Hi everyone! Need some clarification!

grandlinegirl

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
43
Hi guys. It was suggested that I join this site so I thought I would come check it out. I've been lurking for a few days and reading through the forums and care sheets. I wanted to post because there are some things I'm really unsure of and I'm getting different answers from different sites/care sheets.

First of all, I've researched the different types and I have decided on a Hermann's. They stay a small size and that's what I'm looking for. I understand that torts need room indoors and outdoors. I am planning to keep my tort indoors for the most part but in spring/summer when it's warm enough, I would definitely give them daily time outside in a safe enclosure.

So, herein lies my problem. I first started researching on different forums/sites and once I came here I realized that I've been bombarded with so much conflicting information. I'm hoping you guys can help me sort it out. I know you probably see posts like this all the time and for that, I'm sorry. I've tried looking through the different pages to find out the info I need but I am just getting even more confused. So here we go. I apologize in advance for how long this is!

1. Size of enclosure. The caresheet here for Hermann's says for 2-3 hatchlings an enclosure that's 2x3 will work. Will that be okay for just one hatchling or will that completely overwhelm them? And say I do get an enclosure that is 2x3. How long will that suit a Hermann's before I have to upgrade?

2. Type of enclosure. I've come across everything from tables, rabbit/guinea pig cages, rubbermaid bins, bookcases, tanks, vivs to closed chambers. I have also encountered different places that say every one of those things previous listed is no good. What's the truth? A rubbermaid bin appeals to me because I think it would be easiest to maintain parameters in it. I have snakes in plastic bins and it keeps their temps/humidity perfectly. But I want to be able to watch my tort and I can't do that if it's in a bin. I know they need something with solid walls so they can't see out, but I would still like to be able to see them easily. I like the idea of the rabbit/guinea pig cages but I feel like it would be possible to keep the humidity at 70% as is recommended.

Over everything else, a closed chamber appeals to me the most but I have absolutely no building skills. I'm familiar with the reptile market in my area and the closest I could get is a PVC enclosure, but the closest place that makes them is about 5 hours from me (I'm in Canada so no animal plastics).

Say I can find someone to make me a closed chamber cage out of wood. What size am I looking at for them to build? I assume if it was made of wood, it would have to be sealed some way. Hopefully I can find some tutorials on this.

3. Care of hatchlings. I've read over and over again how delicate and hard to care for hatchlings are. Is this true? A hatchling Hermann's is $450 here and I've never seen a subadult or adult listed for sale. The most I've seen is an adult pair and they're for sale at $1400, which is way out of my price range. I'm very nervous about getting a tort because I don't want to fail in caring for it and lose out on so much money. Maybe that sounds horrible, but I don't have money to waste and this would be a huge investment for me.

Also with regards to care, how much daily maintenance is there? I had a bearded dragon baby before and I couldn't handle the care. She pooped so many times a day that I couldn't keep up and had a habit of ripping her food up in little pieces and dragging it all around her cage to decorate it. I had to deep clean her cage every day and I couldn't keep up with her with the hours I worked. That's not to say I don't have time. I have 3 snakes I currently care for and enjoy them greatly. I just found that she needed so much attention and I know that torts generally don't like being handled but you can still interact with them and I think that's great.

4. Food. I see everywhere that self-grown food is the best but I have literally no gardening skills so that isn't a possibility. I am a self-admitted plant killer. Foraging for weeds isn't an option either. Can a tort live healthily on organic grocery store products and Mazuri? We also have a local farmer's market every week. Would a tort be okay eating greens from those places?

5. Heat/UVB. Are MVB's the best? I see them recommended here a lot and the all in one aspect really appeals to me!

6. Substrate. I was thinking for a substrate I would try and find some top soil that I can mix with coconut coir and cypress mulch.

7. Ambient temps. My home is quite cool during the winter months. We have the heat on but generally the house sits from 68-72. I'm not sure how I would raise the ambient temps.

I think I've covered all my questions. I might end up with some more...

