Hi
We have a Hermann tortoise - approx 1 year. We have had George for about 5 weeks.
So we are concerned that he has lost weight. Weighing him weekly he has gone from 90g, 93g, 94g, 94g, 85g. So we are worried and wondering if he is ok.
He lives in Plymouth, Devon. We keep him on a tortoise table, filled with topsoil. He has a combination heat and UV lamp. I have attached some pics. We have made a little outside pen for him and when the sun is shining we pop him out there for an hour or so to have a wander around.
He wakes at about 6.30-7am and goes to bed about 5-6pm. We have the heat lamp on from 7am-5pm. We bathe him everyday in warm water which he seems to like.
We are feeding him Plaintain, dandelion, clover, with a bit of rocket and kale at times. We are still identifying other weeds near us that are suitable. He also has a cuttlefish bone in with him, he seems to like that and we often see him having a nibble. I've brought some calcium powder to sprinkle on once a week too.
He is lively for long periods throughout the day, he walks around, tries to climb, sips his water, nibbles a bit of food ( not lots) eyes seem clear and bright. Should we be worried about the weight loss?
He was in a vivarium at the shop and I wonder should I be worried about the weight loss or is it likely that now he is roaming in the pen (and sometimes front front room when too cold) he is burning more energy than before?
Any advice greatly appreciated - we want to make sure we are doing everything right!
Many thanks
Our Hermann tortoise has lost weight
Re: Our Hermann tortoise has lost weight
Hi Steve,
Congratulations on giving a home to a little Hermann's tortoise, and it is a great relief to know that you have him in a tortoise table, rather than a vivarium. Your photos weren't attached to your message (you need to attach them, reduced in size, and then click on the Place Inline instruction for each of them to get them into the message). If it doesn't work for you, then just send them to me at nina@thetortoisetable.org.uk and I'll post them here for you.
Sometimes tortoises can appear to lose a little weight if you weigh them just after they have had a poo, and with some scales (especially if they aren't digital) the smaller weights aren't as accurately calculated. However, the 9g lost during the last week is a bit too much. It could be just a blip, but it's a good idea to check all everything to ensure that all is well.
The fact that you are bathing him, that George sips his water, nibbles his cuttlefish bone, is lively, and is eating is really excellent, and indicates that there aren't any serious problems. Temperature is crucial for tortoises, and the colder weather we've been having lately might mean that the temperature in the room he is in has dropped and therefore you might need to lower the light in his table in order to get the temperature to the desired level (it should be 30C at the hot end (and this should be measured directly under his lamp and at the height of his shell -- not by a thermometer on a nearby wall), and 20C at the cooler end. At night the temperature could drop down to around 14C or 15C but if it gets colder than that then you might need some supplementary heating, and we can make some suggestions.
How much would you say George is eating each day (your diet sounds fine)? He only needs to eat enough leaves, etc. that would make an imaginary blanket to cover his shell (you want him to grow slowly), but if he is consistently only nibbling part of a small leaf then we can suggest ways to get him to increase his intake. It's great that he is nibbling the cuttlefish bone -- what brand of calcium powder are you sprinkling on his food?
Sorry for all of the questions, and some of them aren't really essential to answering the question of his weight loss. My instinct tells me that your husbandry is good and that this is just a little blip, but with a tortoise that young it's always good to monitor things closely. In case you don't have one, here's a link to a care sheet for Hermann's tortoises: https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf
Nina
Congratulations on giving a home to a little Hermann's tortoise, and it is a great relief to know that you have him in a tortoise table, rather than a vivarium. Your photos weren't attached to your message (you need to attach them, reduced in size, and then click on the Place Inline instruction for each of them to get them into the message). If it doesn't work for you, then just send them to me at nina@thetortoisetable.org.uk and I'll post them here for you.
Sometimes tortoises can appear to lose a little weight if you weigh them just after they have had a poo, and with some scales (especially if they aren't digital) the smaller weights aren't as accurately calculated. However, the 9g lost during the last week is a bit too much. It could be just a blip, but it's a good idea to check all everything to ensure that all is well.
The fact that you are bathing him, that George sips his water, nibbles his cuttlefish bone, is lively, and is eating is really excellent, and indicates that there aren't any serious problems. Temperature is crucial for tortoises, and the colder weather we've been having lately might mean that the temperature in the room he is in has dropped and therefore you might need to lower the light in his table in order to get the temperature to the desired level (it should be 30C at the hot end (and this should be measured directly under his lamp and at the height of his shell -- not by a thermometer on a nearby wall), and 20C at the cooler end. At night the temperature could drop down to around 14C or 15C but if it gets colder than that then you might need some supplementary heating, and we can make some suggestions.
How much would you say George is eating each day (your diet sounds fine)? He only needs to eat enough leaves, etc. that would make an imaginary blanket to cover his shell (you want him to grow slowly), but if he is consistently only nibbling part of a small leaf then we can suggest ways to get him to increase his intake. It's great that he is nibbling the cuttlefish bone -- what brand of calcium powder are you sprinkling on his food?
Sorry for all of the questions, and some of them aren't really essential to answering the question of his weight loss. My instinct tells me that your husbandry is good and that this is just a little blip, but with a tortoise that young it's always good to monitor things closely. In case you don't have one, here's a link to a care sheet for Hermann's tortoises: https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf
Nina
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