Hermanns set up

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Norm2020
Posts: 7
Joined: 26 Dec 2020, 23:50

Hermanns set up

Post by Norm2020 » 30 Aug 2021, 15:45

Hi i originally came on the forum for some advice and have now kept my western hermanns, ive had her for 6 months now. I just wanted to share pic of her and the enclosure to make sure there is nothing i need to be doing differently or could tweek to make better.

Her current weight is 32g at a year old and shell has no ridges between scutes although her shell does go whitish time to time as see in a photo ( The camera has made it look alot whiter than it actually is ). Im a first time keeper so not 100% on early signs of any issues so be good if any advice on current condition of the shell etc.

Also the set up i have made, which has t5 10% UVB tube and a ceramic heater controlled at 90F outside of this the room is 65F. Fed on a selection of weeds and calcium supplement. The idea is to to get an outdoor set up next summer and only bring indoors for the harsher winter months or is it best to just bring in and out on a day to day basis?. I also added so sphagnum moss to help with humidity and she seems to burrow under this at night.
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lin
Posts: 1034
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:27

Re: Hermanns set up

Post by lin » 30 Aug 2021, 18:45

Hi Norm2020.
The shell is looking great from here and she is looking bright eyed and bushy tailed and walking nice and high. So from what I can see she looks great as does her shell.
Nina will be on a bit later and let you know her thoughts.
Well done.

Lin

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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Hermanns set up

Post by Nina » 30 Aug 2021, 19:08

Hi Norm -- great to hear from you again! I'm so glad that your little Hermann's is doing well, and I'm sure that's because you did so much of your research before you got her, so everything was well set up when she arrived.

She looks absolutely super and is developing well from what I can see. Aim for her to put on an average of between 1g - 3g per month and she should be fine.

I can't see a lot of the enclosure from the photos, and I assume that this is your indoor enclosure. It would be great if you could send a photo showing the whole enclosure. In addition to the UVB tube (which is fine) and the ceramic heater, do you still have another source of light for her? It's just that the UVB tubes don't give off a very bright light, so you could really use another source of light. In fact, you could probably ditch the ceramic heater and just substitute a 100W bulb that gives off light and of course heat. I remember you said that you were ordering some thermometers -- are you measuring the temperature directly below the heat source and at the height of her shell? 90F is 32C, and you probably don't want it any warmer than that, but presumably there is a cool end of the table where it's about 20C (68F) so that she can wander from warm to cool places to thermoregulate.

Also, a nice bright light will discourage her from trying to hibernate. I'm assuming that because she is still only 32g and you haven't had her for a full year yet, that you are going to keep her awake this winter, but at some point in future when you (and she) are ready to hibernate we can provide you with all the necessary information.

Was she able to go outdoors when we had warm weather? It's been a pretty miserable summer for tortoises (and humans too), but hopefully she was able to go outside when it was warm -- the UVB from the sun will have been good for her. Regarding whether she can be out 24/7, I would say that there are a couple of reasons why it's probably better to bring her in at night, unless you have some form of heating in a little house for her outdoors. Firstly, because she is still small, she will lose heat rapidly, and tortoises do need to be warm in order for their systems -- including their digestive system - to function. Some people have a sort of Wendy house outdoors with electricity in it so that they can install a form of heating. The other thing is that I'm not sure where you live, but almost anywhere there are predators (rats, foxes, etc.), so unless you can ensure that she is secure at night then there is always a chance that a predator could harm her. Having said that, many people do construct secure outdoor enclosures with some heating, and we can give you some tips on making one.

I've just looked at the thread you posted in December, and I see that I never responded to your last post on 28th December! I'm so sorry! Occasionally we have a short period of time when we're not notified of new posts and I somehow missed yours! Would you like me to go back to that post and answer them now? http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site ... php?t=2209 The questions were about digging in (absolutely normal), an outdoor enclosure (which I think I've partly answered here), and humidity (I think you are doing the right thing). Are you still using the coir substrate or have you switched to a soil-based one?

Finally, the most important question of all -- what's her name? :) She really is a lovely looking tortoise and she must be absolutely delighted to be a part of your family.

Nina

Norm2020
Posts: 7
Joined: 26 Dec 2020, 23:50

Re: Hermanns set up

Post by Norm2020 » 30 Aug 2021, 20:37

I am very happy with her and glad i did go for the western Hermann they have so much bright colours her name is Nala. Also happy to hear that the shell looks good its hard when you are doing it all for the first time and not sure whats good and not. Shes averaging 1.2g per month so that seems to fall in line.

I have attached a picture of the full enclosure and although you cant see the actual light i do have a second strip light LED which gives of a lot of light to mimic they bright days. Yes measured 32 under basking but like you say there is a cool end of around 19c at the very end and night time drops slightly below that in the winter pos down to 16 is that ok?

I was thinking of keeping her up throughout this winter and then using the next summer to really read up on hibernation so im ready for the winter after next. Will this be ok to wait?

We did manage to get her out for a few sunny days but its been a rather poor summer as you said, although for next summer i do intend to make a proper permanent enclosure for those nice sunny days but im sure ill be back for some advice on how far i go with this when the nicer weather returns. We are in the country so predators would be an issue and until fully grown which im assuming will take some time, being out day and night may not be the best option for now.

Thats ok about the other post i think you have covered it and i also did some more reading. Its a busy time of year too so thanks for looking back at it.

The coir really became an issue as she was digesting some of the strand bits and lucky i noticed and had to remove some from her bottom, needless to say i switched straight to the soil and had no issues since. I hjave been advised that sphagnum moss is not great to have in there either but i dampen it and she seems to like the dig under it and sleep there so i dont really want to take it away as good for her shell id have thought? [attachment=0]thumbnail_IMG_20210830_110722_resized_20210830_111039079.jpg[/attachment]
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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Hermanns set up

Post by Nina » 31 Aug 2021, 10:01

Hi Norm,

That looks great. Thanks for the photo, and I think Nala is a lovely name.

Her weight gain is textbook good, so well done, and your temperatures seem fine too, and down to 16C at night is also OK -- in the wild they would naturally experience a drop in temperature in the night.

I think that as she is still so small, and you haven't had her for a full year, that I would definitely keep her awake this winter. It's important to know that your tortoise is fully healthy before she hibernates, and the general feeling is that it takes a year for you to get to know her little ways, etc., to know if she is off-colour in any way. Just let me know when you would like information on hibernation, and I will be happy to send you the sheets on preparing for hibernation (which is in some ways the most important part), as well as box hibernation, fridge hibernation (the recommened method), and waking from hibernation. You can email me at nina@thetortoisetable.org.uk, or I can post links to them here.

I think the damp sphagnum moss is absolutely fine. I provides a humid hide, and that can be very good for them -- especially when they are young -- to provide humidity, as artificial lighting can be very drying. Most tortoises are absolutely fine with warm and damp/humid conditions, but if it is very cold and damp then that can be a problem, but your enclosure is good. Glad you changed from the coir, as a soil-based substrate is more natural for them. It's not a bad idea to mix some children's play sand in with the soil, as that will help drainage as well, as you don't want the soil getting too heavy and damp.

Regarding outdoors, if you can go outside in a t-shirt then she can be outside. We won't have many warm sunny days left now, but any time outdoors would be good for her. What i do is I put mine out, and then just feel their shells every now and then during the day, and if they feel cool then I bring them indoors for a little warm up and then out again (but as I said, the weather isn't that wonderful at the moment).

It sounds like Nala is blossoming under your care, so well done on getting her husbandry right!

Nina

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