Welcome home Fletcher!

jennhas3boys

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Joined
Jun 18, 2021
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Monroe NC
Well, I did it. We picked up Fletcher today (aka Fletch, aka Irwin M Fletcher - if you have ever seen Fletch Lives you'll get it!). He is a 3ish-year-old Hermanns, and we are so excited to have him! I say him but yes, I know it's nothing we'll know this early on). Right now his set up is ok although he's in my room which is a little cooler than he would like, so I am going to add a CHE in addition to his basking light to add some warmth to his enclosure. He has 2 hides, a food bowl and a water bowl, I am sure we'll make some changes though so he has different "terrain" to explore.
 

jennhas3boys

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Joined
Jun 18, 2021
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Monroe NC
Whoops hit enter too soon - there's the enclosure. His new UVB fixture is arriving today, I had one from previously having a bearded dragon but it was old and I figured we would start new. I am not sure what else to give him to climb on, some flat rocks or something, and I'm pretty sure he needs deeper substrate too, which is also coming today (yay Prime!).
 

Krista S

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Platinum Tortoise Club
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Aug 4, 2019
Messages
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Congrats on your new tortoise! He sure is cute ? He looks pretty close to full grown so he requires a much larger enclosure ASAP. I put some information in your other thread on Friday in regards to some questions you had when thinking about getting a Hermann’s tortoise. We didn’t hear back from you on the other thread, so maybe you didn’t see it. Just incase, here it is again…

Welcome to the forum! Hermann’s are a great choice for a tortoise you want to primarily house indoors. I’m in Canada, in pretty cold climate for way too much of the year, but I’ve managed to keep my Hermann’s happy and healthy. Some main pointers to know is that even though they’re a smaller species, they require a lot of room. My 2 year old is in an enclosure that is about 4ft x 7ft and I’m already thinking ahead to how I can give him more space in another year or two. The minimum size enclosure for a full grown is 4ft x 8ft. About the protein, you definitely want to avoid feeding it to a Hermann’s tortoise. They just aren’t built to process high amount of protein. you want a high fibre and low protein diet.

Below is a link to some excellent care information for Hermann’s as well as Russians and other small species you may be considering. Please take a read and ask as many questions as you like. The care information and required setup can be overwhelming, but there’s lots of good people on the forum to help walk you through the process. The main thing is to keep you search for knowledge to this tortoise forum. There’s so much wrong information on the internet and it can get really confusing knowing what’s right.

 

jennhas3boys

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Jun 18, 2021
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Yes, sorry I had not replied the other day. And yes to the mixed info out there - holy cow. The reptile store I purchased him from said he could grow to the size of a plate, about 12" in diameter or so. The owner was not there, that's apparently who I need to ask for the hatch date but the kid working there said he was told this guy/gal was about 3 or so. He's in a 40-gallon tank, so looks like I'll be constructing something larger. He had a nice soak this morning and pooped, and he's got a fresh salad to start the day as well.
 

Krista S

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Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 4, 2019
Messages
1,364
Location (City and/or State)
Saskatchewan
Yes, sorry I had not replied the other day. And yes to the mixed info out there - holy cow. The reptile store I purchased him from said he could grow to the size of a plate, about 12" in diameter or so. The owner was not there, that's apparently who I need to ask for the hatch date but the kid working there said he was told this guy/gal was about 3 or so. He's in a 40-gallon tank, so looks like I'll be constructing something larger. He had a nice soak this morning and pooped, and he's got a fresh salad to start the day as well.
Yes, the sooner the better for the larger enclosure. The need room to roam to build proper muscles in their legs and all the walking aids in helping them to properly digest their food. Also be aware that most UV gets filtered out if has to pass through mesh, screen or plexiglass. The UV fixture and tube should be unobstructed. Most Hermann’s males range from 5.5“ to 7” and females usually end up in the 7” to 9” range. That is straight carapace length. That’s a great routine to get into with soaking him in the morning to make sure he’s well hydrated since you aren’t sure what kind of care he was receiving previously. He sure is cute, so don’t be afraid to share more pictures! I just love seeing other Hermann’s tortoises.
 

jennhas3boys

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Joined
Jun 18, 2021
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Monroe NC
Just measured him. His carapace (over the hump not straight) is 5.5" and his plastron is 4" to the middle of the W shape by the tail. Not sure how much more he/she will grow based on that measurement. The UVB I bought is a T8 - which is what they had him under at the store. They did say they are soaking the tortoises there a few times a week, and it's easy enough to put that into our routine here, plus I remember the boxie we had in our yard LOVED to soak!
 

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