UVB and general enclosure check
 

Hey all,

I have two Hermann tortoises - one 18 month old and one 36 month old. I've had them for about 18 months and they are very healthy and active but I want to make sure I'm doing everything right to minimise the risk of any future problems.

The first thing I wanted to check is their UVB light - the breeder I got them from recommended a 12% UVB light but having done a bit of reading there seems to be some contention as to whether tortoises can have too much UVB. Is 12% reasonable for Hermanns or should I be using a lower intensity? The UV light is a strip lamp and is a few inches above the tortoises.

Second can anyone recommend any good scenery for the tortoises? I had a hollowed out log but as one of the tortoises was only born with one eye he had a tendency to fall off the side so I have had to take it out. I'm a bit worried they might get bored with only a water bowl and some cuttlefish and would like to make it more interesting for them.

Lastly their diet mostly consists of dandelion and plantain as they are the most common edible weeds in the park near where I live. I have had a look at several resources but they all seem to be quite in depth so I was wondering if anyone knows of any good basic resources for the average tortoise keeper to help make their diet a bit more varied? I have tried a few other things (e.g. mallow) but they've never seemed too keen on it.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi Jamie

a 12% tube is good so long as it is hung at the right height and hasn't exhausted it's ability to produce UVB. Most of them last about 6 months after which they still produce light but not uv.

Hi Jamie - welcome to the forum :grin: Ozric has confirmed 12% is good; I understood it should be about 12" off the back of the torts - hopefully someone will be along to confirm that. With your one tort having a visual disability, may well be a bit trial and error for their scenery :smile: Have you tried the substrate at different levels with mounds and maybe some largish pebbles/stones that they need to go round as opposed to climb over? Different textures would prob work too, piece of slate, small pebbles they can walk over. If you haven't already you could also perhaps consider some plants - spider plant, aloe vera etc. :grin:

Hi both, thanks for the advice. I've been changing the UV light every 6 months so that should be fine, I'll just try and keep it a bit higher off their backs. Good suggestions for the terrain too - I will do some trial and error and see what they like!

sounds good :grin: torts have a knack of guiding you there as to what they do and don't like :lol::lol: