Need some help and support

[Sheldonesrey]

Hi all,

I bought my hermann tortoise (Sheldon) in Oct 2024, he is 18 months old, I bought him a fairly big habitat with two sections (one fully wooden - his sleeping area) and the other area windowed (I have put reflective film on it to prevent him from seeing out as I was advised it can stress him to see outside his habitat) this is his basking/eating area I have a moss hut and a basking climbing frame with a bowl of water and a slate to eat from inside this area. The UV light is on for around 12 hours a day and the temp in the main basking area is around 32•c.

The issues I’m facing are
He doesn’t seem to eat a lot - I have tried everything from lettuce; dried food/ dried food soaked/ kale, strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, Komodo dried food pellets but he isn’t interested . Kale I’ve would eat but now he has stopped eating that allowing it to just dry out
He will eat strawberries but I know you can’t just give him them everyday, everything else he just ignores I have no idea what to do next?

The other issue is when he isn’t basking or hiding he is walking around the habitat stretching at the wood or plastic windows for hours he seems distressed but I don’t know why he would be.

His terrain is currently coconut soil in his basking area and swell premium soft chips in his bedding area

Where am I going wrong? I have attached pics of his habitat

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello and welcome!

I would start with adjusting basking area temperature. 32C is a bit too cold, 35-36C is what you need to aim for. As you have "all in one" UVB+heat bulb you can't just lower it to increase temperature. Perhaps, the best thing to do is to replace this bulb with an incandescent (non halogen) floodlight like Arcadia Solar Basking Floodlight or ProRep Flood Spot and add a separate UVB source (T5HO lamp - Arcadia ProT5 or Reptile Systems T5 Kit). Such setup will be cheaper to run in the long-term as well.

The second thing to address is the enclosure itself: contrary to what pet shops say, 3x2 ft is not a spacious enclosure for tortoises and having a large part sectioned as a "sleeping quarters" doesn't make things better. As an easy "band aid" you can remove the lid over sleeping area. The second thing to do is to put a cover over the whole enclosure (with all lights inside): this helps with maintaining temperatures and humidity. A portable greenhouse top is an affordable way to do that. I know, that vivariums are an unpopular choice for tortoises in UK, but they work much better for tortoise hatchling than open top enclosures. Standard 120-gallon (4x2x2 ft) vivarium is a good starter size and will last a few years.

Details on heating and lightning and all other care topics can be found in this post (and linked posts):

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[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I would start with adjusting basking area temperature. 32C is a bit too cold, 35-36C is what you need to aim for. As you have "all in one" UVB+heat bulb you can't just lower it to increase temperature. Perhaps, the best thing to do is to replace this bulb with an incandescent (non halogen) floodlight like Arcadia Solar Basking Floodlight or ProRep Flood Spot and add a separate UVB source (T5HO lamp - Arcadia ProT5 or Reptile Systems T5 Kit). Such setup will be cheaper to run in the long-term as well.

I agree with Alex, locomotion and heat are important for tortoise digestion.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello! I’m sorry to say you have been sold the very common wrong starter set up, stores really do take advantage of people. But fear not! There’s ways to tweak this to make it more appropriate for a baby until you figure out an upgrade.

As mentioned above temperature does need tweaking, but this needs to be with the correct bulbs, all in one uvb and heat bulbs can pose risks and aren’t the most efficient choice.

With the uv timing, every other source of information will tell you 12hours of uv. This is essentially an old fashioned rule that has stuck with a lot of keepers, it stems from the presumption that once the basking light or ambient lighting is on, ie the ‘sun’, that uv must coexist the same amount of hours. Fact is, uv rays only peak for a few hours a day, anyone with a uv meter will confirm this. No tortoise is blasted with 12 hours of uv in the wild, therefore it’s not necessary in captivity.
The right uv bulbs are much more expensive to replace once their uv strength diminishes, so it’s definitely best having it on a 4 hour timer that provides them with all the uv they need, saving your bulb life.
Then some cheaper led lighting for your ambient 12 hour light cycle as well as the basking light on the same 12hrs, your ceramics(if needed) will run 24/7 on a thermostat, this will all make more sense once you read through the links

Diet wise please don’t feed any fruits, this isn’t a fruit eating species, it can really mess with their gut flora, I know it’s tempting when he won’t eat, but you’re running the risk of creating a very picky eater too, if you want you could try squeezing a bit of strawberry juice onto his greens.

I think you’ll find this useful to go over, I’m from the uk too so you might find some of my product suggestions easier, this thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

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This includes different closed chamber options, some do tend to work better than others, vivs that have been sealed well are a good choice for babies

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

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This could potentially work as a temporary solution for yours!


Lastly, this one here is probably most important to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs(explains more about the all in ones), substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

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Really hope they help! Sorry it probably all feels a lot to go over and a little overwhelming, but fear not, we’re happy to answer any further questions/break down information where needed, we can help step by step! Welcome to the forum, so glad you’ve made your way here!