hiya new here :)

[Susie1986]

i just wrote a long message and it got deleated grrrrr.

anyways, hiya, im new here, iv just got a 5+ year old hermanns female, she hasnt got a name yet. i bought a baby hermanns last month and tragicaly she died and i feel so guilty my 2 year old got hold of her and put her in a bowl of cold water and she breathed some in and this led to her death i feel absolutely terrible about it
so i have decided to join this forum so i can learn as much as i can about looking after my new tortoise so that she has the best life possible. rule number one is 2 year olds DO NOT touch the tortoise EVER!
hope to meet other tortoise owners and learn as much as i can and have a happy healthy tortoise
Susie
xx

 

[Crazy1]

Hi Susie welcome to the forum.

 

[purpod]

Greetings Susie ~
And Welcome to TFO! There are several very bright Hermmie owners here and I'm sure you'll be able to pick their brains well about how to care for your new tortie... You certainly came to the right place!

I'd imagine that after several times of just watching your new family member, you will come up with a name that is fitting and fun

Blessings to you & your family,
Purpod

 

[Susie1986]

thankyou very much for the welcome

 

[Isa]

Welcome to the forum Susie
I have a Hermann, his name is Hermy and I love him, he is so cute he has a beautiful personality.
Here is a really good caresheet.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-1000.html

 

[egyptiandan]

Welcome to the forum Susie

Danny

 

[tortoisenerd]

Hi there! Welcome to the forum. What a lovely tort. Needs a name though. Any ideas so far?

 

[Susie1986]

hiya well i was thinking of calling her buttercup but it doesnt seem to go right if that makes sense? so im still stuck....xx

 

[tortoisenerd]

I wouldn't think of Buttercup as a tort name but anything could go really. I looked at baby name websites. I knew I wanted something that started with a 'T' for tortoise...thought that would be cool. At lease you know you have a female though! Mine was temp sexed male but we won't know for a couple years. Think of the shock of a little girl being called Trevor for a few years...hope that doesn't happen. You can always wait a while and observe the tort and see if anything behavior wise pops into your head. Best of luck!

 

[Susie1986]

i was going to call my tortoise Trevor but decided i wanted a girly name lol. im not thinking Tilly but im still not sure, going to go on like tthis for a while i think, likeing a name and then waiting to see if it sticks or not lol
x

 

[tortoisenerd]

You can always go the name route, but have a ton of nicknames! lol Trevor must be called at least 6 different names depending on our moods (his and mine both).

 

[Gulf Coast]

Welcome to the forums.

 

[Susie1986]

right, she is now officcaly TILLY!! she has been really cute today, i gave her a bath and she seemed to enjoy it i took more photos so might upload some later xxx

 

[tortoisenerd]

Yay we have a name! Tilly is nice. That would have been a contender if I got a girl tort. We love pictures!

 

[Stazz]

Welcome Susie and Tilly !!!! She is so cute

 

[Susie1986]

most of the pictures i took didnt turn out very good due to rubbish camera phone but heres one that i like i think Tilly has a really weird looking face, sort of old and grumpy looking lol xx

 

[tortoisenerd]

Cute!

I suggest to feed on a hard surface to hopefully trim what looks to me like a long beak.

Tilly looks to have some personality in that pic!

 

[Susie1986]

Cute!

I suggest to feed on a hard surface to hopefully trim what looks to me like a long beak.

Tilly looks to have some personality in that pic!

yea she does have a long beak, the bloke i got her from said it was normal? :S will it trim down to normal or cause her any harm? she definately has personality, shes like a little old lady bless her. shes been sleeping alot for the last few days though :S she wake up to eat has a small wander then sleeps again, is that normal? im thinking it might just be her personality wich im starting to elarn now but i dont want it to be a sign that shes unwell and me miss it :S thankyou for all the advice and comments i would be compleatly lost without this forum
Susie
XX

 

[tortoisenerd]

It is not bad yet, that is why I say to try the hard surface. They can be dremmeled down by a professional/vet, but I would not recommend that except if it got very bad because of the trauma. Yes it is normal for beaks to grow, but no you do not want them to be out of hand. In the wild they wear down easier than in captivity.

Yes torts are grazers and nappers...mine sleeps/rests probably 18 hours a day but he's also a baby. In the wild they graze most of the day when they are not hiding from predators. Sometimes they need to travel great distances to find food. They can also go without food for a very very long time, not that's it good for them, but it happens in the wild. Read up more about torts in the wild and it will amaze you!

They also need to bask to warm up to even be able to digest (in the 80s I think?), so you may also see Tilly eat, bask, eat, etc. Some do tend to be a little more inactive than others. It does vary. Sometimes inactivity can be signs of things such as temperatures too low, etc, but as long as she is eating and at least active a little every day I would not worry at all. Stopping eating and only sleeping would be bad. Or, if your torts activity level changes one way or the other. Over time you will realize what is "normal" for her so you can spot problems.

I too love this forum. Trevor is happy and healthy! I'm having a blast too. I mentioned this place at work the other day and I got a strange look like: "is that tort the only thing you spend your time on?" lol

Best wishes.