Hello im new to this website as ive only had my hermanns for a couple of months! She is amazing and i love her to bits! I been looking high and low for information but its hard as you get told soo many different things! first off diet, i was told by the pet shop and a few books that lettice and cucumber is bad to feed as its too watery but few articles say its fine. i also struggle to get her to eat and she has now picked up the habbit of only eating when i hand feed her or put her by her bowl as a result she has started biting thinking i have food in my hand. she will also only poo out side of her home (she lives indoors in a viv) so when i getb her out for a run around i have to keep her on a massive blanket so im not cleaning poo off the carpet all the time but i dont like it as i feel she should be running freely. i want her to live a good, long healthy life and im worried that the information ive been following isnt right HELP ME PLEASE!
I need correct information please
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Hi "Bella":
I'll let our members who know more about the Hermann's tortoises help with your question. I just wanted to say...
Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!
May we know your name and where you are?
I'll let our members who know more about the Hermann's tortoises help with your question. I just wanted to say...
Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!
May we know your name and where you are?
Welcome to the forum 
We LOVE PICS
Lettuce (iceburg) has nearly zero nutrition along with cucumber, plus tortoise have a habit of thinking these two are ultra yummy and will go for these instead of better items.
Romaine and Red Leaf lettuce have a some good nutritional value, IF, fed as part of a balanced diet.
In my opinion, and it kinda sounds like you think so too, running freely in the house/apartment--your habitat is not so desirable...as there are lots of things that can draw your tortoise interest and right into harms way....
Tortoise can be part of the stubborn clan...BIG TIME So sometimes we are the ones that have to delegate the okay and safe things, whether they like it or not. Going to the potty in their habitat, they will go eventually and then will be eventually aok with it....although exercise is a necessary thing so the thought of trucking around is what your tortoise may actually be holding out for and exercise will bring on the natural bodily function of poo/urination...
I don't know where you live nor the weather, but if you can give your tortoise some sun/exercise time I bet he would be quite grateful
These are simply my opinions and the others will pop in and give you some more experienced opinions with this species...
We LOVE PICS Lettuce (iceburg) has nearly zero nutrition along with cucumber, plus tortoise have a habit of thinking these two are ultra yummy and will go for these instead of better items.
Romaine and Red Leaf lettuce have a some good nutritional value, IF, fed as part of a balanced diet.
In my opinion, and it kinda sounds like you think so too, running freely in the house/apartment--your habitat
is not so desirable...as there are lots of things that can draw your tortoise interest and right into harms way....Tortoise can be part of the stubborn clan...BIG TIME
So sometimes we are the ones that have to delegate the okay and safe things, whether they like it or not. Going to the potty in their habitat, they will go eventually and then will be eventually aok with it....although exercise is a necessary thing so the thought of trucking around is what your tortoise may actually be holding out for and exercise will bring on the natural bodily function of poo/urination...I don't know where you live nor the weather, but if you can give your tortoise some sun/exercise time I bet he would be quite grateful
These are simply my opinions and the others will pop in and give you some more experienced opinions with this species...
Welcome to the forum yep we love pic's
yep we love pic's 
Welcome to the forum and we all love pics.
Hello and welcome bella.
Lettuce and cucumber is fine for them, but it just doesn't have much nutritional value. If they fill up on that stuff, they will not have room for the better stuff that they should be eating. A little bit mixed in once in a while will do no harm. I fed some to my adults today.
For the pooping, I like to soak all of my torts daily. They all poop in their soaking water and I rarely have to clean any out of their enclosures. Just use a tub of warm shallow water and freshen it as needed. I like to go 10-20 minutes, but its not critical. If she frantically tries to climb up the sides, that is good exercise and will serve the same purpose as walking on the carpet, but be much safer. In a short time they all get used to the soaks and start to enjoy them. It is not necessary to soak an adult tortoise every day, but it doesn't hurt either.
About her lack of appetite: We need to know more about your enclosure and your temps. What are your four temps? Cool side, warm side, basking spot and night. Also, are you using any sort of UV? Is it the coil type compact florescent? As we descend into fall and winter the Testudo species tend to want to hibernate. You might need to lengthen your light cycle and warm things up a bit to convince your tort that it does NOT want to hibernate... unless of course you want to hibernate her.
Lettuce and cucumber is fine for them, but it just doesn't have much nutritional value. If they fill up on that stuff, they will not have room for the better stuff that they should be eating. A little bit mixed in once in a while will do no harm. I fed some to my adults today.
