Hey

cavities

New Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2021
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Cambridge
I have a Hermann tortoise that my parents bought for me as a Christmas present when I was a child, not knowing how specialised their needs are. Now that I'm slightly older, I'm trying to improve her care so that she can lead a happy life.

By the way, I have a question to ask, but I can't seem to post in the FAQ? I don't feel comfortable answering other people's questions to reach post count idk :/
 

Krista S

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Aug 4, 2019
Messages
1,364
Location (City and/or State)
Saskatchewan
I have a Hermann tortoise that my parents bought for me as a Christmas present when I was a child, not knowing how specialised their needs are. Now that I'm slightly older, I'm trying to improve her care so that she can lead a happy life.
Welcome to the forum! I’m a Hermann’s tortoise owner too. You’ve come to the right place for information. I would love to see a picture of your tortoise. How old is she? Also, if you post some pics of your enclosure and let us know what you’re using for light, heat and UV we will be able to give more specific advice or suggestions. For now though, here’s a like to a great thread that one of the forum experts started. It contains the most accurate and up to date care information for your species of tortoise. Take a read of it and please ask any questions you might have.

 

cavities

New Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2021
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Cambridge
Thank you so much! I'll send a picture of her and write some information about her care. I'm sorry it’s quite a long read. You don’t have address information you don’t feel is relevant/or that I can find advice elsewhere.
ztZTuETdyk7iqTfp1IIg89G1bu94_ul_AYc77CeWqFEl_YYEITI570OoEqRTNte64gHSAlSTb4hmTNRx0SlHczn3bKaXje0JAeQLwJuBAkHkYKPyoRxiHd3J4U4YQK8Z4_FsUxB1


2dvI8BLsGalabt06pub2qoa7oS2Mk68c-tehIT0Z8moM2Hnq_KhFyMvPzuU5i-cazQ-mp_wXTeMnu88JAo3-auXkDRE_w9QhBDv-GcJib9vczYAZnbLKc3yO1Pz7xj9sXGja4uIC


She's 6 years old and she weighs 650g. As you can see, she has pyramiding, unfortunately. I’m not exactly sure what caused it, but my husbandry was poor when she was younger since I didn't know how to look after her properly. :(

My parents and I took her to the vet once I realised that her shell wasn’t normal. The vet told me to supplement vitamin D3 and calcium every day and to make sure her UV light was correct. I know the supplementation is a bit controversial, but I have been doing it since the vet told me to do so. I wanted to ask if I should continue with this. I’m worried about her pyramiding getting worse.

Apart from that, the vet told me that she seemed okay. She had an x-ray and she doesn’t need calcium injections or anything like that. I don’t think her walk has been impaired at all and she seems to move around fine.

Her beak seems to be a little long at the moment but I'm not sure why? She eats off a feeding slate and I give her cuttlefish to bite on sometimes. The vet trimmed her beak in February but it seems to have gotten longer again. The only thing I am aware of that could be causing it is UV deficiency? I’m not sure.

I use this for lighting with the reflector: https://www.internetreptile.com/arc...=b1db0d8ae5a0c051c65198b4728782d2&fo_s=gplauk

I have a question related to this because I have actually bought her a new tortoise table (150cm x 61cm) which should be arriving in about a week. I wanted advice regarding what UV lamp to buy and whether buying a combined UV and heat lamp is a bad idea or not. I don't feel confident in buying her the right lamp.

For heat, I use this 100w infrared bulb: https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/ko...q6rTuFv6X_WS4zpmQsfb9Q9c-9UUyLeEaAtgkEALw_wcB I’m pretty sure I need to replace this since I only recently become aware that you shouldn’t buy coloured lamps.

I also have an outdoor tortoise run that I use during the summer. I only put her in there during the day and when I’m sure it’s warm enough.

Her diet used to be poor (too much bagged food) but I have put work into improving it. I now grow a lot of different weeds in the garden and use the website the tortoise table to know what to feed her.

Yeah. :/ I would appreciate any advice I could get. I feel really guilty about not looking after her properly in the past but I want to do the right thing now. I hope you understand.

I will post a picture of her enclosure once the new tortoise table arrives!

