, I'm aware of the turtle table)but is this a good enclosure for this guy for the first year or two until I can get space for a turtle table? The lights I have are an 18 inch flourecent tube and fixtures for basking .I'm familiar with having to spray down enclosures and humidity levels that are impossible to keep high with the tropical chameleon but what is the right humidity for these kinds of tortoises? I'm a vegetarian so the food won't be an issue I always have dark greens in the house but was wondering about the mention of weeds in the care sheet and where do I find them? I live in an apartment and we have winters in Chicago I intend to have him roam around in an area for exercise .Is this a good indoor option?
Also is the coco coir people are mentioning the eco-earth stuff you can find in pet stores? I had used that in the digging pots for my female chameleons and for the box turtle at one point but I switched him to carpet when he proved to have issues with that mixed with bark .
I have plants inside the house What house plants if any can he be around?
Finally is there issues with female tortoises and eggs? Do they lay eggs even if not around males?
Thanks for helping me make my decision I'm pretty sure I can handle these guys but I'm just worried about him being so tiny and me being new to tortoises even though I'm not new to reptiles. I was successful with chameleons but those guys are totally different .
Thank goodness for forums!!

 

[T Smart]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum! Glad to see another member from Chicago.


Give these two articles a read! It should answer most of your questions!

Beginner Mistakes

https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

Sticky: HERMANN'S TORTOISE CARE SHEET *UPDATED

https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Sticky:-HERMANN'S-TORTOISE-CARE-SHEET-*UPDATED.101410/

 

[KatQ]

Thanks! Yup, read them and it doesn't answer all of them. Just wanted to hear some other opinions as well .

 

[Minority2]

Hello friends, I am looking to make an addition to my family and am interested in a tiny hermanns tortoise at a local pet shop . I've been a long time reptile person (along with a lifetime of other animal children) I kept mostly chameleons and had a box turtle which made me decide that having animals that eat other animals is not something I want to do this time around . anyway there is a tiny guy and after reading a ton on this forum (chameleon forums were such a great resource, I love hearing from the front line people) I feel like the Hermann might be a good option staying relatively small in size and not meat eaters . however I'm slightly worried about how tiny this guy is he's about 3 months old and seems like he's doing great in the store but are they super fragile at that age? And is this a good age to start? I have a 20gal long tank (yes, I'm aware of the turtle table)but is this a good enclosure for this guy for the first year or two until I can get space for a turtle table? The lights I have are an 18 inch flourecent tube and fixtures for basking .I'm familiar with having to spray down enclosures and humidity levels that are impossible to keep high with the tropical chameleon but what is the right humidity for these kinds of tortoises? I'm a vegetarian so the food won't be an issue I always have dark greens in the house but was wondering about the mention of weeds in the care sheet and where do I find them? I live in an apartment and we have winters in Chicago I intend to have him roam around in an area for exercise .Is this a good indoor option?
Also is the coco coir people are mentioning the eco-earth stuff you can find in pet stores? I had used that in the digging pots for my female chameleons and for the box turtle at one point but I switched him to carpet when he proved to have issues with that mixed with bark .
I have plants inside the house What house plants if any can he be around?
Finally is there issues with female tortoises and eggs? Do they lay eggs even if not around males?
Thanks for helping me make my decision I'm pretty sure I can handle these guys but I'm just worried about him being so tiny and me being new to tortoises even though I'm not new to reptiles. I was successful with chameleons but those guys are totally different .
Thank goodness for forums!!

Hatchlings are fragile because they're still within a very critical stage of development. Older tortoises will be more hardier.

20 Gallon tank - No. Too small. 4 x 2 ft is a good size enclosure for a hatchling. Adult Hermanns require at least 8 x 4 ft enclosure. Tortoises require different temperature zones. Small sized enclosure will not have enough room to facilitate that. A closed chamber setup is in my opinion, the most ideal setup.

Pet shop - High chance of raising tortoises and hatchlings wrong. Quiz them on care from your care sheet. If their answers don't sound right, bail on the
deal. Sick hatchlings can cost a fortune in vet bills and are not guaranteed to live after treatment. Same thing applies for questionable breeders.

