First tort! (Hermann's) Need some tips & reassurance!

[Hrairoo]

Hullo!
I'm fairly new to the world of tortoises, but since I've had an excessive amount of spare time this past week or so, I've been doing a lot of research into getting and caring for a tortoise.
I'm planning on getting a hermann's tortoise hatchling from Slow 'N Steady Tortoises by 2017 hopefully. I'm currently at this stage where I am saving up just a bit more money (I'm a high school student, so I generally have little 'spending' money), and I'm also working on having a solid plan for my future little shelled friend's living area and such.

Here are the ideas I've had so far, and would really appreciate some input!

Food:

• Mixed greens (high fibre, low protein leafies)
• Weeds (dandelion, plantain, grass?, clover...)
• Mazuri tortoise chow (not as a staple when the tort is older, but definitely when younger. Have some on-hand at all times just in case)
• Dried organic "herbs" when weeds don't grow (dandelion leaf; red clover; plantain leaf;)
• Cuttlefish bone
• 1 small fruit or veggie on tort's birthday (or would it be hatching-day?)
• A vitamin powder perhaps, though I haven't done much research into that yet, I would really like some help with that.

Tortoise Table:

• Note that this is only for the first year or less
• Large plastic/rubber tote (as big horizontal-wise as I can find. Minimum 4 square feet.)
• Humidity: about 60% (the baby must stay humid.)
• Substrate: 3 inches of coconut coir, peat moss, organic top-soil. (I am able to easily find and afford these products in my isolated city. I would like to hear some input on what percentage each ingredient should be. Also thinking instead of having peat moss and organic topsoil, it be either of them with the coconut coir.)
• Water: terracotta dish that is generally used beneath plant pots to collect water.
• Feeding area: Solid, flat surface (ceramic, terracotta, brick...)
• UVB lighting: ReptiSun - 24 inch 10.0 UVB fluorescent bulb (not sure where I can find inexpensive lighting fixtures for this...)
• UVB lighting option #2: ReptiSun - 10.0 UVB Mini Compact Fluorescent (am able to find lighting fixtures for this)
• Basking lamp: ??? (was going to get this, however reviews were terrible. I may instead get this)
• I am in need of trustworthy UVB and basking lights + lighting fixtures, please shoot some suggestions.
• Will have multiple little hides and rocks to investigate and climb around.
• Fake plants are a likelihood too
• How often to change the substrate? Spray bottle to keep the substrate and table humid? Or do I dump water on it? How much water?

Summer:

• Will create an outdoor enclosure either fenced up on the grass and/or...
• Use outdoor turtle/small tortoise table thing. (It is fairly large, my guess is 2ft. x 4ft.. Is partially covered.)
• Will remain indoors at night

Winter:

• Do I hibernate the tort? (I would feel more comfortable not letting it hibernate, but I will do whatever is best for it's health.)
• Keep room warm with a space heater, as the rest of the house can get cold.

There are more things that have escaped my mind while I was writing this, if you notice what I forgot, please mention it, I want to make sure I'm on the right track!
I will also add that I live somewhat near Vancouver. That's in Canada, and we rarely get snow, as we're on the coast. It is generally fairly humid, but I am unsure of the percentages.

 

[Hrairoo]

Also hoping to get a temperature gun(?) to measure temps. And those things that show the humidity

 

[hingeback]

Hi, welcome to the forum, I have no experience with hermann's tortoise but here is the link to a care sheet:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

 

[Hrairoo]

Thank you!! I've read over this care sheet a couple of times, and plenty of other care sheets too. A problem I noticed while looking into these care sheets, is that the information on them can often be conflicting, so I wanted some opinions from experienced hermann's tortoise owners.
I believe I have done my best with the info from all of those care sheets, but I'm still left with questions, concerns, and uncertainty. :/

 

[dmmj]

Salutations . first off let me say how proud I am that someone so young has done so much research on a tortoise. it shows to me at least that this is not a passing fancy of yours. so far your list looks pretty good you could be a little more lenient on the fruit once a month I would say but that's a personal choice. as for the housing for the first couple years you might want to try a closed chamber of some sort to help prevent pyramiding again just a suggestion

 

[Hrairoo]

When I was young my mother got me a pet lovebird for my birthday, and to be honest, it didn't end up so well. We knew little about the bird, including how to best care for it. I personally didn't enjoy the noisy little companion, and I am sure he didn't have as great of a life as he could've. I never want that to happen to any animal again because of me, or someone in my family.

