Hermann tortoise

[Little Yovu]

Hi- my family and I are very excited to soon adopt a Hermanns tortoise. Could anyone here speak to an ideal indoor set-up for a tortoise including humidity levels?

 

[Tony the Tort42]

I would, but I dont know. Check the Hermanns section, it has lots of care sheets.

 

[Little Yovu]

Oh dear- am I in the Sulcata section? I’m new to this website!!!

 

[_Turtle024]

Hi- my family and I are very excited to soon adopt a Hermanns tortoise. Could anyone here speak to an ideal indoor set-up for a tortoise including humidity levels?

I have a hermanns tortoises, mine is 6 months old and, lives indoor and is doin really good. Any tortoise should have a large space, consider a tortoise table... or even a plastic tub. Mine is 2ft × 3ft... my tortoise is only 2.5 inches in length, they need plenty of space.

Humidity should be between 40% and 60% having a hydrometer can help you read the humidity level. To achieve good humidity make sure to get a shallow water dish the tortoise can completely walk threw. I also recommend spraying it down 2-3 times a day with just a normal spay bottle. You can also create a humid hide, with some spagnum moss Under a hide, spay that and it will do good especially for young tortoise.

You will need a heat lamp and uvb... these are very important. Having a thermometer will be helpful make sure it's around 80- 90.... basking area should be 90-100. UVB is important!!!

In the enclosure you need some sort of substrate. Wood chips like repti-bark is a good option because its dust free. The substrate should be deep enough for your tortoise to burrow. You should have at least 1 hide. I recommend 2, a dry hide and a humid hide. Lastly you will need a slate rock or hard surface for the tortoise to eat on, this helps keeps their beaks down. You can add rocks, greenery, and even live plants. Make sure your tortoises isnt eating anything it's not supposed to. And with live plants make sure they're safe for the tortoise.

Here's a simple checklist.
- tortoise table
- substrate
- hide and/or humid hide (both recommended)
- spagnum moss
- slate rock or food dish
- shallow water dish
- heat bulb (basking bulb)
- UVB bulb
.... for the bulbs you will need a lamp fixture or fixtures, maybe lamp stands!

Health
- calcium powder with D3
- turtle bone( mine is picky and wont touch this at all but it is recommended).
- mazuri tortoise diet is a good pellet food... but the bulk and majority of the hermanns food needs to be greens. (Wouldnt recommended fruit at all)

I'm not sure if I left anything off, I'm sorry for making it long. I hope this is helpful though. ????

 

[KarenSoCal]

Hi, and welcome to TFO!
Here is a link to the Hermanns page. Be sure to read all the "sticky" messages posted at the top of the page.

Hermanns tortoises

tortoiseforum.org

Where are you getting your tortoise? Hatchling or adult? There are so very many variables depending on age.

If you are getting a baby, as a group, we find that where the baby comes from is so important that it can make the difference between a healthy, long-lived tort...or a heartbreaking failure.

The difference is how the baby was kept as soon as it hatched. If kept in a very dry environment, the kidneys can be damaged and the baby will die, possibly months after you've brought it home. Babies must be kept in a very humid enclosure, which is best done by using a "closed chamber".

Please, before getting your tort, read everything on the page I linked, then come back with questions. We want to get you started correctly, so you and your family will be successful and have your tortoise for many years to come.

And don't buy stuff from a pet store. Depending on what you actually need, we can help you with that, too.

 

[Little Yovu]

I have a hermanns tortoises, mine is 6 months old and, lives indoor and is doin really good. Any tortoise should have a large space, consider a tortoise table... or even a plastic tub. Mine is 2ft × 3ft... my tortoise is only 2.5 inches in length, they need plenty of space.

Humidity should be between 40% and 60% having a hydrometer can help you read the humidity level. To achieve good humidity make sure to get a shallow water dish the tortoise can completely walk threw. I also recommend spraying it down 2-3 times a day with just a normal spay bottle. You can also create a humid hide, with some spagnum moss Under a hide, spay that and it will do good especially for young tortoise.

You will need a heat lamp and uvb... these are very important. Having a thermometer will be helpful make sure it's around 80- 90.... basking area should be 90-100. UVB is important!!!

In the enclosure you need some sort of substrate. Wood chips like repti-bark is a good option because its dust free. The substrate should be deep enough for your tortoise to burrow. You should have at least 1 hide. I recommend 2, a dry hide and a humid hide. Lastly you will need a slate rock or hard surface for the tortoise to eat on, this helps keeps their beaks down. You can add rocks, greenery, and even live plants. Make sure your tortoises isnt eating anything it's not supposed to. And with live plants make sure they're safe for the tortoise.