I will look through the care sheet now! Thank you again :)
 

wellington

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Get rid of the red bulb. If added heat is needed then get a che or better a radiant heat panel. However if where she is housed doesnt get below 60 then you dont need night heat. The red bulbs can make them eat stuff they shouldnt and they need dark at night.
 

cavities

New Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2021
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Cambridge
Get rid of the red bulb. If added heat is needed then get a che or better a radiant heat panel. However if where she is housed doesnt get below 60 then you dont need night heat. The red bulbs can make them eat stuff they shouldnt and they need dark at night.
Thank you, I will!
 

Krista S

Well-Known Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 4, 2019
Messages
1,364
Location (City and/or State)
Saskatchewan
Thank you so much! I'll send a picture of her and write some information about her care. I'm sorry it’s quite a long read. You don’t have address information you don’t feel is relevant/or that I can find advice elsewhere.
ztZTuETdyk7iqTfp1IIg89G1bu94_ul_AYc77CeWqFEl_YYEITI570OoEqRTNte64gHSAlSTb4hmTNRx0SlHczn3bKaXje0JAeQLwJuBAkHkYKPyoRxiHd3J4U4YQK8Z4_FsUxB1


2dvI8BLsGalabt06pub2qoa7oS2Mk68c-tehIT0Z8moM2Hnq_KhFyMvPzuU5i-cazQ-mp_wXTeMnu88JAo3-auXkDRE_w9QhBDv-GcJib9vczYAZnbLKc3yO1Pz7xj9sXGja4uIC


She's 6 years old and she weighs 650g. As you can see, she has pyramiding, unfortunately. I’m not exactly sure what caused it, but my husbandry was poor when she was younger since I didn't know how to look after her properly. :(

My parents and I took her to the vet once I realised that her shell wasn’t normal. The vet told me to supplement vitamin D3 and calcium every day and to make sure her UV light was correct. I know the supplementation is a bit controversial, but I have been doing it since the vet told me to do so. I wanted to ask if I should continue with this. I’m worried about her pyramiding getting worse.

Apart from that, the vet told me that she seemed okay. She had an x-ray and she doesn’t need calcium injections or anything like that. I don’t think her walk has been impaired at all and she seems to move around fine.

Her beak seems to be a little long at the moment but I'm not sure why? She eats off a feeding slate and I give her cuttlefish to bite on sometimes. The vet trimmed her beak in February but it seems to have gotten longer again. The only thing I am aware of that could be causing it is UV deficiency? I’m not sure.

I use this for lighting with the reflector: https://www.internetreptile.com/arc...=b1db0d8ae5a0c051c65198b4728782d2&fo_s=gplauk

I have a question related to this because I have actually bought her a new tortoise table (150cm x 61cm) which should be arriving in about a week. I wanted advice regarding what UV lamp to buy and whether buying a combined UV and heat lamp is a bad idea or not. I don't feel confident in buying her the right lamp.

For heat, I use this 100w infrared bulb: https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/ko...q6rTuFv6X_WS4zpmQsfb9Q9c-9UUyLeEaAtgkEALw_wcB I’m pretty sure I need to replace this since I only recently become aware that you shouldn’t buy coloured lamps.

I also have an outdoor tortoise run that I use during the summer. I only put her in there during the day and when I’m sure it’s warm enough.

Her diet used to be poor (too much bagged food) but I have put work into improving it. I now grow a lot of different weeds in the garden and use the website the tortoise table to know what to feed her.

Yeah. :/ I would appreciate any advice I could get. I feel really guilty about not looking after her properly in the past but I want to do the right thing now. I hope you understand.

I will post a picture of her enclosure once the new tortoise table arrives!

I will look through the care sheet now! Thank you again :)
She’s so cute! ? Thanks for including some pictures. Yes, she pics pyramided, but to me it looks like most of it occurred in her first half of her life. The more recent growth looks good to me. It is cosmetic and shouldn’t cause her any issues. There’s nothing you can do to make the existing pyramiding better, and with the age she’s at, being mostly full grown, it shouldn’t get worse either. A lot of studies and experts on the forum say that low humidity is the cause of pyramiding. With regards to the supplements, everyday is way too much. Over supplementing is just as harmful as not supplementing. Just a pinch on her food twice per week is all she needs. Continue to have cuttlebone/cuttlefish in her enclosure for her to chomp on if she feels she needs more calcium. Some tortoise won’t even acknowledge the cuttlebone for weeks and then all the sudden show a big interest in it again for a few days. This is completely normal. My Hermann’s hasn’t touched his cuttlefish in probably 2 months now. Supposedly they know when they need it and when they don’t. I’m glad to hear your vet didn’t do any vitamin injections.

