New Hermann Tortoise

[Chaz101]

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday I entered the world of tortoise owning and got myself a 9 month old Hermanns tortoise

I have (What I'd like to think!) a good set up for the little guy - a tortoise table, good quality substrate, a 100W basking lamp etc.

At the moment the tortoise seems very timid, as soon as I put him on the table last night he ran and hid in a corner, burying down a bit, and went to sleep. Today, I gently woke him up to give him a little soak and put him near his food, but he has now gone to another corner of the table (Where the basking light is on).

Just wanted to check this is normal? I am assuming this is because he is in a new environment and probably quite stressed but is there anything I can do to relax him, and how long before he should start eating?

Thanks

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Assuming that your temps and lighting are adequate, sleeping and hiding are very normal for a young tortoise. Especially one that has a new home.
Did you get the "starter kit" that you mentioned? Would you mind showing what type of lighting came in the kit?
some of the lights actually cause stress.
Congratulations, too!

 

[Chaz101]

Hi

Lighting is the Arcadia D3 100W bulb - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcadia-SMA100E27-Basking-Lamp-Watt/dp/B004G62A9S

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Very good, Chaz.
No coil bulbs!
Now you need a Hermans person for your other questions.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

It is perfectly normal for your tortoise to react this way.
They take time to react to their new home, just as you suspected.
Once he's realized he's safe and he's not in another tortoise's territory and that you are the food god and are not going to eat him, he will begin to feel more confident and begin to explore his new environment.
But only if his set-up is right.
Have you seen http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/
This has a lot of excellent advice on how to care for your new tortoise.
Good luck

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum!

 

[bouaboua]

Hello and Welcome ! ! ! !Good to have you here! !

Welcome.

 

[Shirley the tortoise]

Shirley was exactly the same when I got her in February, and I was pretty concerned about her at first. She didn't move much, didn't eat, just buried herself and was fairly inactive for at least a couple of weeks. I persevered (having registered the exact same concerns that you have), but now she seems to be having a great time.
This might be partly due to the fact that it's warmed up a bit and she has spent more time outside, or possibly she just took time getting over the change in scenery.
Having said that, she is still extremely reluctant to unbury herself everyday, and needs a bit of encouragement. Work in progress.

 

[Gillian M]

Shirley was exactly the same when I got her in February, and I was pretty concerned about her at first. She didn't move much, didn't eat, just buried herself and was fairly inactive for at least a couple of weeks. I persevered (having registered the exact same concerns that you have), but now she seems to be having a great time.
This might be partly due to the fact that it's warmed up a bit and she has spent more time outside, or possibly she just took time getting over the change in scenery.
Having said that, she is still extremely reluctant to unbury herself everyday, and needs a bit of encouragement. Work in progress.

What of posting pics of your tort?