Nervous new owner.

Use this forum to discuss general questions about any aspects of tortoise care.
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beeclaire80
Posts: 80
Joined: 22 Sep 2020, 17:10

Nervous new owner.

Post by beeclaire80 » 22 Sep 2020, 17:31

Hi all,

I am the new owner of a Hermann called Floyd. He has come from a reputable reptile breeder and is just over a year old. We collected him 4 days ago.

We have a table enclosure for him and he seems fairly active for some of the day, he is eating and has access to a water, although I’ve not seen him go into the water on his own so I have popped him in every other day and then changed and cleaned the water after.

I am feeling confused with regards to what else he needs in his enclosure, but plan to pop him some big pebbles in there over the next week or so.

I am overwhelmed with what to feed him, and am constantly checking the data base on here.
So far he has enjoyed little gem lettuce, dandelion leaves, and a leaf from my runner bean plant. I have offered him campanula but he doesn’t seem interested so far!

He spends a lot of time nestled into the corner of his table and I’m not sure if this is normal or not?

Pictures added!
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beeclaire80
Posts: 80
Joined: 22 Sep 2020, 17:10

Re: Nervous new owner.

Post by beeclaire80 » 22 Sep 2020, 17:58

Picture.
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Nina
Posts: 2005
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Nervous new owner.

Post by Nina » 22 Sep 2020, 18:52

Hi Beeclair and welcome to The Tortoise Table (and many congratulations on getting Floyd)! I know it's all very confusing at the beginning (lol and it can be confusing later on too), but that's what we're here for, so if you have any questions or problems, ask away.

First of all, here is a link to a care sheet for Hermann's tortoises that might be useful:
https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf

Well done for having got a table for him and not a vivarium! You're definitely on the right track and you've made his table look really nice -- lots of little things to walk over and around and provide interest. Some pebbles would be a nice addition. I can see that your table has high sides, so if you are feeling adventurous you could build a little ramp up to a second level for him. They quite enjoy the variety and the exercise, and I always feed mine on the second level because it keeps the food from getting substrate all over it plus they are running up and down the ramp all the time to see if there are any treats up there for them. You can cover the ramp with something rough like roofing felt to give traction, and it doesn't need to be a big area at the top. Just an idea, and not necessary as your table now looks absolutely fine, and well done for getting a nice soil based substrate too!

Regarding baths -- yes they are essential because tortoises (especially small ones) can get dehydrated quickly under the lights indoors. It's usually best to bathe them in something that they can't see out of (like an old washing up bowl), in nice warm water just up to where their top shell meets the bottom shell, and leave him there for about 15 - 20 minutes (you might have to top up the water to keep it warm). The reason I recommend something like a washing up bowl is that in their ordinary drinking bowl they will usually try and get out fairly quickly, so something with high sides is better.

Regarding feeding and nestling in a corner. Young tortoises do sleep a lot, but it is also getting cooler and tortoises somehow sense that autumn is coming and go into hibernation mode. You won't want to hibernate him this year if you have only recently got him, so you want to keep his table nice and bright (think bright summer's day) to fool him into thinking that it is still summer.

With feeding, as big a variety as possible is best and if he has some food that he likes then you can cut up some pieces of other food that he hasn't taken to yet (like campanula) into really small pieces. Then wet everything and add the pieces of the new food, which will stick to his favourite food so he will get some of the new stuff when he goes for the other. Do you have a good calcium and D3 supplement like Nutrobal that you can sprinkle on his food?

Temperature is super important in determining how active they are, and you want to aim for a temperature of 30C directly below your heat source (is that a combined heat/light/uvb lamp?) and at the height of the tortoise's shell (so a thermometer mounted on a nearby wall is no good) -- and 20C at the cool end. I use one of those digital fridge/freezer thermometers with a display unit and then a probe on a long cord, and you can hang the cord down next to the circle of light and get a more accurate temperature. I can send you a link to some if you are interested

One other little thing. His shell is a teeny bit bumpy, which might indicate that he has been growing too fast. Try and aim for slow growth of no more than 1g - 3g per month on average. Would you like a complimentary copy of oone of our Tortoise Observation Records booklets, where you can keep records like growth, changes of equipment, etc.? Just send your name and address to nina@thetortoisetable.org.uk and I'll pop one in the post to you.

So sorry for such a long post (are you still awake?)! I think Floyd is going to have a really good home with you, and please don't hesitate to ask us any questions.

Best,
Nina

beeclaire80
Posts: 80
Joined: 22 Sep 2020, 17:10

Re: Nervous new owner.

Post by beeclaire80 » 22 Sep 2020, 19:33

Hi Nina,

Thank you for your informative and helpful reply! I will pop an email over now with name and address for the booklet. Thank you!

I have a thermometer on order after reading some posts on here earlier!

I will definitely try the varied food chopped small and moistened and mixed with his other food.
He has a calcium block which was recommended by the reptile shop where we got him from. Is it worth using the powder instead?

I’m going to weigh and measure him tomorrow and will keep a log. What sort of weight would be normal for 13 months?

Will bath him in an old washing up bowl tomorrow.