Her beak is starting to get overgrown. It‘s good that you feel her on slate. Do you chop up her food? If so, maybe try not chopping it up. Make her use that sharp beak to eat and it should help wear it down more naturally. Some people need to get their tortoises beak trimmed regularly and others never seem to need it. I Don’t know if it’s possible that the excessive calcium supplementing could cause this? It’s possible. It’s definitely not cause by UV deficiency.

The link you provided for the Arcadia Pro T5 fixture with reflector and 12% UV fluorescent bulb is exactly the right fixture and UV source you want. Just make sure if you don’t have a Solarmeter to gauge the UV output, that you replace the UV tube at least once per year.

The new enclosure you’ve ordered is way too small. At the size she’s at she needs something closer to 4ft x 8ft or 120cm x 240cm. I’m order to digest their food properly and thrive, they needs lots of space to wander. All this walking and room to explore also helps keep their nails trim too. I move my 2 year old Hermann’s into an enclosure that’s about 4ft x 7ft a few months ago and I’m already trying to think of ways to expand his living space. He uses every inch of it.

You are right about that red lamp. It shouldn’t be used. It messes with the tortoises vision and can cause them to mistake their substrate or other things in their enclosure for food. I recommend using an incandescent flood lightbulb for her basking spot. I would start with a 65 watt as that seems to be sufficient for most people. Depending on the temperature of your house you may need a stronger wattage. Here in Canada I can find these bulbs at the hardware store, so you could try that. If they don’t, I know Arcadia sells a flood light for basking that would be good too…just make sure you don’t get a colored one. If extra supplemental heat is required, use a ceramic heat emitter (CHE). I have my tortoise in an open top enclosure and in the winter I definitely needed to use a CHE, but now that it’s getting warmer the CHE isn’t needed. If you use a CHE I would also buy a thermostat with 2 temp settings on it. On mine I can set the temp to be higher during the day and lower at night. Once this temp is reached, the thermostat turns off the CHE. Once the temp drops too low, it turns back on.

It is excellent that you’re putting in the time to learn and do better for your tortoise (what’s her name, btw?). It’s fantastic that you’ve already learned to improve her diet, variety is key. If she’s able to wander the garden and pick her own weeds, that will go a long way to help keep that beak nice and trim too. Honestly, don’t feel guilty. You were a child when your parents gave her to you. If anything, your parents should feel a little bit of guilt, but not you. You didn’t know any better. I commend you for caring enough to learn now. She really doesn’t look that bad. I’ve seen FAR FAR worse.

Please continue to ask any questions that arise. ?
 

cavities

New Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2021
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Cambridge
She’s so cute! ? Thanks for including some pictures. Yes, she pics pyramided, but to me it looks like most of it occurred in her first half of her life. The more recent growth looks good to me. It is cosmetic and shouldn’t cause her any issues. There’s nothing you can do to make the existing pyramiding better, and with the age she’s at, being mostly full grown, it shouldn’t get worse either. A lot of studies and experts on the forum say that low humidity is the cause of pyramiding. With regards to the supplements, everyday is way too much. Over supplementing is just as harmful as not supplementing. Just a pinch on her food twice per week is all she needs. Continue to have cuttlebone/cuttlefish in her enclosure for her to chomp on if she feels she needs more calcium. Some tortoise won’t even acknowledge the cuttlebone for weeks and then all the sudden show a big interest in it again for a few days. This is completely normal. My Hermann’s hasn’t touched his cuttlefish in probably 2 months now. Supposedly they know when they need it and when they don’t. I’m glad to hear your vet didn’t do any vitamin injections.

Her beak is starting to get overgrown. It‘s good that you feel her on slate. Do you chop up her food? If so, maybe try not chopping it up. Make her use that sharp beak to eat and it should help wear it down more naturally. Some people need to get their tortoises beak trimmed regularly and others never seem to need it. I Don’t know if it’s possible that the excessive calcium supplementing could cause this? It’s possible. It’s definitely not cause by UV deficiency.

The link you provided for the Arcadia Pro T5 fixture with reflector and 12% UV fluorescent bulb is exactly the right fixture and UV source you want. Just make sure if you don’t have a Solarmeter to gauge the UV output, that you replace the UV tube at least once per year.

