dezaxatul
New Member
Hello,
I just got my first testudo hermanni hermanni! He is 1 month and 7 days old. His name is Mojo and actually I don't know whether it's a he or a she, but I'll assume it's a he.
Would you be so kind to shed some light on some of my fears?
1. he sleeps almost non-stop, is that normal? He even looks sleepy, he yawns a lot, lol. When i first got him he was very active for 2-3h, swept his entire enclosure (probably to figure whether it's safe or not) then settled in the basking area and became very passive. He sleeps most of the time with his head out, tilted on one side, almost like a dog. He sometimes moves his head in and out with his eyes closed (as if he was dreaming). Temp in the basking area is 31C, measured with a probe. Humidity varies, usually around 60%. I'm afraid that staying under the basking spot (100W UV-spot plus MVB from JBL) non-stop would hurt him. I've temporarily increased temp to 38C to see if he reacts and he moved a lille bit further so he seems to know what's going on around him (and i obviously turned the temp back down asap). Yet, he doesn't use his hide and doesn't venture outside of his basking area although the temps shouldnt go below 25C. What I must also tell you is that this basking light is the only light in his enclosure right now because the silly reptiglo tube failed after 3h of usage (so did the MVB and I can't return either of them). I've ordered another tube from Arcadia (heard they're the best) which should arrive shortly. However, in terms of ambiental light, it doesnt look dark to me.
2. I've had him for 2 days and i've soaked him 4 times so far. He didn't pee/poo yet. Is this normal? How often should he poo at this age?
3. He eats, but very little. Unfortunately, I can't estimate what little means.. I'd say that the size of the chunk of food that he was satisfied with was not much bigger than his head. It probably makes sense since he's so small? So far I've tried cabbage, carrot, cucumber (all of them cut in small pieces) and tortoise pellets from JBL - Herbil (but he does not apper to like them). I'll try to vary his diet ad much as possible.
4. His carapace appears to be asymmetrical in the back/posterior region (left side is flatter than the right side). There's a slight difference of only a few milimeters, but noticeable. It does not appear to have any ill effects (or maybe i didnt notice) and I was wondering whether this is normal and might get corrected as he grows? Should i do something? By the way should i give him any supplements at this age?
Sorry for the long post!
I will get back with phtos soon!
I just got my first testudo hermanni hermanni! He is 1 month and 7 days old. His name is Mojo and actually I don't know whether it's a he or a she, but I'll assume it's a he.
Would you be so kind to shed some light on some of my fears?
1. he sleeps almost non-stop, is that normal? He even looks sleepy, he yawns a lot, lol. When i first got him he was very active for 2-3h, swept his entire enclosure (probably to figure whether it's safe or not) then settled in the basking area and became very passive. He sleeps most of the time with his head out, tilted on one side, almost like a dog. He sometimes moves his head in and out with his eyes closed (as if he was dreaming). Temp in the basking area is 31C, measured with a probe. Humidity varies, usually around 60%. I'm afraid that staying under the basking spot (100W UV-spot plus MVB from JBL) non-stop would hurt him. I've temporarily increased temp to 38C to see if he reacts and he moved a lille bit further so he seems to know what's going on around him (and i obviously turned the temp back down asap). Yet, he doesn't use his hide and doesn't venture outside of his basking area although the temps shouldnt go below 25C. What I must also tell you is that this basking light is the only light in his enclosure right now because the silly reptiglo tube failed after 3h of usage (so did the MVB and I can't return either of them). I've ordered another tube from Arcadia (heard they're the best) which should arrive shortly. However, in terms of ambiental light, it doesnt look dark to me.
2. I've had him for 2 days and i've soaked him 4 times so far. He didn't pee/poo yet. Is this normal? How often should he poo at this age?
3. He eats, but very little. Unfortunately, I can't estimate what little means.. I'd say that the size of the chunk of food that he was satisfied with was not much bigger than his head. It probably makes sense since he's so small? So far I've tried cabbage, carrot, cucumber (all of them cut in small pieces) and tortoise pellets from JBL - Herbil (but he does not apper to like them). I'll try to vary his diet ad much as possible.
4. His carapace appears to be asymmetrical in the back/posterior region (left side is flatter than the right side). There's a slight difference of only a few milimeters, but noticeable. It does not appear to have any ill effects (or maybe i didnt notice) and I was wondering whether this is normal and might get corrected as he grows? Should i do something? By the way should i give him any supplements at this age?
Sorry for the long post!
I will get back with phtos soon!
