50 yr old tort

Shazza4505 · 03-06-2007, 09:17 PM

A friend may be rehoming a 50 y.o. herman.
It has always been a garden tort, never had a heat lamp etc.

As i am new to torts, and my horsefield is young, i am unable to advise.

Should Katie introduce it to a heat lamp? Or can she continue as the old owners had it? Any advice would be fab and gratefully passed on.

jadums · 03-06-2007, 09:25 PM

Hi

Personally I wouldnt introduce it to a heat lamp now, especially during the summer. I have younger hermanns (1yr - 13yrs) and the 4yr old + all sleep outside day and night with no lights on at anytime. in January I rehomed 3 70yr old iberas. Obvioulsy they were woken from hibernation and so they had to be kept inside untill the weather got better and warmer. Since March they have lived outside day and night. They sleep in a wooden coldframe with soil/sand base and then about foot and a half of hemp (aubiose) so they can bury down at night.

They are perfectly happy. They eat every day and march round the garden grazing. I have to get them out of bed some mornings as they just sit in the doorway watching the wrold go by :P but as soon as they are outside they march around. On rainy days I open the door but they rarely come out. This is becaus eit snot warm enough. However, when I got them and had to house them inside they rarely ate. I ad uv and heat lights for them and they hated it. They looked really depressed as they had always lived outside.

So no I wouldnt use heat lamps I would try and replicate their living style the same as the previous owners so as not to cause too much stress. If the diet was wrong then I would change that.

Pussygalore · 03-06-2007, 09:41 PM

I recently rehomed a 12 yr old who had never had a heat lamp it was last week when we had all that horrible weather, we built him a much bigger home as he,d only had a hutch and he does have a heat lamp in there as do all of mine and they all had it on as it was so cold and wet, he really seemed to love it and without it would have stayed asleep all week, it was on in the mornings and woke him up sufficiently to come out and see his new home it still took a week for him to eat anything, so I wouldnt use one when the weather is so nice but they do like it on cold wet days and its handy to have one just in case but I wouldn,t bring them inside just put one in their shelter.

sandy · 03-06-2007, 10:37 PM

Far better if they can live outside with the colder temps if this is the way they have been for
a long time. Introducing heat can cause lots of problems. Shelter is a different matter, a
waterproof house of some sort can be invaluable.

roedeane · 04-06-2007, 08:42 AM

My two golden oldies had never had a heat lamp at all - what I have in their garden now is a wooden sided coldframe with a perspex top built up onto blocks so they can go in and out .They do use this when it has been chilly, ut it has been when they wanted to,Yvette

skewbald · 04-06-2007, 11:46 AM

We've got an old lady who appears to have never had such luxuries as a heat lamp!

She lives outside with access to her own greenhouse.

As someone on here so rightly told me, if they're fine just doing what they're doing, don't change anything because it could cause more harm than good. The tortoise is 50 so it's lifestyle must suit it!

Good luck

Verity x

Paisley · 05-06-2007, 04:13 PM

We have a 54 year old spur thighed, who spent all her time nearly outside until we had her. We do use a heat lamp on her in the coldest, dampest days and she absolutley adores the heat lamp! She is such a lush and basks under it, stretching herself out!!! You can almost see the smile on her face!

thedeadtroll · 05-06-2007, 07:49 PM

DOES YOUR FRIEND HAVE ANY PHOTOS OF THIS 50 YR OLD ??

which type of hermanns is she/he a THH or a THB

Bride2b · 05-06-2007, 08:00 PM

Hi

My oldest THB is well over 50 she lives in the garden 24/7 she has an insulated hutch for the nightime and a very big enclosure for the daytime, she also has a large coldframe and bushes to hide under if she wishes, I also have 2 & year old THB`s that were in a viv til I rehomed them they too have their own insulated hutches etc.
Only my 2 little THB`s have an indoor tort table with a T Rex for lighting and heating, although when it starts to get colder before they hibernate we will be building an insulated shed and have a Trex for heat and lighting, hope that helps.

Shazza4505 · 07-06-2007, 08:12 PM

Thank you for all the answers and advice.

My friend has not got the tort yet, as she is doing research before she gets it to ensure she can provide what it needs.

She is going to pop over here herself. Thanks again.

03-06-2007, 09:17 PM	#1
Shazza4505 Member Hatched Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 298	50 yr old tort A friend may be rehoming a 50 y.o. herman. It has always been a garden tort, never had a heat lamp etc. As i am new to torts, and my horsefield is young, i am unable to advise. Should Katie introduce it to a heat lamp? Or can she continue as the old owners had it? Any advice would be fab and gratefully passed on.

