New & Confused

[turbogold24]

Hi guys .. what a great site this is well done

I adopted 2 gorgeous Herman tortoises last week from my niece they are still baby's and looking at the certificates are a slevenian import !! should I be concerned they are apparantly they were born same time but one is much bigger that the other .

My main concern is care as i am info overload on the internet so i thought I would ask about my main worries here hope u done mind ?

Housing !! at the moment they are in a tortoise table but will be getting a bigger one . few q's ?

1. bedding is hemp and no soil is this ok it is sometimes damp where they spill water ?
2. should i put rocks in ?
3. do i leave the ultra violet light on all day even if there is natural sunlight ?
4. can I let them wander outside (protected) or are they to young ( got dec 07)

wow sorry few more yet lol

i am feeding them on romaine lettuce & cucumber with the calcium powder sprinkled on every other day

1. should i get cuttlefish?
2. can i give them dandelions out of garden ?

cleaning ?
1. they dont poop very much is that normal ?
2 do i bath them ?

should I weigh them ? and measure them ?

I am so sorry for asking so much but I dont want to do anything wrong these are beautiful animals I dont want to put them at rsk due to incompetance

thanks guys

alison

[Helen M]

Hiya. As your torts are imports i suggest you take them to a vets and have their faeces checked for parasites.
1. There is a lot of controversy over hemp at the moment. Play sand and soil is the preferred substrate.
2. You can add rocks to make their tort table more exciting
3. You don't need to leave their uv light on if they have had access to sunlight in your garden
4. They can have a wonder outside as long as its fairly warm. Though if they've warmed up under their lamp they may enjoy a stroll around the garden anyway.
You can feed them cuttlefish but not all torts will take it. You can give them calcium everyday. And if you look on the weeds section you will find that you can feed them more than just dandelion out of your garden.
You can also bathe your torts. You can do it every other day and it will help them expel urates (white creamy stuff) and faeces, as well as keeping them hydrated. My torts don't poo everyday. Sometimes they seem to save it and do a lot. My herman does a lot everyday though.
Weighing and measuring them every month or so is a good way of monitering their weight and will help you decide whether they are healthy enough to hibernate. Though as you've only just got them, it may be wise for you to delay hibernation until next year, once you've had time to feed them up on a good diet.
Helen xx

[Alexanders_mummy]

Originally Posted by turbogold24

Hi guys .. what a great site this is well done

I adopted 2 gorgeous Herman tortoises last week from my niece they are still baby's and looking at the certificates are a slevenian import !! should I be concerned they are apparantly they were born same time but one is much bigger that the other .

My main concern is care as i am info overload on the internet so i thought I would ask about my main worries here hope u done mind ?

Housing !! at the moment they are in a tortoise table but will be getting a bigger one . few q's ?

1. bedding is hemp and no soil is this ok it is sometimes damp where they spill water ?
2. should i put rocks in ?
3. do i leave the ultra violet light on all day even if there is natural sunlight ?
4. can I let them wander outside (protected) or are they to young ( got dec 07)

wow sorry few more yet lol

i am feeding them on romaine lettuce & cucumber with the calcium powder sprinkled on every other day

1. should i get cuttlefish?
2. can i give them dandelions out of garden ?

cleaning ?
1. they dont poop very much is that normal ?
2 do i bath them ?

should I weigh them ? and measure them ?

I am so sorry for asking so much but I dont want to do anything wrong these are beautiful animals I dont want to put them at rsk due to incompetance

thanks guys

alison

Hi Alison
welcome
here is a care sheet that may well help you with some of your questions a lot of people recomend taking slevenian imports to the vet with a poo sample to check for worms ect and to have a once over to make sure they are ok. there is also a list of weeds that are edible, cucumber is aparently good for helping to rehydrate a tort but has little or no netritional value (if im wrong someone will correct me im sure) some people bathe there torts every other day some more or less depending on the keeper i would say yes to bathing its also good and helps to keep the tort hydrated (the torts may poo in the bath aparently this is normal lol) im sure some of the more experianced keepers will be along in a bit to help ! the only silly question is the one you dont ask lol
best
Lise

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/shell...heir-care.html

[sandy]

You can put your torts outside during the day, and night when temperatures are highish. They do far better outside than in, as the bright light and the sun give off better UV than we can give them with artificial lights.

Diet should be weeds weeds and more weeds. Lettuce and cucumber should only be for treats, as neither have any nutricianal value.

Hemp is reasonably safe for young tortoises, but there has been some problems with it once males get sexually active.

Bathing young torts every day is a must, as they can become dehydrated very quickly.

Cuttle bone can be left out for them to nibble at, my hatchlings of two weeks old have the odd nibble. Calcium is also good to sprinkle on their food daily too.

Weighing them either weekly or monthly gives you an idea on how they are doing. The weight gain should be two to three grams a month. This way you will know if they are growing too fast.

Inside, feeding them on a piece of thick slate helps keep their beaks down. Rocks or large pebbles just give them some different surfaces which also keep their nails down.

[shafach]

Hi Turbo...
Reading your post was identical to the questions i was asking last Decemeber. I too, have two slovenian imports- bought in good faith to be British- tho the papers proved otherwise - to which i was gutted, but had already got attached to the little guys, so decided to try and give them the best care possible. I got them checked out by a vet who specialises in torts, gave them a proper health check, and nine months on they are both putting on weight (one a little bit too much ! ) and seem healthy and happy ( fingers crossed)... I would NEVER have chosen to support the import trade, and am gutted that we didnt ask the breeder more before we bought them, and demanded to see the papers beforehand, we were naive looking back... anyhow, am sure once you get them checked out properly and have a good read through the posts on here, you will soon gain confidence in looking after these wonderful little creatures... shafach xxx

[Ozric Jonathan]

Hi! Dandellions from garden - yes! excellent food dandellions, though they need variety . I bet you have plantains and clover in your garden as well, which are also suitable.

UV light - very important for Hermanns. Remember no uv travels thorugh glass so when indoors the only UV they get is from the UV lamp.
Going outside - yes, but not when it gets colder, and wet and cold are a bad combo for them. But even on a dull day outside can be good if they have a dry place to go. Little ones do tend to hide away a great deal and will run for cover if they feel exposed in the open, so take care not to loose any!

[turbogold24]

Wow thanks everyone , the information has been very helpful indeed much appreciated .

We have decided to build a new tort table as this ones is tiny , I have placed a piece of cuttlefish in the table and they like it so much .

We have also decised to go get them checked out at the vets as I have a few concerns over the little one

I have weighed them Podge is 166g and Rodge 120g they are apparantly from same litter ( dont no tech name yet lol ) .. and the little one doesnt seem as lively seems to be always hidden away

does anyone recommend I buy the seed packs you can get because i know i hav dandelions in the garden but i have no idea at all what the other studd is other than grass

Anyway I am so thanful I have somewhere to come when I have issues

sorry to waffle on but once my confidence grows Ill be fine

thanks

Alison

[Ozric Jonathan]

You will learn to recognise a whole lot of weeds and wildflowers that are suitable foods. Probably you have quite a few in your garden, there are some photos and things on this site to help with identification and a book is handy as well. If you start with dandellions and clover, you will soon go on to the vetches, hawksbits and mallows.

Growing from seeds is great but takes a little time. You might want to clear a bit of garden and do an autumn sowing from some packets and with any luck in spring you'll have some nice rows of tort food plants.

[linda]

sarah sells some great weed seeds and ready grown weed plugs

have a look at shelled warriors shop

[sandy]

Whenever you see a dandilion clock, grab it in your hand and put in a bag, then sow them in your garden when you get home<g>.