Thank you so much to whoever made it through this post. I want to have a thorough understanding of what I am getting into. As I said, this is a very big investment if I decide to go through with it.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA

grandlinegirl

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
43
It's been a while since I've read the care sheet that HermanniChris wrote, but I'm thinking your questions may have been answered on that care sheet. Chris is the go to guy when it comes to Hermanns tortoises, and his care sheet is the best. You'll find it pinned at the top of our Hermanns section, but here it is:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

I already have read through that one and some of the stuff I've posted about I'm confused from that care sheet. Thanks for reposting though. I'll probably read over it again.
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Hi and welcome. You have found the best place for up to date information on all things tort related and you are very wise to research before getting your tort rather than listening to pet store assistants who usually don't know much about tort care but will try to sell you all sorts of stuff that are unsuitable and even unsafe e.g. coil /loop/red bulbs, fancy dishes with steep sides (when shallow terracotta plant saucers will be better etc. ) Check here before spending your hard earned cash.
I have a leopard tort so can't really answer your questions about Hermanns but have you found the caresheet for them in the Species Specific section? That will answer some of your questions. The Beginners Mistakes is also good for what to avoid and the Enclosures thread has great ideas. Hope you get some answers from more experienced keepers soon.
 

Rutibegga

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2015
Messages
429
Location (City and/or State)
Philadelphia, PA
Hi and welcome! I'm a redfoot owner myself, so I can't be tremendously helpful as far as care of a Hermann's goes, but as far as enclosures go, bigger is better. Torts love roaming and exploring, so build the largest enclosure you can manage.
 

grandlinegirl

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
43
Which type of enclosure is best though? I just popped onto another forum specifically for Hermann's and read a thread about enclosures. The OP was pretty much put down for using a tank and through the thread it was mentioned that torts need airflow and a viv or closed chamber isn't any good for them. So, that brings me back to being confused!

Guess I have a lot more research to do!
 

keepergale

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2013
Messages
761
Location (City and/or State)
san diego
Bang for the buck you can hardly beat the large Christmas tree size plastic bins. This time of year you can find them at the big box stores. Home Depot/Lowes etc. With their top it is fairly easy to maintain heat and humidity. With your lights and CHE mounted inside just make sure of your thermostat setting.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hi guys. It was suggested that I join this site so I thought I would come check it out. I've been lurking for a few days and reading through the forums and care sheets. I wanted to post because there are some things I'm really unsure of and I'm getting different answers from different sites/care sheets.

First of all, I've researched the different types and I have decided on a Hermann's. They stay a small size and that's what I'm looking for. I understand that torts need room indoors and outdoors. I am planning to keep my tort indoors for the most part but in spring/summer when it's warm enough, I would definitely give them daily time outside in a safe enclosure.

So, herein lies my problem. I first started researching on different forums/sites and once I came here I realized that I've been bombarded with so much conflicting information. I'm hoping you guys can help me sort it out. I know you probably see posts like this all the time and for that, I'm sorry. I've tried looking through the different pages to find out the info I need but I am just getting even more confused. So here we go. I apologize in advance for how long this is!

1. Size of enclosure. The caresheet here for Hermann's says for 2-3 hatchlings an enclosure that's 2x3 will work. Will that be okay for just one hatchling or will that completely overwhelm them? And say I do get an enclosure that is 2x3. How long will that suit a Hermann's before I have to upgrade?

2. Type of enclosure. I've come across everything from tables, rabbit/guinea pig cages, rubbermaid bins, bookcases, tanks, vivs to closed chambers. I have also encountered different places that say every one of those things previous listed is no good. What's the truth? A rubbermaid bin appeals to me because I think it would be easiest to maintain parameters in it. I have snakes in plastic bins and it keeps their temps/humidity perfectly. But I want to be able to watch my tort and I can't do that if it's in a bin. I know they need something with solid walls so they can't see out, but I would still like to be able to see them easily. I like the idea of the rabbit/guinea pig cages but I feel like it would be possible to keep the humidity at 70% as is recommended.

Over everything else, a closed chamber appeals to me the most but I have absolutely no building skills. I'm familiar with the reptile market in my area and the closest I could get is a PVC enclosure, but the closest place that makes them is about 5 hours from me (I'm in Canada so no animal plastics).