For the pooping, I like to soak all of my torts daily. They all poop in their soaking water and I rarely have to clean any out of their enclosures. Just use a tub of warm shallow water and freshen it as needed. I like to go 10-20 minutes, but its not critical. If she frantically tries to climb up the sides, that is good exercise and will serve the same purpose as walking on the carpet, but be much safer. In a short time they all get used to the soaks and start to enjoy them. It is not necessary to soak an adult tortoise every day, but it doesn't hurt either.
About her lack of appetite: We need to know more about your enclosure and your temps. What are your four temps? Cool side, warm side, basking spot and night. Also, are you using any sort of UV? Is it the coil type compact florescent? As we descend into fall and winter the Testudo species tend to want to hibernate. You might need to lengthen your light cycle and warm things up a bit to convince your tort that it does NOT want to hibernate... unless of course you want to hibernate her.
no running around.. its not safe..
they need thier own place to be safe and feel secure.
Tell us more about your set up.. maybe we can help make it better and you wont feel so bad keeping her in it..
they need thier own place to be safe and feel secure.
Tell us more about your set up.. maybe we can help make it better and you wont feel so bad keeping her in it..
Welcome to the forum.
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
It sounds to me like you live in the UK? Is that correct? Tom suggested soaking her so she poops in the water and I agree with him. Soak her every other day. It's not good for her to run around your floor. Do you have a spot outside where she can run? Grass or weeds? You can sit next to her on the grass and let her run around. Feed her weeds and dark leafy greens. Romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, collards, endive
I will give you a link to a Russian care sheet but you can feed her that diet. What temps are you keeping her? What kind of a UVB light do you have for her. What kind of substrate do you have her on? Please answer those questions so we can help you...Here's the link...
http://www.russiantortoise.org/
I will give you a link to a Russian care sheet but you can feed her that diet. What temps are you keeping her? What kind of a UVB light do you have for her. What kind of substrate do you have her on? Please answer those questions so we can help you...Here's the link...
http://www.russiantortoise.org/
Hello Bella! Congrats on your new tortoise. One of the hardest things I think with tortoise care, is how much conflicting information you will find. A large part of the problem lies in what works for ABZX and her tortoise will not work at all for XZBA and his animal. Where you live along with your tortoise will fine tune a lot of the choices for you. Just keep reading what folks have to say, start trying them out for yourself and then toss out the things that either made no sense to you and/or did not work for you and your tortoise in your situation. Sorry there is no black and white fool proof way to raise these unique and wonderful animals. Glad your here learning with all the rest of us. 
Hi Bella,
I'm going on the assumption that ur Herman is a baby, like mine and so is only a few months. What works well for Orwell (my tort), is that first thing in the morning I let him relax in warm water in a shallow dish. This helps hydrate him and like other member's torts, he tends to do his poops in the bowl.
I'm sure you've been given a good list of foods for him to eat, there are loads if you brows on this forum. Watch him with the romaine, I've just had the biggest battle with Orwell to get him to eat ANYTHING else!
Good luck and keep us posted
I'm going on the assumption that ur Herman is a baby, like mine and so is only a few months. What works well for Orwell (my tort), is that first thing in the morning I let him relax in warm water in a shallow dish. This helps hydrate him and like other member's torts, he tends to do his poops in the bowl.
I'm sure you've been given a good list of foods for him to eat, there are loads if you brows on this forum. Watch him with the romaine, I've just had the biggest battle with Orwell to get him to eat ANYTHING else!
Good luck and keep us posted
Welcome.
Welcome!
welcome to TFO,
As most saybthe him often and a well balanced diet, Cucumber has an ingridient in it that inhibits calcium absorbtion, so its not a good idea, Iceburg is also a no no. if you want to give lettuce in a varied diet make sure it is Romaine.
They can also eat hibiscus flowers and leaves, rose petals, dandelions, If you go to the diet section, you will find plenty of info.
As most saybthe him often and a well balanced diet, Cucumber has an ingridient in it that inhibits calcium absorbtion, so its not a good idea, Iceburg is also a no no. if you want to give lettuce in a varied diet make sure it is Romaine.
They can also eat hibiscus flowers and leaves, rose petals, dandelions, If you go to the diet section, you will find plenty of info.
thanks guys this has been very helpful! i have been bathing her alot more often wwhich helps her poo, i have completly changed her diet and she has become sooo active. i live in the uk and its always freezing and raining soo on the days its nice i have been giving her a run around outside in the grass alot more!! i do still let her run around in my house but i always watch her and she has started too go to the toilett in her little home now! yeah she is only a baby about 7 months old. she has me laughing alot now as im noticing funny little things she is starting to do like she puts her head in the water and blow bubbles threw there nose or stick there legs out like superman when under the lamp and nose dives off her house lol
Sounds like things are going better!
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