The new enclosure you’ve ordered is way too small. At the size she’s at she needs something closer to 4ft x 8ft or 120cm x 240cm. I’m order to digest their food properly and thrive, they needs lots of space to wander. All this walking and room to explore also helps keep their nails trim too. I move my 2 year old Hermann’s into an enclosure that’s about 4ft x 7ft a few months ago and I’m already trying to think of ways to expand his living space. He uses every inch of it.

You are right about that red lamp. It shouldn’t be used. It messes with the tortoises vision and can cause them to mistake their substrate or other things in their enclosure for food. I recommend using an incandescent flood lightbulb for her basking spot. I would start with a 65 watt as that seems to be sufficient for most people. Depending on the temperature of your house you may need a stronger wattage. Here in Canada I can find these bulbs at the hardware store, so you could try that. If they don’t, I know Arcadia sells a flood light for basking that would be good too…just make sure you don’t get a colored one. If extra supplemental heat is required, use a ceramic heat emitter (CHE). I have my tortoise in an open top enclosure and in the winter I definitely needed to use a CHE, but now that it’s getting warmer the CHE isn’t needed. If you use a CHE I would also buy a thermostat with 2 temp settings on it. On mine I can set the temp to be higher during the day and lower at night. Once this temp is reached, the thermostat turns off the CHE. Once the temp drops too low, it turns back on.

It is excellent that you’re putting in the time to learn and do better for your tortoise (what’s her name, btw?). It’s fantastic that you’ve already learned to improve her diet, variety is key. If she’s able to wander the garden and pick her own weeds, that will go a long way to help keep that beak nice and trim too. Honestly, don’t feel guilty. You were a child when your parents gave her to you. If anything, your parents should feel a little bit of guilt, but not you. You didn’t know any better. I commend you for caring enough to learn now. She really doesn’t look that bad. I’ve seen FAR FAR worse.

Please continue to ask any questions that arise. ?
This was invaluable to me Krista, thank you so much. :D I'm so glad to hear that you don't think Spooky's (her name!) pyramiding will cause her any long-term issues. This was a huge concern of mine!

I will take your advice and look to find a new enclosure and heat lamp, as well as stopping the over-supplementation. I don't chop up her food, so you might be right in thinking that the calcium supplements might be contributing to the beak overgrowth. I hope stopping it helps.

Thank you very much for the kind words. I will try my best from here on out.

I will come back as soon as I have more questions. Have a nice day!
 

cavities

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Joined
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Messages
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Cambridge
Hey guys, I have read the general care sheet for all species of tortoise and have also read the care sheet for Hermann's tortoises specifically. There seems to be contradictory information on what substrate to use. Currently, I use a mix of coco coir and topsoil. However, the care sheet linked in this thread specifically says not to use soil. I'm going to B&Q tomorrow (hardware store) so I'd love to know what substrate you guys would recommend for my tortoise so I can go get it.
 

Krista S

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Messages
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Hey guys, I have read the general care sheet for all species of tortoise and have also read the care sheet for Hermann's tortoises specifically. There seems to be contradictory information on what substrate to use. Currently, I use a mix of coco coir and topsoil. However, the care sheet linked in this thread specifically says not to use soil. I'm going to B&Q tomorrow (hardware store) so I'd love to know what substrate you guys would recommend for my tortoise so I can go get it.
Topsoil is frowned upon because you can’t be sure of what’s in it. It could have decomposed plants or other matter that is toxic to tortoises. You could continue using the coco coir and put a nice layer of fine grade orchid bark on top. Orchid bark/fir bark/reptibark are all the same bark, they just like to confuse us by calling it different things. If you don’t want to use coco coir anymore, you could use just the bark. That’s all I use for my Hermann’s now. If you can’t find fine grade, medium should be fine too because your little Spooky girl is not a tiny baby anymore. Medium grade is all I can find where I live. It just means the pieces might be a little bigger than the “fine” grade. Another popular choice is cypress mulch. Just make sure if you’re buying this stuff from a hardware store that there’s no additives. I had to look really hard here in Canada to find some that didn’t have added colouring in the bark/mulch. If you can’t find any of this at the hardware store, try a local garden centre. Good luck with your hunt tomorrow!
 