Say I can find someone to make me a closed chamber cage out of wood. What size am I looking at for them to build? I assume if it was made of wood, it would have to be sealed some way. Hopefully I can find some tutorials on this.

3. Care of hatchlings. I've read over and over again how delicate and hard to care for hatchlings are. Is this true? A hatchling Hermann's is $450 here and I've never seen a subadult or adult listed for sale. The most I've seen is an adult pair and they're for sale at $1400, which is way out of my price range. I'm very nervous about getting a tort because I don't want to fail in caring for it and lose out on so much money. Maybe that sounds horrible, but I don't have money to waste and this would be a huge investment for me.

Also with regards to care, how much daily maintenance is there? I had a bearded dragon baby before and I couldn't handle the care. She pooped so many times a day that I couldn't keep up and had a habit of ripping her food up in little pieces and dragging it all around her cage to decorate it. I had to deep clean her cage every day and I couldn't keep up with her with the hours I worked. That's not to say I don't have time. I have 3 snakes I currently care for and enjoy them greatly. I just found that she needed so much attention and I know that torts generally don't like being handled but you can still interact with them and I think that's great.

4. Food. I see everywhere that self-grown food is the best but I have literally no gardening skills so that isn't a possibility. I am a self-admitted plant killer. Foraging for weeds isn't an option either. Can a tort live healthily on organic grocery store products and Mazuri? We also have a local farmer's market every week. Would a tort be okay eating greens from those places?

5. Heat/UVB. Are MVB's the best? I see them recommended here a lot and the all in one aspect really appeals to me!

6. Substrate. I was thinking for a substrate I would try and find some top soil that I can mix with coconut coir and cypress mulch.

7. Ambient temps. My home is quite cool during the winter months. We have the heat on but generally the house sits from 68-72. I'm not sure how I would raise the ambient temps.

I think I've covered all my questions. I might end up with some more...

Thank you so much to whoever made it through this post. I want to have a thorough understanding of what I am getting into. As I said, this is a very big investment if I decide to go through with it.

These are great questions and I'm sure lots of new people have the same ones. Here is a bit of explanation for all the conflicting info:
1. Different people have different levels of experience, and different experiences. This strongly influences their opinions.
2. Some people have not kept up with advancing tortoise knowledge. Some people started keeping tortoises decades ago and they still do things they way they did back then. This could be good or bad depending on many factors.
3. Different climates require different tactics.
4. Advice for babies should different than advice for adults in most cases. Sometimes this doesn't happen.

I'll hit your questions in order:
1a. 2 x 3', or 18" x 48" are both a good size for a single baby. I start hatchling sulcatas and leopards in 4x4' or 4x8' enclosure with no problems.
1b. Growth rates can vary tremendously. There is no way to predict how fast your baby will grow, so there is no way to predict how long the first enclosure will last you. Could be 6 months, could be three years.
2. Large plastic tubs can work. Open topped enclosures and low sided enclosures, make it very difficult to maintain humidity. Me and several other long term keepers here have been using glass tanks for decades with no problems. Seeing out has never been a problem for any of my tortoise babies and I've raised hundreds of them, of a variety of species, over almost three decades. If glass tanks were a problem, I wouldn't have certainly noticed by now.
3a. Hatchlings offer less of a margin of error. Do things right and babies are just as easy and hardy as adults. Get some element wrong, and you will have more time to notice it and fix it with an adult than you will with a baby.
3b. How a baby was started has a lot to do with this as well. Many breeders start babies too dry and don't soak them enough. These babies frequently die later on, sometimes months later, and the new keeper feels like it was their fault, even though they did everything right. Once they make to too a certain size, this becomes less of a factor. This is one reason why babies "seem" more delicate than adults.
3c. How much care? Not much. If you have light timers and thermostats, and the correct heating and lighting equipment, all you really need to do is soak the baby daily, and while the baby is soaking refresh the water and put out a big pile of food for the day.
4. Food. This can be discouraging for many people. Can they survive on grocery store foods. Honestly yes, but its not all that great for them. You could eat nothing but french fries and you would survive for years, but it wouldn't be good for you. Grocery store foods lack the fiber and nutrition that tortoises need. It may take some thought and effort, but you will be able to find other things to feed. and its not hard to scatter some seeds in your yard. Because you haven't discovered how you will accomplish this yet, doesn't mean you won't. We will help you with lots and lots of ideas to provide more than some grocery store greens for your tortoise.
5. MVBs are good. There are other workable ways to do it though. I prefer to use a low wattage flood bulb for some heat, and a long tube type HO florescent bulb for UV. Then, if you need night heat, I like a ceramic heating element set on a thermostat.
6. I would not use "soil" or "topsoil" for substrate. There is no way to know what its made of. I find cypress to be to coarse and jagged. Coco coir works best all alone for Testudo babies and I like orchid bark for them once they get to 3-4".
7. An over night low of 68-72 should be fine for a hermanni. You should not need night heat. It might be good to keep it closer to 75 for a brand new hatchling. You can raise the night temp AND the daytime ambient by hanging a CHE over the middle of the tank and setting it on a reptile thermostat.