UV light must be UVB and rated for reptiles as you may know being a previous chameleon and turtle keeper.

Humidity level: 50-70% is a good level for adult Hermanns. I would recommend 70-80% for hatchlings.

Russian tortoise diet and care information is very similar to Hermanns:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/b...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

Diet:
Main - flowers, broad-leaf weeds, and succulents
a little - store bought greens
none - fruits

Weeds can be found. You can also plant some yourself. Tortoise supply and other online retailers have broad-leaf weed seed mixes for sale.

Letting your tortoise roam inside the house on the floor is a bad idea. Tortoises do not mix well with other pets or tortoises. They don't need an indoor exercise area. That's what their indoor enclosure is for. This is why indoor enclosures should be large enough to accommodate their exercising needs.

Coco coir will often be cheaper and cleaner if you buy it through gardening supply, tractor supply, nurseries, and even farm operated dealers from amazon. That Eco-earth stuff can sometimes be riddled with critters and even specks of plastic. Coco coir and fine grade orchid/fir bark is highly recommended as tortoise substrate. Do not use imitation carpet.

Yes females can lay eggs when there are no males around. Females are able to choose which sperm to use and when to fertilize. It's a more complex subject that a current and ongoing breeder will be able to fully answer better than I can.

 

[KatQ]

Hatchlings are fragile because they're still within a very critical stage of development. Older tortoises will be more hardier.

20 Gallon tank - No. Too small. 4 x 2 ft is a good size enclosure for a hatchling. Adult Hermanns require at least 8 x 4 ft enclosure. Tortoises require different temperature zones. Small sized enclosure will not have enough room to facilitate that. A closed chamber setup is in my opinion, the most ideal setup.

Pet shop - High chance of raising tortoises and hatchlings wrong. Quiz them on care from your care sheet. If their answers don't sound right, bail on the
deal. Sick hatchlings can cost a fortune in vet bills and are not guaranteed to live after treatment. Same thing applies for questionable breeders.

UV light must be UVB and rated for reptiles as you may know being a previous chameleon and turtle keeper.

Humidity level: 50-70% is a good level for adult Hermanns. I would recommend 70-80% for hatchlings.

Russian tortoise diet and care information is very similar to Hermanns:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/b...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

Diet:
Main - flowers, broad-leaf weeds, and succulents
a little - store bought greens
none - fruits

Weeds can be found. You can also plant some yourself. Tortoise supply and other online retailers have broad-leaf weed seed mixes for sale.

Letting your tortoise roam inside the house on the floor is a bad idea. Tortoises do not mix well with other pets or tortoises. They don't need an indoor exercise area. That's what their indoor enclosure is for. This is why indoor enclosures should be large enough to accommodate their exercising needs.

Coco coir will often be cheaper and cleaner if you buy it through gardening supply, tractor supply, nurseries, and even farm operated dealers from amazon. That Eco-earth stuff can sometimes be riddled with critters and even specks of plastic. Coco coir and fine grade orchid/fir bark is highly recommended as tortoise substrate. Do not use imitation carpet.

Yes females can lay eggs when there are no males around. Females are able to choose which sperm to use and when to fertilize. It's a more complex subject that a current and ongoing breeder will be able to fully answer better than I can.

Awesome. Thank you! Didn't know that about the eco-earth but now that you mention critters I did spot them with the chams but figured it was also because I had live plants in the enclosure .I have the 5 tube Uvb but understand these guys need more so I'll get the higher ones.
I figured the house or part of house roaming would be better for when it was grown supervised for limited amount of time but will consider a bigger enclosure. I don't have a ton of space .By the way- what age is considered grown? This guy in the shop is 3mo. But what is outside of the fragile age? (this is not a chain pet store, they do their research and know their breeders .their birds are excellent all tame and really great health .I trust them but totally understand being weary of pet stores .I boycotted the chains for the treatment of chams) thanks again!