What do you recommend?

[nicolehh11]

So a friend sent me over to this forum since I'll be buying a Hermanns tortoise soon. I've read alot of great threads on here as well as researching other sites and there is so much information. I really like the enclosure setup I found over on that thread so I think that is where I will start. But I have a few questions for you:

What type of substrate should I use? I'm thinking top soil and peat moss? Keep some peat moss in his hide so it's nice and humid in there.

I plan on putting him in a large plastic tub and keeping him indoors, it's 28 degrees where I live right now and this spring we will be building an outdoor enclosure. Should I plant some things in his tub? Or separately grow weeds and such in the house?

What do you feed your Hermanns? There is soo much that I can feed, what would you suggest I buy and plant? What is safe from the grocery store, are those veggies safe?

What type of lighting do they need? Basking lamp and UVB light? Can that be on the same end of the enclosure? Cool side needs to be at 70 degrees, correct?

Should I put in a hide at each end, one for cool and one for warm?

I keep ball pythons and collared lizards but tortoises are new to me. I'm very excited in learning more and getting my little guy or gal! Thanks!

 

[ascott]

Welcome to the Forum

 

[dmarcus]

Welcome to the forum.

I use a mixture of peat moss and top soil for my Hermanns and so far its working well for me.

I only have one hide for mine in the indoor enclosure but he has two in the outdoor enclosure.

I feed a combination of greens and Mazuri and when he is outside he like to eat new growth weeds. I have planted things in his indoor enclosure but he ignores it for some reason.

I have only had my guy for a short time so I am still learning as well...

 

[bubbles01]

Welcome to the forum!

My Hermanns eat pretty much anything... lettuce, cucumber, dandelion leaves, broccoli and cauliflower greens, tomato plants, radish leaves, cactus, grass, weeds..... if it gets in their way they will give it a go.

They dont seem to like carrots for some reason - no idea why!!

Cant help with the lighting as mine are outside torts....

Good Luck!

helen

 

[nicolehh11]

Thanks for the help! I bought a large rubbermaid tub and filled it with topsoil and planted some grass seed. I couldn't find ANY live plants since it's winter so that makes sense. I'm hoping I can get the grass to grow pretty quickly. The tub looks a bit bare right now but I have 2 hides and some rocks in there, I'll post some pictures as soon as I figure out how. LOL

 

[nicolehh11]

Hope the photos attach! Sorry they are so dark, I have terrible lighting in this room but you get the idea. Only thing different is I buried the flower pots more into the dirt, about halfway up. I hate that it is so bare but it will have to do for now.

 

[Yvonne G]

What a great habitat! Is that the Christmas tree storage bin? They make really nice tortoise habitats. Looks good!

 

[Laura]

fake plants make great natural looking hides, or if you have a nursery near you , you can try planting Pansies, or grass seed..

 

[Tim/Robin]

Looks good. Depending on the size of the Hermanns, you may have to adjust a few things. If it is a hatchling, you may consider blocking off some of it so it doesn't have such a large area. They can tend to get lost and not find the food or heat. If it is an older one, it will likely tear anything planted up in no time. They love to dig down.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

So a friend sent me over to this forum since I'll be buying a Hermanns tortoise soon. I've read alot of great threads on here as well as researching other sites and there is so much information. I really like the enclosure setup I found over on that thread so I think that is where I will start. But I have a few questions for you:

What type of substrate should I use? I'm thinking top soil and peat moss? Keep some peat moss in his hide so it's nice and humid in there.

I use cyprus mulch, but top soil and peat'll work, too.

I plan on putting him in a large plastic tub and keeping him indoors, it's 28 degrees where I live right now and this spring we will be building an outdoor enclosure. Should I plant some things in his tub? Or separately grow weeds and such in the house?

You can, but if he likes the taste of what you plant, he'll gobble it right up...what you can do is bury a plant pot and grow planys in identical plant pots, rotating them as he eats them.

What do you feed your Hermanns? There is soo much that I can feed, what would you suggest I buy and plant? What is safe from the grocery store, are those veggies safe?

I buy only organic produce for my Hermann;'s torts, and augment those w/ Marion red Stick tortoise kibble, mixed w/ dried weeds or chopped cactus pads...this is their Winter Diet.

During the summer while they're outdoors, they have a literal jumgle of weeds that I encourage from the time they're inside, so they can graze at will...in addition, they also get Spring Mix, chopped cactus pads mixed with soaked Red Sticks, whole pads (depending on the day), and the occasional worm or slug that unluckily crosses their path.

What type of lighting do they need? Basking lamp and UVB light? Can that be on the same end of the enclosure? Cool side needs to be at 70 degrees, correct?

Correct and warm end around 90-95, over their basking spot. Any warm days (70 or better), take 'em outside so as to catch some sunshine, even if it's only for a 1/2-hour. Inside, get a quality repti-light of some sort, for when it's too cool for real sunlight.

Should I put in a hide at each end, one for cool and one for warm?

Absolutely...then they can decide where it feels nicest at the moment.

I keep ball pythons and collared lizards but tortoises are new to me. I'm very excited in learning more and getting my little guy or gal! Thanks!

Collared lizards also need the right kind of artificial light, and so whatever you're using for them will likely be fine for your torts.

Also, give them a soak at least every other day (daily is NOT too often, either!)

---

Enclosure looking good...might add a flat rock beneath the lamp for a basking rock, and another as a feeding rock (helps keep nails and bill worn down naturally).

 

[nicolehh11]

Yvonne-I bought an "under the bed" storage bins from Lowe's! I didn't realize how small he would be, it's huge with him in it! But he seems to hang out on his warm side most of the time.

Thanks Laura, I went to my local nursery (I live in a small town) and they didn't have anything already grown but she was nice enough to give me some grass seed. I planted it now lets hope it comes up!

Tim/Robin- I may need to block some of it off, I didn't realize how big it would be, LOL. He seems to hang out on his warm side though but I check on him every hour and he seems to be okay. I put some Timothy hay in there and he burrowed underneath it.

Thanks Terry! I picked up some mustard greens and napa cabbage at the store and cleaned it really good, he seems to like it but I'll rotate his variety every week so he doesn't get tired of the same ol stuff Once it warms up, he will spend some time outdoors. Since he is so tiny I will be afraid to leave him out at night and when I'm not home for the fear of something getting him. But that is also part of my motherly worries

I bought a bag of Timothy hay, would it be okay if I put some around his tub? Just so it doesn't look so bare? He doesn't seem to be interested in eating it, just sleeping underneath it. I panicked when I went in there and couldn't find him earlier, sure enough he was burrowed

I posted pictures over on the Tortoise Photos and Video thread if you want to see him! http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-New-Hermanns--38834#axzz1iRSWOADL

 

[GBtortoises]

For baby Hermann's I use a soil based substrate which holds moisture well but is also firm compared to mulch based substrates, which are good for tortoises that are bigger and older. I use a mixture of about 60% organic top or potting soil, 30% coconut coir and the rest ground sphagnum and leaf litter. I keep it about 2" deep for babies. Spray it twice daily, saturate it well and churn it once weekly. This combination retains moisture well, allows for digging yet holds it's firmness well to allow for good footing.

 

[SulcataSquirt]

Hi very nice set up, Timothy hay will mold very quickly if you keep your substrate damp, so be careful their. good luck with your new little guy!