Please ask for more info and clarification wherever you need it.
 

grandlinegirl

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
43
These are great questions and I'm sure lots of new people have the same ones. Here is a bit of explanation for all the conflicting info:
1. Different people have different levels of experience, and different experiences. This strongly influences their opinions.
2. Some people have not kept up with advancing tortoise knowledge. Some people started keeping tortoises decades ago and they still do things they way they did back then. This could be good or bad depending on many factors.
3. Different climates require different tactics.
4. Advice for babies should different than advice for adults in most cases. Sometimes this doesn't happen.

I'll hit your questions in order:
1a. 2 x 3', or 18" x 48" are both a good size for a single baby. I start hatchling sulcatas and leopards in 4x4' or 4x8' enclosure with no problems.
1b. Growth rates can vary tremendously. There is no way to predict how fast your baby will grow, so there is no way to predict how long the first enclosure will last you. Could be 6 months, could be three years.
2. Large plastic tubs can work. Open topped enclosures and low sided enclosures, make it very difficult to maintain humidity. Me and several other long term keepers here have been using glass tanks for decades with no problems. Seeing out has never been a problem for any of my tortoise babies and I've raised hundreds of them, of a variety of species, over almost three decades. If glass tanks were a problem, I wouldn't have certainly noticed by now.
3a. Hatchlings offer less of a margin of error. Do things right and babies are just as easy and hardy as adults. Get some element wrong, and you will have more time to notice it and fix it with an adult than you will with a baby.
3b. How a baby was started has a lot to do with this as well. Many breeders start babies too dry and don't soak them enough. These babies frequently die later on, sometimes months later, and the new keeper feels like it was their fault, even though they did everything right. Once they make to too a certain size, this becomes less of a factor. This is one reason why babies "seem" more delicate than adults.
3c. How much care? Not much. If you have light timers and thermostats, and the correct heating and lighting equipment, all you really need to do is soak the baby daily, and while the baby is soaking refresh the water and put out a big pile of food for the day.
4. Food. This can be discouraging for many people. Can they survive on grocery store foods. Honestly yes, but its not all that great for them. You could eat nothing but french fries and you would survive for years, but it wouldn't be good for you. Grocery store foods lack the fiber and nutrition that tortoises need. It may take some thought and effort, but you will be able to find other things to feed. and its not hard to scatter some seeds in your yard. Because you haven't discovered how you will accomplish this yet, doesn't mean you won't. We will help you with lots and lots of ideas to provide more than some grocery store greens for your tortoise.
5. MVBs are good. There are other workable ways to do it though. I prefer to use a low wattage flood bulb for some heat, and a long tube type HO florescent bulb for UV. Then, if you need night heat, I like a ceramic heating element set on a thermostat.
6. I would not use "soil" or "topsoil" for substrate. There is no way to know what its made of. I find cypress to be to coarse and jagged. Coco coir works best all alone for Testudo babies and I like orchid bark for them once they get to 3-4".
7. An over night low of 68-72 should be fine for a hermanni. You should not need night heat. It might be good to keep it closer to 75 for a brand new hatchling. You can raise the night temp AND the daytime ambient by hanging a CHE over the middle of the tank and setting it on a reptile thermostat.

