I’m new to this, help please

[VeryTinyTortoise]

Today I bought a beautiful baby Herman tortoise and I want to be as prepared as possible so here I am hi, so for one he doesn’t have a name, he is around one so not too sure if he is a he and not a she but whatever. Please leave name suggestions?? Also diet, I have some kale and other salad-y foods but I’m not 100% sure what he can’t eat, so some help with that and finally I know tortoises aren’t exactly very loving and excitable pets but do you think that he will warm up to me?

Thanks if anyone decides to respond

 

[Jacqui]

Hi! Welcome! I would suggest you also share how you have him set up, as that is so important to get right.

You say he is a year old, based on what? How big is he?

Have you checked the section on them, along with other sections and threads to give you some basics? For instance occasional kale is ok, but not as a main part of the diet.

 

[VeryTinyTortoise]

I did buy him from a pet shop and that’s the age they told me he was, i’ll post some pictures in a minuet. Also thanks for the advice I’ll look it up, what would you suggest he should eat??

 

[VeryTinyTortoise]

This is his tortoise table, his light set up and him x

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings.

Take a read here for info - https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

You will want to check out (and change) your lighting set up. It’s really best to have separate lighting and heating arrangements, and best to have them hanging straight down from over top.

Happy Torting

 

[daniellenc]

You'll need to ditch the red light and just get a CHE instead. It's a ceramic heat emitter and they're relatively inexpensive. https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

The above thread will help with basic care questions including food.

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome to another Brit.

Unfortunately pet shops aren’t known for great advice when it comes to tortoises. It would be fair to say they usually have no expertise whatsoever.

You have come to the right place however as we have plenty of real expertise between us

I recommend you read the TFO care guides and compare them with your setup.

They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Baby Testudo Tortoise Care (written about Russians, but applies to Hermann’s too)
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

I will post separately about what your tort needs as you have clearly been given inaccurate advice. We’ll help you get it sorted

 

[JoesMum]

Babies like yours need to be raised in a warm humid environment 24/7. I am going to write my advice in list format, sorry if it seems a bit lengthy.

1. An open table such as you have is not suitable for a baby. You need a cover over the enclosure to hold in the warmth and humidity needed for a baby to be healthy. This can be in a vivarium with a very large floor area or some people use a plant tent like this

2. The substrate should be 3-4"/ 7-10cam deep. Mix the the substrate with water and stir with your hands until all of it is evenly damp right to the bottom and into the corners. This helps to raise humidity, but only in conjunction with a closed chamber.

3. Getting the temperatures right is essential. Your baby needs temperature no lower than 26C day and night. Without external heat, your tortoise cannot digest food, eat or be active. The covered enclosure helps to keep the heat in, but you will also need a Ceramic Heat Emitter and a thermosat running 24/7 to maintain this. Use a ceramic lamp holder for the CHE as the heater will melt a plastic one.


4. Your tortoise must be able to bask at 35-37C directly under the basking lamp. The basking lamp needs to hang vertically directly over the substrate, not point inthrough the side. Adjust temperature by raising or lowering it.That dial thermometer is at best inaccurate; use a Temperature Gun Thermometer to measure accurately and adjust the temperature under the lamp by raising or lowering it. The basking lamp must be on for 14 hours a day with complete darkness at night; use a timer to make life easy for yourself.

Red bulbs are not suitable for a basking tortoise day or night. The basking bulb should be a plain white light reflector bulb.

5. I assume your other bulb is a compact UVB (one that looks like a low energy light bulb) These cause problems with tortoise eyes and should not be used. Use a long fluorescent tube UVB lamp. The life span of these bulbs is years rather than the months of an MVB so they're good value. The UVB also needs to be on for 14 hours a day.

6. The reptile bowl you are using isn't suitable for tortoises. The sides are too steep and are a tipping hazard and they are hard for torts to use. A piece of flat rock or slate, or even the back (rough side) of a ceramic wall tile makes a great food plate which helps to keep the torts beak in shape by abrasion as it eats. A terracotta plant saucer sunk into the substrate is a great water dish.

7. Diet is a variety of weedy and leafy greens. Your tort cannot digest sugars properly, they cause digestive and kidney problems, so sweet foods like fruit, tomato, red pepper and carrot should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally if at all.

Write a list of the greens that grow around you and those that you can buy and look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database for suitability to feed. It's a fabulous online search facility that tells you why something is suitable or not
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Few of us manage in the winter months when weeds are scarce without supplementing with a pelleted tortoise food softened in tap water. I used Komodo.

Your tortoise will also benefit from a calcium supplement. A cuttlebone can be left in the enclosure for your tort to chomp on when it wants which also helps with beak maintenance. You will find them in the bird aisle of the pet store. You could also use calcium powder; a tiny pinch sprinkled on food three days a week is sufficient as you can overdo it - sprinkle it sparsley as your tort will refuse to eat if it detects it!

8. Please read and reread the TFO care guides I linked to before.

 

[Yvonne G]

Try to figure out a way to hang the lights over the enclosure instead of using the clamp feature. You get a much better heat distribution from a hanging light.

 

[Pastel Tortie]

Hello from Florida, and welcome to the Forum!

 

[Ray--Opo]

Today I bought a beautiful baby Herman tortoise and I want to be as prepared as possible so here I am hi, so for one he doesn’t have a name, he is around ne so not too sure if he is a he and not a she but whatever. Please leave name suggestions?? Also diet, I have some kale and other salad-y foods but I’m not 100% sure what he can’t eat, so some help with that and finally I know tortoises aren’t exactly very loving and excitable pets but do you think that he will warm up to me?

Thanks if anyone decides to respond

Your tort will warm up to you when he/she realizes your the food genie LOL

 

[Ray--Opo]

Also hello and welcome you have come to the right forum.

 

[VeryTinyTortoise]

Your tort will warm up to you when he/she realizes your the food genie LOL

Hahah thankyou this made me feel better

 

[GemBobs]

View attachment 260830 My gorgeous new baby Herman is in need of a name, pls help me! imma have this lil dude for the next 50+ years he neeeeeds a good name x

Gorgeous, is this a little girl or boy?

 

[VeryTinyTortoise]

Gorgeous, is this a little girl or boy?

I’m not sure as he (I’m assuming) is only a couple months old

 

[JoesMum]

When you choose a name, keep in mind that you won't know your tort's gender for a few years Our tort was named Joe because is could easily be Jo.

There are a few misnamed on here: Layla is a male leopard tortoise, Jacques is female mud turtle... the names had stuck by the time their gender was revealed

 

[GemBobs]

I don't know if this helps, I like to watch them for a week or two as sometimes their personalities come through and can inspire a great name for them.

 

[VeryTinyTortoise]

When you choose a name, keep in mind that you won't know your tort's gender for a few years Our tort was named Joe because is could easily be Jo.

There are a few misnamed on here: Layla is a male leopard tortoise, Jacques is female mud turtle... the names had stuck by the time their gender was revealed

Awww that’s adorable, to be honest I don’t mind if his name is mismatched to his gender, I kinda like silly names as well

 

[EllieMay]

He is gorgeous! Congratulations [emoji324]

 

[VeryTinyTortoise]

He is gorgeous! Congratulations [emoji324]

Thankyou!!