03-06-2007, 09:25 PM	#2
jadums Member Egg Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Hampshire Posts: 60	Hi Personally I wouldnt introduce it to a heat lamp now, especially during the summer. I have younger hermanns (1yr - 13yrs) and the 4yr old + all sleep outside day and night with no lights on at anytime. in January I rehomed 3 70yr old iberas. Obvioulsy they were woken from hibernation and so they had to be kept inside untill the weather got better and warmer. Since March they have lived outside day and night. They sleep in a wooden coldframe with soil/sand base and then about foot and a half of hemp (aubiose) so they can bury down at night. They are perfectly happy. They eat every day and march round the garden grazing. I have to get them out of bed some mornings as they just sit in the doorway watching the wrold go by :P but as soon as they are outside they march around. On rainy days I open the door but they rarely come out. This is becaus eit snot warm enough. However, when I got them and had to house them inside they rarely ate. I ad uv and heat lights for them and they hated it. They looked really depressed as they had always lived outside. So no I wouldnt use heat lamps I would try and replicate their living style the same as the previous owners so as not to cause too much stress. If the diet was wrong then I would change that. __________________ Jade

03-06-2007, 10:37 PM	#4
sandy Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Kent UK Posts: 12,146	Far better if they can live outside with the colder temps if this is the way they have been for a long time. Introducing heat can cause lots of problems. Shelter is a different matter, a waterproof house of some sort can be invaluable. __________________ < > 60+, keeping ibera, graeca and box turtles \0/ /_\ http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/tortoisefriends

04-06-2007, 11:46 AM	#6
skewbald Member Hatched Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Dorset, UK Posts: 344	We've got an old lady who appears to have never had such luxuries as a heat lamp! She lives outside with access to her own greenhouse. As someone on here so rightly told me, if they're fine just doing what they're doing, don't change anything because it could cause more harm than good. The tortoise is 50 so it's lifestyle must suit it! Good luck Verity x __________________ My name is Verity and I am a Facebook addict... it is 2 minutes 33 seconds since the last time I poked someone... ********** 0.0.1 leopard tortoise

05-06-2007, 07:49 PM	#8
thedeadtroll Member Hatched Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Devon Posts: 441	DOES YOUR FRIEND HAVE ANY PHOTOS OF THIS 50 YR OLD ?? which type of hermanns is she/he a THH or a THB __________________ Steve THE DEAD TROLL

03-06-2007, 09:41 PM	#3
Pussygalore Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Cambridge Posts: 6,479	I recently rehomed a 12 yr old who had never had a heat lamp it was last week when we had all that horrible weather, we built him a much bigger home as he,d only had a hutch and he does have a heat lamp in there as do all of mine and they all had it on as it was so cold and wet, he really seemed to love it and without it would have stayed asleep all week, it was on in the mornings and woke him up sufficiently to come out and see his new home it still took a week for him to eat anything, so I wouldnt use one when the weather is so nice but they do like it on cold wet days and its handy to have one just in case but I wouldn,t bring them inside just put one in their shelter.

04-06-2007, 08:42 AM	#5
roedeane Member Egg Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Notts Posts: 67	My two golden oldies had never had a heat lamp at all - what I have in their garden now is a wooden sided coldframe with a perspex top built up onto blocks so they can go in and out .They do use this when it has been chilly, ut it has been when they wanted to,Yvette

05-06-2007, 04:13 PM	#7
Paisley Junior Member Egg Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 22	We have a 54 year old spur thighed, who spent all her time nearly outside until we had her. We do use a heat lamp on her in the coldest, dampest days and she absolutley adores the heat lamp! She is such a lush and basks under it, stretching herself out!!! You can almost see the smile on her face!

05-06-2007, 08:00 PM	#9
Bride2b Senior Member Sub Adult Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,301	Hi My oldest THB is well over 50 she lives in the garden 24/7 she has an insulated hutch for the nightime and a very big enclosure for the daytime, she also has a large coldframe and bushes to hide under if she wishes, I also have 2 & year old THB`s that were in a viv til I rehomed them they too have their own insulated hutches etc. Only my 2 little THB`s have an indoor tort table with a T Rex for lighting and heating, although when it starts to get colder before they hibernate we will be building an insulated shed and have a Trex for heat and lighting, hope that helps. __________________

07-06-2007, 08:12 PM	#10
Shazza4505 Member Hatched Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 298	Thank you for all the answers and advice. My friend has not got the tort yet, as she is doing research before she gets it to ensure she can provide what it needs. She is going to pop over here herself. Thanks again.

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