Please ask for more info and clarification wherever you need it.

Thank you so much for the detailed reply! This helped me out a great deal! I really appreciate that you took the time to read through and help me out.

I am leaning towards a tank, I think. Do you block out the sides at all? Will a glass tank confuse a tort? I've heard of them walking constantly into the glass to try and move forward because they can see through it. Also, what sort of top do you use with a glass tank to keep the humidity in? I'm sure I can fashion some sort of wooden lid that would allow me to hang the lights inside.

I think food is going to be the hardest part for me. I don't think anyone would be happy if I dropped a bunch of weed seeds on the ground but I do have a garden box that I could plant in... I assume it can't be too hard to grow weeds? Don't they just... grow? Maybe I can manage that.

So, what would be the option for the rest of the year when that stuff doesn't grow? Where do people get their greens then? I live in Ontario, Canada and we can have snow from Sept/Oct straight through to May/June. This year for example, it didn't warm up at all until the beginning of June.
 

GRohr

Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2015
Messages
89
Food wont be hard. Some of the great things about what they eat is that they are weeds. I have 2 dish washing tubs from Walmart, took soil from my yard and got a great seed mix from tortoisesupply.com and carolinapetsupply.com (carolina pet supply take FOREVER to ship but i like some of their seed mixes). Sprinkled the seeds, water it every other day and in a week you will have sprouts, 2 or 3 weeks you will be cutting them. Just place the bins someplace well lit and they will grow like, well... like weeds haha. I don't know the best foods/weeds for a hermanns so others will have to help out with that.

The glass COULD be a problem. I have had baby box turtles that HATE the glass, then my red foots can care less. If it is a problem, get some tape and tape it 6 inches above the surface so they wont try crawling out.

Humidity is important, I have done multiple ways to keep in humidity and I bet others have done 20 or 30 other ways. Plexiglas top, plastic sheeting, humidifiers..... I would try plastic sheeting with a glass tank but you will have to be careful to keep it away from the hot lights so it doesn't melt because trust me, that smells like crap. Place two wood sticks as posts and then drape the sheeting on the posts above the lights. Then just keep the substrate moist and you will have the humidity you need.

If you do go with a hermanns, get it from someone like @HermanniChris. He will help you through everything and he gives the hatchlings the best possible start possible. He is fantastic and you won't find a soul here that disagrees with that.

Good luck and I am sure you will do great!
 

grandlinegirl

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
43
Food wont be hard. Some of the great things about what they eat is that they are weeds. I have 2 dish washing tubs from Walmart, took soil from my yard and got a great seed mix from tortoisesupply.com and carolinapetsupply.com (carolina pet supply take FOREVER to ship but i like some of their seed mixes). Sprinkled the seeds, water it every other day and in a week you will have sprouts, 2 or 3 weeks you will be cutting them. Just place the bins someplace well lit and they will grow like, well... like weeds haha. I don't know the best foods/weeds for a hermanns so others will have to help out with that.

The glass COULD be a problem. I have had baby box turtles that HATE the glass, then my red foots can care less. If it is a problem, get some tape and tape it 6 inches above the surface so they wont try crawling out.

Humidity is important, I have done multiple ways to keep in humidity and I bet others have done 20 or 30 other ways. Plexiglas top, plastic sheeting, humidifiers..... I would try plastic sheeting with a glass tank but you will have to be careful to keep it away from the hot lights so it doesn't melt because trust me, that smells like crap. Place two wood sticks as posts and then drape the sheeting on the posts above the lights. Then just keep the substrate moist and you will have the humidity you need.

If you do go with a hermanns, get it from someone like @HermanniChris. He will help you through everything and he gives the hatchlings the best possible start possible. He is fantastic and you won't find a soul here that disagrees with that.

Good luck and I am sure you will do great!

