worried abou my little one

Louise66

Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
45
Location (City and/or State)
Milton Keynes uk
hi everyone,

I have two Hermann tortoises housed separately, now 3 months old They are completely different characters. When I bought them home just over 4 weeks ago, both were very active. One doesn't eat much and is very active but has consistently put on weight , the other eats what I consider everything and anything and spends all day basically in the corner of the enclosure , not directly under the heat lamp but in that area sleeping. The only time she seems to move is for food. Literally food and nothing else. I bathe them both every morning and more often than not they poop. I have yet to see any of them pee. They are fed on dandelions , pansy, corn salad , snap dragons water cress, bind weed and I am growing some plantain. The temp in the basking area is 30c and I have a megaray uvb/uva lamp.
do I just have a lazy tortoise or is something wrong? Theyare both in the same room , I am in the uk and when we have nice weather they go outside and after feeding , I have planted in their enclosure , the bigger tortoise just finds a corner and beds down.
Am I overthinking this ? They have exactly the same environment and food and are so differnet.
In the beginning I was worried about the little eater , but she is so much more active, sometimes for hours and the one I am worried about literally eats and sleeps. I am also worried about her spending some much time under the heat for her shell developememt. When they have been outside when its been hot I have bathed them again.
should I just relax and let her be lazy , is this normal? should I restrict her food?
sorry if this sounds like a rant.
a worried Torty Mum
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,904
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
hi everyone,

I have two Hermann tortoises housed separately, now 3 months old They are completely different characters. When I bought them home just over 4 weeks ago, both were very active. One doesn't eat much and is very active but has consistently put on weight , the other eats what I consider everything and anything and spends all day basically in the corner of the enclosure , not directly under the heat lamp but in that area sleeping. The only time she seems to move is for food. Literally food and nothing else. I bathe them both every morning and more often than not they poop. I have yet to see any of them pee. They are fed on dandelions , pansy, corn salad , snap dragons water cress, bind weed and I am growing some plantain. The temp in the basking area is 30c and I have a megaray uvb/uva lamp.
do I just have a lazy tortoise or is something wrong? Theyare both in the same room , I am in the uk and when we have nice weather they go outside and after feeding , I have planted in their enclosure , the bigger tortoise just finds a corner and beds down.
Am I overthinking this ? They have exactly the same environment and food and are so differnet.
In the beginning I was worried about the little eater , but she is so much more active, sometimes for hours and the one I am worried about literally eats and sleeps. I am also worried about her spending some much time under the heat for her shell developememt. When they have been outside when its been hot I have bathed them again.
should I just relax and let her be lazy , is this normal? should I restrict her food?
sorry if this sounds like a rant.
a worried Torty Mum
Hello. I just wanted to say Welcome to TFO. I'm not an expert on your species of tortoises but one thing about all tortoises in general is...don't do big changes quickly. I could be wrong but the diet looks good. I'm sure you'll be getting replies from older members soon that can direct you to the proper threads on your babies.
 

SweetGreekTorts

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2018
Messages
980
Location (City and/or State)
Tucson, AZ
It's common for babies to burrow or sleep a lot, it's their instinct to stay hidden to hide from potential predators.

I have two Russian clutchmates that hatched the same day. Both turned a year old in July and they've been housed separately since 2 months of age. One is easily 100 grams in weight more than the other - but both slept a lot, only wandering their enclosures to graze their food and maybe bask for an hour.

As long as your tortoises continue to gain weight, then there is no need to worry. They will become more active as they get older. Keep doing what you are with the soaks and keep feeding the same amounts.
 
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