NEW Hermann tortoise owner- Meet OtisOtis

[LucyandOtis]

Hi guys,
I've just become an owner of a one year old Hermann and thought it would be a great idea to join a forum!

Just to wanted to confirm what I'm feeding is ok!

I give him three dandelion leaves, a thumb sized portion of prickly pear cactus, occasionally some rocket but he has never gone for it in the two days we've had him and finally some dried flower mix purchased from shelled warrior shop that I know Hermanns can eat! And also some calcium sprinkled on top!

At the moment I give him this once a day and just leave the bowl (size of his shell) in all day, he only tends to go for the dandelion leaves and LOVES the cactus!

How many grams should Otis put on in a week or two?
I weighed him and it said he was 73g

Also should I be bathing him in shallow water everyday?


Thank you very much, look forward to being a member

 

[JoesMum]

Hi

It's great to hear that your Hermann is settling in so quickly. You have only had him two days which is a very short period in the scheme of things and some can take weeks to start eating properly. We love to see pictures of your new friend

There is no average weight gain as they all grow at different weights depending on diet and how they are kept. As long as he is gaining weight and eating and drinking you have nothing to worry about. Don't weigh too often. Like you, a tort's weight varies thorughout the day depending on when he ate or pooped, etc so you will become neurotic if you weigh too frequently. A weekly weigh-in is plenty done at roughly the same time of day each time for consistency.

Your tort's diet should mostly be leafy greens. Fruit, including bell peppers and tomato, and carrots are high in sugars which can make him sick so keep these for very occasional treats in small amounts.

They do tend to eat what they like and know... and will hold out for just that given the chance. So variety is important so that they get used to different things and you are not stuck when dandelions are harder to come by.

The Tortoise Table's plant booklet is a good point to start as it will help you identify Sow thistles, plantain, etc that you can pick for free to feed.
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_booklet_8595_40.asp

The Tortoise Table's plant database is a fantastic resource where you can lookup plants that you have growing around you and those you can buy to see whether or not they are suitable to feed
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp

I would certainly recommend daily soaks for your little one. It helps to ensure hydration and gets your tort used to being handled as well.

 

[LucyandOtis]

Thank you so much! Here are some pictures of Otis

 

[JoesMum]

A photo of the entire enclosure would be great too. There may be suggestions we can make

 

[LucyandOtis]

We did originally by a 109cm tortoise table from eBay but it was made of pine which is apparently toxic to tortoises and the UVB bulbs that came with it apparently don't produce uvb, so we ended up paying £129 for a starter pack with the right bulbs etc!

I've emailed the ebuyer to make them aware they are scamming people and potentially killing tortoises by providing fake bulbs!

We can still use the tortoise table as long as we varnish it, apparently it's too large for a young Hermann so we were advised to keep him in his current enclosure for now

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Lucy, and welcome to the Forum!

In my opinion, you should get rid of the pellet substrate and use something you can moisten, like orchid bark, cypress mulch or coco coir.

Actually, the pine used to build tort tables, etc. has been kiln dried and is no longer emitting any fumes from the oils in the wood. We don't recommend you to use pine bedding, but using pine wood for building is ok.

That's a nice sized enclosure for your little baby. It should last him a while. Just try to get a bit more moisture and humidity into it to help him grow smoothly. We have a good care sheet for you to read. It's pinned at the top of the hermann's section.

 

[LucyandOtis]

Thank you for the advice
I have a new.substrate a mixture of loam, sand and limestone grit!

 

[JoesMum]

Make sure you serve food on a tile or piece of flat stone so that the sand in the substrate isn't eaten by accident. Sand can cause gut blockages. The substrates recommended by Yvonne are less likely to be eaten

 

[spud's_mum]

Thank you for the advice
I have a new.substrate a mixture of loam, sand and limestone grit!

Make sure that he can't eat the grit and get a blockage. I too have a Hermanns and he is my first tort. I'm a noobie but I think we can both learn a lot here! I use pear It's not the best substrate, but it's cheap and easy.
Here's a pic of my enclosure. (I'm going to cover Half of it over to keep it humid)
Oh and about the food, you can get some great seed mixes, I got one from shelled warriors and I planted it and put it under the heat lamp, it grew in about a week! Also when they eat it, it grows back enjoy your little tort he's a cutie

 

[LucyandOtis]

Aww yours Is gorgeous too
The temperature at the hot end is 29 degrees, should it be warmer?
Also has anyone used this substrate ? Any good ?
Here's a few pics from this morning, I love the pattern on his shell, looks like he's wearing a bow tie
Picture of substrate below!

 

[LucyandOtis]

Bow tie

 

[spud's_mum]

Spuds hot spot is 30-32 degrees. With cooler being around 25

I have never used that substrate so can't give any advice on it

Thanks by the way

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't like to use a substrate that encourages the baby to eat it (limestone grit). You have to be very, very sure to keep a tortoise well-hydrated if he's on a substrate that might be eaten, whether on purpose or accidently because it is stuck to the food.

 

[LucyandOtis]

Thank you

 

[johnandjade]

hi there, we tryed that stuff before. we were on woodchips, but we were on a learning curve...

found it was very muddy when mainting proper humity and very dusty when dry. also difficult to spot poo's so cleaning was a nightmare!

we use coco coir now, can get bricks from amazon! by far a lot easier for us to maintain and our tort has thrived since the switch. win win

following advice from people on here has ment a few changes to care but by far for the torts benifit, they know there stuff! ( and friendly too! )

you cant go wrong. welcome and happy tortin'

 

[Lyn W]

I'm not entirely sure but you may need to part cover the bars to help keep humidity in or provide a humid hide in it - but check your caresheet to see what the humidity should be