Problem is that I think most of you guys are in the States. I probably can't order from those two sites but it'll give me an idea of what I need and then I can try and find somewhere here to get them from! I did find a breeder in my province and their torts look pretty good but of course I haven't seen them in person. They're still hours from me.

I'm not so worried about food anymore. I have hope I can grow some weeds!

I'm actually considering having someone build me an enclosure sort of like this... but with a solid top and front opening doors. I think it would be okay as long as I added some sort of vent to keep up air flow and made sure the tort can't see out?

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/building-an-enclosure-for-a-baby-redfoot.124422/
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Thank you so much for the detailed reply! This helped me out a great deal! I really appreciate that you took the time to read through and help me out.

I am leaning towards a tank, I think. Do you block out the sides at all? Will a glass tank confuse a tort? I've heard of them walking constantly into the glass to try and move forward because they can see through it. Also, what sort of top do you use with a glass tank to keep the humidity in? I'm sure I can fashion some sort of wooden lid that would allow me to hang the lights inside.

I think food is going to be the hardest part for me. I don't think anyone would be happy if I dropped a bunch of weed seeds on the ground but I do have a garden box that I could plant in... I assume it can't be too hard to grow weeds? Don't they just... grow? Maybe I can manage that.

So, what would be the option for the rest of the year when that stuff doesn't grow? Where do people get their greens then? I live in Ontario, Canada and we can have snow from Sept/Oct straight through to May/June. This year for example, it didn't warm up at all until the beginning of June.

I don't put up any visual blockers and not a single one of the hundreds of tortoises I raised this way was ever confused, and none of them tried to walk through the glass.

I've used wood, glass and plexiglass to close up the tops of tanks in the past. Now I don't bother and I just use closed chambers.

@Odin's Gma just recently posted a whole bunch of info on growing food for tortoises on another thread. I bet she will link it here for you. I have one group of foods in winter here and another in summer. I'm never without the right foods since we don't get all that cold here.
 

GRohr

Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2015
Messages
89
I don't put up any visual blockers and not a single one of the hundreds of tortoises I raised this way was ever confused, and none of them tried to walk through the glass.

I've used wood, glass and plexiglass to close up the tops of tanks in the past. Now I don't bother and I just use closed chambers.

@Odin's Gma just recently posted a whole bunch of info on growing food for tortoises on another thread. I bet she will link it here for you. I have one group of foods in winter here and another in summer. I'm never without the right foods since we don't get all that cold here.

You must have some dirty glass there Tom or I have a lot of mentally challenged box turtles ;)
 

GRohr

Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2015
Messages
89
Problem is that I think most of you guys are in the States. I probably can't order from those two sites but it'll give me an idea of what I need and then I can try and find somewhere here to get them from! I did find a breeder in my province and their torts look pretty good but of course I haven't seen them in person. They're still hours from me.

I'm not so worried about food anymore. I have hope I can grow some weeds!

I'm actually considering having someone build me an enclosure sort of like this... but with a solid top and front opening doors. I think it would be okay as long as I added some sort of vent to keep up air flow and made sure the tort can't see out?

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/building-an-enclosure-for-a-baby-redfoot.124422/

Building one is the best course and you will get a MUCH bigger enclosure for pretty close the same amount of money as a glass tank. Don't worry about ventilation. Make a small vent and then when you open up the enclosure to replace the water and food daily, you will get lots of fresh air.

If you have it made, make it large enough to keep him till he is full grown (do it once and do it right)
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
You must have some dirty glass there Tom or I have a lot of mentally challenged box turtles ;)
My first box turtle lived in little 20 gallon long glass tank for 10 years. He never tried to walk through the walls. My last box turtle was in a large 3x5' tub tall opaque sides. He did't try to walk through the walls either. :)
 

teresaf

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2015
Messages
2,023
Location (City and/or State)
Port Charlotte, Florida
Which type of enclosure is best though? I just popped onto another forum specifically for Hermann's and read a thread about enclosures. The OP was pretty much put down for using a tank and through the thread it was mentioned that torts need airflow and a viv or closed chamber isn't any good for them. So, that brings me back to being confused!