Here's a simple checklist.
- tortoise table
- substrate
- hide and/or humid hide (both recommended)
- spagnum moss
- slate rock or food dish
- shallow water dish
- heat bulb (basking bulb)
- UVB bulb
.... for the bulbs you will need a lamp fixture or fixtures, maybe lamp stands!

Health
- calcium powder with D3
- turtle bone( mine is picky and wont touch this at all but it is recommended).
- mazuri tortoise diet is a good pellet food... but the bulk and majority of the hermanns food needs to be greens. (Wouldnt recommended fruit at all)

I'm not sure if I left anything off, I'm sorry for making it long. I hope this is helpful though. ????

 

[Little Yovu]

Oh my goodness!!! Thank you SO MUCH for this extremely informative response! Would you recommend covering the enclosure to maximize humidity? Or is it really ok for a Hermanns tortoise to live in an open enclosure with frequent substrate mistings?

 

[_Turtle024]

Oh my goodness!!! Thank you SO MUCH for this extremely informative response! Would you recommend covering the enclosure to maximize humidity? Or is it really ok for a Hermanns tortoise to live in an open enclosure with frequent substrate mistings?

If your having trouble with humidity then yes it is recommended to have a close enclosure, but tortoises need air circulation, and circulation is good so mold wont grow inside enclosure. Hermanns tortoises dont need it to be too wet! Just make sure the humidity is right.

I would recommend something like
Dont forget about air circulation!!! And with there the spay bottle and other methods are still recommended, make sure to check the humidity... too much and too little could be bad!

I can show you my open air enclosure if you would like an example of that!?

 

[KarenSoCal]

What is the age of the tortoise you are getting? Hatchling, juvenile, or adult? And where are you getting him?

It DOES make a big difference in what you need.

 

[Little Yovu]

If your having trouble with humidity then yes it is recommended to have a close enclosure, but tortoises need air circulation, and circulation is good so mold wont grow inside enclosure. Hermanns tortoises dont need it to be too wet! Just make sure the humidity is right.

I would recommend something like View attachment 285800View attachment 285801
Dont forget about air circulation!!! And with there the spay bottle and other methods are still recommended, make sure to check the humidity... too much and too little could be bad!

I can show you my open air enclosure if you would like an example of that!?

I would really appreciate pics of your open air enclosure! I’m nervous about not being able to maintain correct humidity and pyramiding...do you have trouble with that?

 

[Little Yovu]

What is the age of the tortoise you are getting? Hatchling, juvenile, or adult? And where are you getting him?

It DOES make a big difference in what you need.

We are trying to get one that needs rehoming from Craigslist, but no one ever responds to us! It’s weird! We’re willing to pay rehoming fees! We’ll keep looking, but eventually, if nothing happens on Craigslist, we are thinking of ordering from southern reptiles and ordering a well started hatchling. They are about 3 mos old.

 

[Sa Ga]

Craigslist seems to be the Who's Who of WTF....

 

[KarenSoCal]

We are trying to get one that needs rehoming from Craigslist, but no one ever responds to us! It’s weird! We’re willing to pay rehoming fees! We’ll keep looking, but eventually, if nothing happens on Craigslist, we are thinking of ordering from southern reptiles and ordering a well started hatchling. They are about 3 mos old.

That sounds like a good plan to me. And a good choice of breeder...they have received a very positive review from one of our active members.

 

[_Turtle024]

I would really appreciate pics of your open air enclosure! I’m nervous about not being able to maintain correct humidity and pyramiding...do you have trouble with that?

My humidity in my tortoises enclosure usually never drops below 45, unless I dont spray it down. I always keep mine around 50-55 and, i do this by spraying the enclosure and mixing. Instead of just spraying the top layer, I spray it, mix the layers of substrate Then I spray more.

This is a video I made of the set up of my enclosure. It's not the best, because its temporary. This is the simple ideal set up. This video does NOT go over the heat, or humidity. The focus of this video was to show a set up. With a warm side and cooler side. The humidity and heat get controlled after everything was settled for a while. ? I can make a video on humitiy or diet! If needed.

Extra: If your having touble with humidity or, if u wanna be in the safe side, you could get top soil and mulch. All the top soil would go underneath the mulch. Top soil Is good for keeping moisture but, the mulch would be the layer the tortoise walks on.

I'm always scared of pyramiding too. I'm not a expert, I'm just sharing information I've learned for many many other site and resources. Pyramiding in tortoises could be caused by a poor diet, poor humidity, and lack of UVB (lack of UVB can lead to metabolic bone disease)

Any and most tortoises have a long life span normally, so just make sure you're dedicated to the needs and expenses before buying one.