Caging

[creygout]

I have seen a lot of people write that they have rescued tortoises from hamster cages. I have two 1 year old Herman's. Only 3 inches big. Is this cage sufficient?

 

[hunterk997]

The enclosure is okay whens talking about size. Do you have a UV light though?

 

[Tom]

You need a different substrate and those water bowls are literally death traps, but size wise it seems okay. I would add a humid hide too. It will be very dry in an open topped enclosure like that.

 

[creygout]

No I don't have a uv light. Should I? And what kind of water bowl should they have?

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And what's a humid hide? X

 

[abclements]

The hamster cage isn't really the problem. Its the size constraints, your guys are plenty small enough to live in that cage for a while. It's also a humidity thing for species prone to pyramiding. As long as you have a good humid hide, you should be fine with your hermanns.

 

[creygout]

Ok thanks for all of your help. How can I make the hide more humid

 

[Tom]

No I don't have a uv light. Should I? And what kind of water bowl should they have?

---

And what's a humid hide? X

---

Tortoises MUST have a source of UV. The best thing is sunshine in a large secure outdoor pen of some sort. If your climate does not allow that, you will need to provide an indoor UV source. Florescent tubes or mercury vapor bulbs are the best. Do an Internet search and you will see lots of both. Do not let the pet store talk you into using the coil type cfl UV bulbs. They sometimes burn tortoise eyes.

The best water bowls are plain old terra cotta plant saucers from the hardware store for less than $2. Sink it down into the substrate and refresh it daily.

To make a humid hide, get a dark opaque tub of some sort. I use black dish washing tubs from Walmart, but that might be too big for your little babies. Flip it over, cut out a small door hole and dampen the substrate under it... Which brings us to the next point...

You need a substrate that can be kept damp. Hay is no good. Its much too dry, and unless your room is quite humid, it will contribute to pyramiding. Use coco coir, orchid bark, cypress mulch or even yard dirt, if yours is suitable and not sandy.

Last thing is, tortoise should not be kept in pairs. Especially Testudo species. I would separate your two, BEFORE you have an obvious problem. You do not need to see actual overt combat for it to be an issue. Just the presence of another tortoise that will not leave the territory can be stressful, and very stressful for the one that wants to leave the territory of the more dominant one. Understand that they are not "friends". They are competitors, and in the wild one would leave the area. Forcing them to live with each other in the confines of a small indoor enclosure is not kind.

 

[bouaboua]

No I don't have a uv light. Should I? And what kind of water bowl should they have?

---

And what's a humid hide? X

---

Tortoises MUST have a source of UV. The best thing is sunshine in a large secure outdoor pen of some sort. If your climate does not allow that, you will need to provide an indoor UV source. Florescent tubes or mercury vapor bulbs are the best. Do an Internet search and you will see lots of both. Do not let the pet store talk you into using the coil type cfl UV bulbs. They sometimes burn tortoise eyes.

The best water bowls are plain old terra cotta plant saucers from the hardware store for less than $2. Sink it down into the substrate and refresh it daily.

To make a humid hide, get a dark opaque tub of some sort. I use black dish washing tubs from Walmart, but that might be too big for your little babies. Flip it over, cut out a small door hole and dampen the substrate under it... Which brings us to the next point...

You need a substrate that can be kept damp. Hay is no good. Its much too dry, and unless your room is quite humid, it will contribute to pyramiding. Use coco coir, orchid bark, cypress mulch or even yard dirt, if yours is suitable and not sandy.

Last thing is, tortoise should not be kept in pairs. Especially Testudo species. I would separate your two, BEFORE you have an obvious problem. You do not need or see actual overt combat for it to be an issue. Just the presence of another tortoise that will not leave the territory can be stressful, and very stressful for the one that wants to leave the territory of the more dominant ones. Understand that they are not "friends". They are competitors. And in the wild, one would leave the area. Forcing them to live with each other in the confines of a small indoor enclosure is not kind.

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Good things to learn here! ! !!

 

[creygout]

Ok thanks very much for your tips

 

[Pittrock]

You need a different substrate and those water bowls are literally death traps, but size wise it seems okay. I would add a humid hide too. It will be very dry in an open topped enclosure like that.

Tom...I've seen you write this a couple times...how do they become death traps? Is the issue that they can't climb out? I have a "corner" water dish - small - from PetSmart - that I refill every couple of days. I want to make sure I'm not creating an unsafe environment.

Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

Those waterers were made for lizards and snakes. When a hard-bodied tortoise tries to climb out of one he MAY get straight up and down (because he doesn't bend in the middle), then over-balance and fall backwards into the water.