How to look after Hermann’s tortoises
The care of a baby or young tortoise
If you have a baby tortoise they will do better if kept on a proper tortoise table or an airy vivarium, as very young tortoises cannot regulate their body temperatures well.
Heating and Lighting
Hermann’s tortoises need to be able to warm their bodies so they can eat and go to the toilet. So they will need to have an area where they can get warmth of around 70-80 F. And will also need an area where they can cool down, so a nice shaded area is needed. You will need a ceramic bulb heater just for the heating, and for the light, a filter tube light is needed, you will need one for reptiles. Please ask at your local pet store for the proper advise. The filter light is very important for the proper shell growth of your tortoise as it gives off elements, which they usually get from the rays of the sun.
Feeding
Your tortoise will always do better on natural plant foods such as Dandelions, Clover, Plantain, Chickweed, Milk thistle, and many more, please read as many books on tortoises or get information off of the Internet, as this does really help.
If you can’t get access to these foods another way is a variety off lettices, but please DO NOT OFFER Iceberg lettice.
Also a variety of vegetables raw or cooked can be offered, and also many fruits can be tried, but try not to give too much of the same thing. Also offer foods such as veg and fruits chopped up, so eating is made easier. You will get to know what foods your tortoise likes.
Hermann’s will also eat the odd raw mincemeat; you may notice that in the garden they will eat snails and slugs.
ALWAYS PROVIDE CLEAN WATER in their vivarums and if they are outside, tortoises do need to drink and they also love to bathe. Tortoises bathe they CANNOT swim.
Other tips
Tortoises love to go out in the garden on warm days, if the days not too cold they are ok if it rains, as long as they can get shelter, Provide shelter from drafts, also provide shelter so they can get out of the sun, as this can become dangerous. Tortoises can be very fast when in a warm environment, so make sure your garden is well fenced as they really are the great escape artists, they will find the smallest gap and they will be gone. Please don’t make holes in their shells to put a string through as in days gone by, as they do feel through their shells. Tortoises love to roam, so please provide plenty of space, remember. You can’t fence a tortoise in just fence your garden.
Please watch your tortoises as they are very prone to falling over on to their backs if climbing, very often they can right them selves, but sometimes their unable to on their own.
Tortoises do get bored, so please provide things for them to climb on. They also love to go inside and under things, so try to provide something like shredded newspaper or a cardboard box.
Supplements
Please give calcium to your tortoise everyday when small and as they get older every other day, then when adult maybe once or twice a week. You can give them this in the form of cuttle fish or a bird supplement, I very often keep a piece of cuttle fish in their vivarium. Cuttle fish is also good for keeping tortoises beaks in good shape. Please ask at your local pet shop for advice
I hope this care sheet helps, if you do need any more advice please email me. At christiemay3@hotmail.com and I will help the best I can.
Please enjoy you tortoise. Thank you Chris Carr.