He’s pooing every other day so far and the poos look “normal” (according to google!). Not so sure about weeing but he did do one in his water the first day!

I’ll keep an eye on the shell. But have attached a couple of close up pictures.

Thank you for everything. Have enjoyed reading other Q&A on here!
Claire.
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Nina
Posts: 2005
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Nervous new owner.

Post by Nina » 23 Sep 2020, 14:50

Hi Claire,

He's a lovely little chappy, and thanks for the photos!

The calcium block might be OK, but I think that sometimes it is too hard for little tortoises to bite, and they don't lick. You can try a cuttlefish bone (the sort that people buy for budgies). Some tortoises won't eat them until they've been sitting outside for a month or so and are beginning to look a bit manky, but you can also use your nail and scrape some onto his food that has been made wet, so the powder sticks to it. Or you can buy pure calcium carbonate powder on the internet too. The other failing of the blocks (and cuttlefish bone) is that they provide calcium, but not vitamin D3, and it's important that he gets it, because without Vitamin D3 he can't absorb and utilise the calcium in his diet. The sun and your UVB lamp react with his skin and enables him to produce vitaimin D3, but he should have an extra source. The best stuff to get is called Nutrobal (and your pet shop probably stocks it), but you can also use Rep-Cal or Reptavite. You just sprinkle a pinch of it on his leaves every other day or so, and the cuttlefish bone and calcium block can just stay in his table for him to nibble at will..

Re the weight -- no two tortoises are the same (a bit like people), but I would expect his weight at 13 months to be well under100g. I'd be interested to hear what he weighs. When you start keeping records, try and weigh him under roughly the same circumstances (like before or after a bath or a poo) -- lol they can lose several grams in weight just having a poo. And you are just aiming at an average gain of between 1g - 3g per month (some months it will be more and some less).

His shell is a little bumpy, indicating either that he has probably grown a bit too fast, but it's nothing to worry about. If you are careful and monitor his weight and provide him with a good diet and good UVB light and calcium, his future growth will produce a smooth shell and the bumps will become less and less noticeable. To show you what I mean, here's a link to a really good site about Hermann's tortoises. If you look at the photos there, especially of the various subspecies in the dropdown menu for Hermann's, and you'll see how smooth the shells of the tortoises are. There is also a care sheet on the site (it's a USA based site but the care information will still be relevant for tortoises living in the UK):
https://www.hermannihaven.com/general

Best,
Nina

beeclaire80
Posts: 80
Joined: 22 Sep 2020, 17:10

Re: Nervous new owner.

Post by beeclaire80 » 23 Sep 2020, 16:13

So weight update.

He’s 47g.

He’s had a big warm bath in the sink! He didn’t seem very keen but we kept the water topped up with warm water!

I’m not sure he’s had a wee yet!
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Nina
Posts: 2005
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Nervous new owner.

Post by Nina » 23 Sep 2020, 18:00

Aww, bless -- that is a good weight, and he obviously hasn't been growing too fast. He looked bigger to me in the photo, but there wasn't anything to measure him against, so maybe what I thought looked bumpy is just his hatchling shell and there is nothing to worry about.

When he does wee, you will often see a white substance in it. This is urates and perfectly natural. If the urates are really watery (like egg whites) or creamy (like toothpaste) then that means he is well hydrated, but if they are sandy, hard or gritty then he is dehydrated so bathe hiim more frequently. But he sounds like he is doing fine to me.

I think you're doing a great job!

Nina

beeclaire80
Posts: 80
Joined: 22 Sep 2020, 17:10

Re: Nervous new owner.

Post by beeclaire80 » 23 Sep 2020, 18:12

Thanks Nini,

Your support and advice has been invaluable!

His shell measurement is 6.1cm, which seems in line according to google etc.

He was really active after his bath and raced around for a good 10 minutes. Including climbing on his log roll and being unable to get down!

Apologies if I’m boring you! 😂
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Nina
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Re: Nervous new owner.

Post by Nina » 23 Sep 2020, 18:49

No description of tortoise activity is boring! :D
That sounds about right to me, but Just to check -- are you measuring his SCL (Straight Carapace Length)? It's the length measured along thet bottom rather than over the top of the shell, which you are probably doing, but thought I'd just check. Here's our little article on weighing and measuring, which shows how to measure the length: https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... 2uJHYvTXVw

How lovely to see him active and climbing. It sounds to me like he has an adventurous personality! Mine love climbing up those log thingys and then sliding down the other side. Here's Dolly attempting her great ski jump.

Nina
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beeclaire80
Posts: 80
Joined: 22 Sep 2020, 17:10

Re: Nervous new owner.

Post by beeclaire80 » 23 Sep 2020, 19:07

Ahh wee Dolly looks so cute climbing up!

Yes, I measured flat along level with the base of his shell.

C x

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Nina
Posts: 2005
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Nervous new owner.

Post by Nina » 23 Sep 2020, 19:48

Excellent!

Nina


eeclaire80 wrote:
> Ahh wee Dolly looks so cute climbing up!
>
> Yes, I measured flat along level with the base of his shell.
>
> C x

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