Last edited:

cavities

New Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2021
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Cambridge
Topsoil is frowned upon because you can’t be sure of what’s in it. It could have decomposed plants or other matter that is toxic to tortoises. You could continue using the coco coir and put a nice layer of fine grade orchid bark on top. Orchid bark/fir bark/reptibark are all the same bark, they just like to confuse us by calling it different things. If you don’t want to use coco coir anymore, you could use just the bark. That’s all I use for my Hermann’s now. If you can’t find fine grade, medium should be fine too because your little Spooky girl is not a tiny baby anymore. Medium grade is all I can find where I live. It just leans the pieces might be a little bigger than the “fine” grade. Another popular choice is cypress mulch. Just make sure if you’re buying this stuff from a hardware store that there’s no additives. I had to look really hard here in Canada to find some that didn’t have added colouring in the bark/mulch. If you can’t find any of this at the hardware store, try a local garden centre. Good luck with your hunt tomorrow!
Thank you very much for this information! :D I'll try to find the substrates you suggested :)
 

TaylorTortoise

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Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
1,461
Location (City and/or State)
Abington
She’s so cute! ? Thanks for including some pictures. Yes, she pics pyramided, but to me it looks like most of it occurred in her first half of her life. The more recent growth looks good to me. It is cosmetic and shouldn’t cause her any issues. There’s nothing you can do to make the existing pyramiding better, and with the age she’s at, being mostly full grown, it shouldn’t get worse either. A lot of studies and experts on the forum say that low humidity is the cause of pyramiding. With regards to the supplements, everyday is way too much. Over supplementing is just as harmful as not supplementing. Just a pinch on her food twice per week is all she needs. Continue to have cuttlebone/cuttlefish in her enclosure for her to chomp on if she feels she needs more calcium. Some tortoise won’t even acknowledge the cuttlebone for weeks and then all the sudden show a big interest in it again for a few days. This is completely normal. My Hermann’s hasn’t touched his cuttlefish in probably 2 months now. Supposedly they know when they need it and when they don’t. I’m glad to hear your vet didn’t do any vitamin injections.

Her beak is starting to get overgrown. It‘s good that you feel her on slate. Do you chop up her food? If so, maybe try not chopping it up. Make her use that sharp beak to eat and it should help wear it down more naturally. Some people need to get their tortoises beak trimmed regularly and others never seem to need it. I Don’t know if it’s possible that the excessive calcium supplementing could cause this? It’s possible. It’s definitely not cause by UV deficiency.

The link you provided for the Arcadia Pro T5 fixture with reflector and 12% UV fluorescent bulb is exactly the right fixture and UV source you want. Just make sure if you don’t have a Solarmeter to gauge the UV output, that you replace the UV tube at least once per year.

The new enclosure you’ve ordered is way too small. At the size she’s at she needs something closer to 4ft x 8ft or 120cm x 240cm. I’m order to digest their food properly and thrive, they needs lots of space to wander. All this walking and room to explore also helps keep their nails trim too. I move my 2 year old Hermann’s into an enclosure that’s about 4ft x 7ft a few months ago and I’m already trying to think of ways to expand his living space. He uses every inch of it.

You are right about that red lamp. It shouldn’t be used. It messes with the tortoises vision and can cause them to mistake their substrate or other things in their enclosure for food. I recommend using an incandescent flood lightbulb for her basking spot. I would start with a 65 watt as that seems to be sufficient for most people. Depending on the temperature of your house you may need a stronger wattage. Here in Canada I can find these bulbs at the hardware store, so you could try that. If they don’t, I know Arcadia sells a flood light for basking that would be good too…just make sure you don’t get a colored one. If extra supplemental heat is required, use a ceramic heat emitter (CHE). I have my tortoise in an open top enclosure and in the winter I definitely needed to use a CHE, but now that it’s getting warmer the CHE isn’t needed. If you use a CHE I would also buy a thermostat with 2 temp settings on it. On mine I can set the temp to be higher during the day and lower at night. Once this temp is reached, the thermostat turns off the CHE. Once the temp drops too low, it turns back on.

It is excellent that you’re putting in the time to learn and do better for your tortoise (what’s her name, btw?). It’s fantastic that you’ve already learned to improve her diet, variety is key. If she’s able to wander the garden and pick her own weeds, that will go a long way to help keep that beak nice and trim too. Honestly, don’t feel guilty. You were a child when your parents gave her to you. If anything, your parents should feel a little bit of guilt, but not you. You didn’t know any better. I commend you for caring enough to learn now. She really doesn’t look that bad. I’ve seen FAR FAR worse.

Please continue to ask any questions that arise. ?
12% UV fluorescent bulb what is this?
 

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