Oh! A wonderful idea! How could I have a closed chamber with UVB and basking lights though? :/ Would it being mostly covered with maybe a quarter of it not being covered be all right? I also have an excessive amount of cats, so I was thinking of having chicken wire (or another type of wire) covering the top of it's enclosure to keep the tort safe. If part of it isn't covered, would it still be best to make a wire top for it?

I was at first thinking having a lil fruit every month or more, but hermann's don't really need fruit, and it's not the best for them, so I figured it could be for special occasions only. Perhaps feeding a yummy treat on each holiday would be a bit more generous... ^_^

Sorry for all of my questions!! And thank you for your input, I really appreciate it!

 

[Hrairoo]

Oh! I'm also looking into getting some sphagnum moss for the hides and such, is there a specific place I should be buying this? My city has a Walmart, Canadian tire, Rona, and a few various pet & feed stores. Would buying it online be less expensive? Does it last for a long time if it's not being used?

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome! You are very sensible to research everything before getting your tort. It is far stressful for the tort if you have everything set up and your temps/humidity right before he moves in.
Yes - you are going to have to make sure your tort enclosure is very cat proof - there have been some posts about terrible injuries inflicted on torts by cats (and dogs) who think they are toys.
Good luck with your research!

 

[Hrairoo]

Thank you!

 

[spud's_mum]

Oh! I'm also looking into getting some sphagnum moss for the hides and such, is there a specific place I should be buying this? My city has a Walmart, Canadian tire, Rona, and a few various pet & feed stores. Would buying it online be less expensive? Does it last for a long time if it's not being used?

Welcome!
I have a hermanns hatchling and had a table. After a while in the table, he started to pyramid so after I learned about humidity, I changed to a closed chamber and so far, the growth is a lot more smooth.
Here's how my lights are fitted:
(I use a ceramic heater for night time)

I do have a uv tube but I don't really use it as I use this for day time instead:

I used sphagnum moss but my tort just kept eating it so this time I am mixing it into the substrate so he can't eat it. I also use peat moss and coco choir.

Keep us updated

 

[Hrairoo]

What type of ceramic heater do you use at night?
Is this brand for lights reliable?
I think I will give the moss a try then, but I will watch out about the lil tort eating it.

Thank you!!!

 

[spud's_mum]

What type of ceramic heater do you use at night?
Is this brand for lights reliable?
I think I will give the moss a try then, but I will watch out about the lil tort eating it.

Thank you!!!

No problem.
I think it's this one:

I got it from pets at home.
I believe it is 60w and was around £25 (I also use a thermostat at 25 degrees Celsius so Spud (my tort) doesn't get too hot/cold overnight)
Both lights have been okay so far. The repti glow one has to be replaced every 6 months because of the uv. It's probably cheaper to use a tube and hot spot in the long run as the tubes are cheaper to replace every 6 months as the bulbs are around £40.

 

[Hrairoo]

Ah alright! Thank you! Do you think that a heater-bulb is the best way to keep a tort warm at night? Or would a heat mat be good too? (I would not put it under the tort's sleeping area, but just as something to keep the general heat up at night.)
What kind of light fixture did you find for the tube? I was thinking of getting a tube, but I was unable to find any light fixtures under $30 (canadian).

 

[spud's_mum]

Ah alright! Thank you! Do you think that a heater-bulb is the best way to keep a tort warm at night? Or would a heat mat be good too? (I would not put it under the tort's sleeping area, but just as something to keep the general heat up at night.)
What kind of light fixture did you find for the tube? I was thinking of getting a tube, but I was unable to find any light fixtures under $30 (canadian).

A ceramic heater is recommended although I have never used heat mats.

I used an aquatic fixture normally found in the fish section. (Unsure of the price)

 

[Hrairoo]

I was just thinking it may be easier - and less expensive - to set up a heating mat on the side or top of an enclosure than a ceramic heater... I will have to look into this way more.
Ah! I completely forgot that fish need lights too! What a wonderful idea, thank you!

 

[dmmj]

heating mats are not recommended for tortoises because the heat from above not below

 

[Hrairoo]

@dmmj That doesn't make all too much sense. I know that heat coming from beneath is bad for tortoises, that is why I had the idea to have the heating mat on the side or top of the enclosure.

 

[dmmj]

a tortoise blood vessels that warm the body are in the top of the shell not the bottom that's why they need heat from above

 

[Hrairoo]

Yep! I want the heat coming from above!

 

[W Shaw]

You might consider the zoomed tortoise block in place of the cuttlebone. Some tortoise blocks are mostly plaster of paris, and not good for them, but the zoomed one has the right composition -- and it's cruelty-free, so it's a win-win. My little Russian likes his. It has bits of cactus in it to encourage tortoises to chew on it.