hi im new to this but please help,i brought my husband a hermans tortoise a couple of years ago as a present,<he had wanted 1 since he was young and his got eaten>.TOM has never had any problems before but i picked him up this morn to stroke him<he loves a tickled head> and his shell was soft!!!! what do i do?he has a bowl of calcium grit has varied diet lamps etc! i have been reading articles on the net and some of them say not to feed any fruit or veg at all ? is this my fault? he wont eat grass or anything else. please help me
helpppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Hello Toni,
Can you tell us more about his enclosure, lightings, the food he eats...
If you have pics of Tom or his enclosure, it would really help us help you and your little one.
Can you tell us more about his enclosure, lightings, the food he eats...
If you have pics of Tom or his enclosure, it would really help us help you and your little one.
Hi Toni:
I'm sorry that your Hermann's tortoise is having problems. You say you've had the tortoise for a couple of years. Is it an adult or a baby?
In order for a tortoise's shell and bones to grow strong and healthy, they need the UV rays of the sun along with calcium. If you've had this tortoise in the house for the past two years, then that's what's wrong with him. They make a light bulb that is a substitution for the sun. They are very expensive (as light bulbs go). Without UV tortoises soon grow soft and eventually die.
Calcium alone won't work. The calcium works in conjunction with the UV from either the sun or a light.
Since your tortoise has now grown soft, you must take it to a vet and have the vet administer calcium either by injection or orally, then you MUST buy the UV light.
T-Rex puts out a bulb that provides both heat and UV.
I'm sorry that your Hermann's tortoise is having problems. You say you've had the tortoise for a couple of years. Is it an adult or a baby?
In order for a tortoise's shell and bones to grow strong and healthy, they need the UV rays of the sun along with calcium. If you've had this tortoise in the house for the past two years, then that's what's wrong with him. They make a light bulb that is a substitution for the sun. They are very expensive (as light bulbs go). Without UV tortoises soon grow soft and eventually die.
Calcium alone won't work. The calcium works in conjunction with the UV from either the sun or a light.
Since your tortoise has now grown soft, you must take it to a vet and have the vet administer calcium either by injection or orally, then you MUST buy the UV light.
T-Rex puts out a bulb that provides both heat and UV.
tom lives in a vivarium, we keep the glass doors either open orslightly open if the cat is in!he has a bowl of calcium grit in there the shop said this is wot they use. have just been out n bought a new bulb this afternoon cos i not sure wot the old 1 was,bought it a long time ago.we dont have the kind of garden that is any good for him, besides its freezing out there at the moment and we were told not to let him outside if it was anything but summer, he does have a wander about inside, i no its not the same.he is weeing fine, all over the carpet at the moment, the new bulb is uv, sun basking lamp ? is that right i have ground a little calcium grit with water and he is drinking it. it says on his paperwork that he was born in 06, we got him in 07, he eats, lettuice apples cabbage, celery oranges clover dandilions, i put grass in but he wont eat it, surely this has got to some change that has happened recently because he was fine a week ago!! so much conflicting advice i dont no wot to do. he also has a heat mat but with the new bulb i just brought the substrate temp below is over 45! that has got to be to hot!!!!
how do i add pictures
how do i add pictures
Please, do not feed him celery, apples or cabbage. You can feed him chicory, escarole, plantain, spring mix... My Hermann does not eat grass.
When you say 45, is it in celcius??? If it is, it is way to hot, do something imediatly.
You should remove the heating mat, since for a tortoise, the heat must come from the sky and the cold comes from inside the floor.
What is the substrate in the enclosure?
Do you have any pics?
I forgot to ask you what is the distance between the light and your tortoise? and what is the kind and the brant of the light you bought?
When you say 45, is it in celcius??? If it is, it is way to hot, do something imediatly.
You should remove the heating mat, since for a tortoise, the heat must come from the sky and the cold comes from inside the floor.
What is the substrate in the enclosure?
Do you have any pics?
I forgot to ask you what is the distance between the light and your tortoise? and what is the kind and the brant of the light you bought?
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Hi, if you now have a lamp with heat and UV in one bulb, then you do not need to use the heat mat and I suggest turn that off. To get the right temperature when using a combined heat and UV lamp it is necessary to get the right height of the bulb from the tortoise. 45C is too hot especially if the tortoise is in a vivarium because the heat can tend to build up in there. 35C is plenty.
I agree that this tortoise really needs to go to a veterinarian with the right knowledge.
Like the others here, I don't feed fruit and its probably best not to. Years ago people fed tortoises on all kinds of things that we don't recommend now.
As your tortoise may have some kind of problem with his shell growth his diet is especially important. I am in the UK - some salad things have different names in different countries but here we can feed raddiccio, lamb's lettuce, romaine lettuce, watercress as well as the clover and dandellions you mention. Plantain is another one that is still green and fresh here. I think you should add a D3 and vitamin/mineral supplement. In the UK the best known one is Neutrobal. If there is none of that you should be able to get something similar from a good pet shop (or online) that is for reptiles and has calcium and D3 in it.
I agree that this tortoise really needs to go to a veterinarian with the right knowledge.
Like the others here, I don't feed fruit and its probably best not to. Years ago people fed tortoises on all kinds of things that we don't recommend now.
As your tortoise may have some kind of problem with his shell growth his diet is especially important. I am in the UK - some salad things have different names in different countries but here we can feed raddiccio, lamb's lettuce, romaine lettuce, watercress as well as the clover and dandellions you mention. Plantain is another one that is still green and fresh here. I think you should add a D3 and vitamin/mineral supplement. In the UK the best known one is Neutrobal. If there is none of that you should be able to get something similar from a good pet shop (or online) that is for reptiles and has calcium and D3 in it.
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