Guess I have a lot more research to do!
using the Closed chamber techniques here on this forum for babies my Burmese mountain tortoises are thriving. if you keep your temperatures around the clock above 78-80 and humidity is up your babies will grow healthy and not get respiratory infections. I don't have Hermans but most if not all babies have to be kept above a certain temperature when the humidity is kept high in order to keep them healthy. its when the temperatures get low in conjunction to high humidity that they get respiratory infections and die. When humidity is high lower temperatures seem colder.

the air flow theory is not something that is followed here. consider the fact that every time you open them up to feed/soak them the air is exchanged. That's all that is necessary.
 
Last edited:

teresaf

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2015
Messages
2,023
Location (City and/or State)
Port Charlotte, Florida
You must have some dirty glass there Tom or I have a lot of mentally challenged box turtles ;)
mine don't walk into the glass but I think they're intimidated by the tortoise in the glass therefore they don't walk around as much as they should. I'm trying to dirty up the glass around the bottom and bring the dirt up onto the glass around the edges so they don't see the reflection but it looks like I'm going to have to put up some sort of site barrier inside the tank on the glass itself.
 

GRohr

Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2015
Messages
89
mine don't walk into the class but I think theyre intimidated by the tortoise in the glass therefore they don't walk around as much as they should. I'm trying to dirty up the glass around the bottom and bring the dirt up onto the glass around the edges so they don't see the reflection but it looks like I'm going to have to put up some sort of site barrier inside the tank on the glass itself.

Yeah, I have never had glass with my Indian stars so of course they are out of the equation but my RFs will look out of them but never try getting through it. My hatchling box turtles never stop trying to get through them the first month but then they do learn their boundries and I can take the tape down and fully enjoy watching them. I have never had a hermanns so i am not sure how they would react to glass.
 

teresaf

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2015
Messages
2,023
Location (City and/or State)
Port Charlotte, Florida
Thank you so much for the detailed reply! This helped me out a great deal! I really appreciate that you took the time to read through and help me out.

I am leaning towards a tank, I think. Do you block out the sides at all? Will a glass tank confuse a tort? I've heard of them walking constantly into the glass to try and move forward because they can see through it. Also, what sort of top do you use with a glass tank to keep the humidity in? I'm sure I can fashion some sort of wooden lid that would allow me to hang the lights inside.

I think food is going to be the hardest part for me. I don't think anyone would be happy if I dropped a bunch of weed seeds on the ground but I do have a garden box that I could plant in... I assume it can't be too hard to grow weeds? Don't they just... grow? Maybe I can manage that.

So, what would be the option for the rest of the year when that stuff doesn't grow? Where do people get their greens then? I live in Ontario, Canada and we can have snow from Sept/Oct straight through to May/June. This year for example, it didn't warm up at all until the beginning of June.
I'm in Ohio. I have the same problem. mine get a lot of Store bought spring mix And cactus Bought online Right now. I don't really have a green thumb and I'm pretty new at the tortoise thing so I don't have a set up yet for long term planting but I imagine it's like anything else and you get the hang of it after a while. I did grow some lettuces and kale this year and the kale was really easy to grow and is still alive . ...
 

grandlinegirl

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
43
I'm in Ohio. I have the same problem. mine get a lot of Store bought spring mix And cactus Bought online Right now. I don't really have a green thumb and I'm pretty new at the tortoise thing so I don't have a set up yet for long term planting but I imagine it's like anything else and you get the hang of it after a while. I did grow some lettuces and kale this year and the kale was really easy to grow and is still alive . ...

Another person without a green thumb! I think I can grow weeds. I hope I can. When I get home from work I'm going to see if there are any Canadian sites I can buy some seeds off of. I was thinking about trying to grow some in a pot, too, that I can keep indoors during the winter but my problem is that one of my cats is a huge plant eater. Doesn't matter what it is, he'll try and eat it. He has even munched on artificial plants =\ I'm sure I'll get the hang of it, though! This forum seems really helpful so I'm hopeful.
 

New Posts

Top