Hi there, basically, I’m thinking of getting a tortoise, a Herman’s tortoise to be specific.
I was wondering if anyone’s got one, and has a good idea of how hardy or fussy they are?
This is my assumption if I keep them indoors:
Need a UVB lamp over a small wooden box
Hemp bedding, some stones, and small plants in the box
small shaded region for them to hide/sleep
feed them dandelions, cabbage, lettuce.
water in a small bowl.
^are those correct assumptions?
They are rather pricey, but I’d rather keep one for years rather than have it die after a few months, so is it worth spending £30/$60 more on a slightly older tortoise to ensure higher chances of survival? Hatchlings look cute, but I am afraid that they might be a bit fragile.
Lastly, when youngish, are they happy to be handled? generally speaking, mammals love being stroked, but is it the same for reptiles or not?
Hey Sponge!
I have a tortoise and have found caresheets really helpful! Try googling hermans tortoise caresheets or something similar. The tortoise trust is a good website, there is quite abit about Hermans.
I have a Horsfields or Russian tortoise, hes called George!
Whatever you do, don’t give a tortoise lettuce, contrary to popular belief it is bad for them and can give them poorly tummies!
I used to keep George in a vivarium, but now I let him run around the livingroom. He has a sheet of newspaper with his food and water on and his uv light that he can bask under. Although he MUCH prefers basking in the natural sunlight when it shines through the windows!
Good luck and a great choice of pet, way better than a cat or dog I reckon!
Oh sweet Edd! I never knew you’d be a tortoise owner.
How old is George anyway? I’m still debating with myself whether to get one as young as they sell them in shops or one that’s a little older at the extra cost of £30 or so?
Anyways, how much hassle is it to keep George? I find mammals to be so much work to upkeep, but I’m hoping reptiles don’t need attention as much.
fresh veggies (except lettuce), fresh fruits, earthworms, insects, mealworms, lean dog food, and vitamin/mineral supplements are good for tortoises. only feed 'em once a day. and clean out old food when putting in new. also, they like it when you let them graze in a yard (pesticide free of course). this allows them to get their prefered greens and maybe even hunt their own bugs.
NEVER EVER, EVER give a tortoise meat of any sort! It is not their natural diet and can make them very ill and can deform them!
Here is a deformed tortoise that has been fed on dog food.
Sponge: They are so easy to look after compared to mammals, as long as you do your research. I only feed George once every other day (He gets fresh water everyday though). He gets a bath once a week too, although I don’t think he really needs a bath so often because he is a house tortoise. Apart from that, we more or less let him get on with it. He runs around, climbs things and sleeps, he doesn’t crave attention like a lot of pets!
They do eat a bit of meat - not much though. There’s a Herman’s tortoise at my parents’ place they’ve had since I was about 4 years old. He just lives in the garden and mostly finds his own food from the dandylions and clover round the garden and the odd slug, which I would say is pretty meaty, supplemented with bananas, cucumber and the like. He’s brought inside in the winter to hibernate in a box in the cellar.
That one is from the times when they were imported from the wild in sometimes rather dubious conditions, but now I’m pretty sure all tortoises sold have to be bred in captivity.
I used to have a pet tortoise that was actually potty trained to scratch on the door when he wanted out! When they are lil they are pretty standard, heatin light if its in in cold are, water dish, plate of lettuce and soem veggies like chopped up small raw carrots, and some bedding, hemp like you said is a purty good way to go I would think. When mine was older he decided his sleepin spot was under my moms bed, and thats just where we kept him :D. He scratched the door when he wanted to get some sun or go to the bathroom, and just kinda chilled in that room, kinda cool pet actually lol
Tortoises will eat small amounts of meat if you give it to them, which you should not! it is not good to give it to them as edd has shown a high protein diets causes MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) in which their shells and bones deform. If your parents tortoise ate a slug i’m sure it was on accident maybe as it was on a leaf or something. Your right about all tortoises for sale in the UK should be captive bred and in fact its a legal requirement that the seller provides appropriate documentation and a certificate with each tortoise sold, so make sure whoever you buy yours from does sponge (pm me if you would like more info).
Its safer to invest slightly more on an older tortoise say 2-3 years old than on a tiny cute hatchling as they are very delicate and therefore require way more attention to start with.
I would definitely recommend a good read on the tortoise trust website, they know exactly what their on about.
My tortoise ran away when I was 5. I guess some of my neighbors saw him making his way down the street, but I guess they were to busy to chase after that sucka.
My father found him walking across the road as he was driving to a greenhouse in Hawaii and decided to bring him home as a present for my brother and I. The poor guy was a bit startled at first, and wouldn’t come out of his shell, or even move at all for that matter. As he lay motionless in front of my brother and I I commented “Needs batteries.” I guess when he eventually got some they were energizers, and he just kept going and going.
We found a tortoise walking down the lane outside my house a couple of months ago. Fortunately just past it was a ‘lost tortoise’ sigh. It had been on the run for over a week, and was 2.5 miles from its owner’s house.
I have a pair of Hermann’s Tortoises, they are really neat!
We don’t know if you’re gonna keep 'em in a terrarium or outside, so you need to tell us that!
I keep mine outside. The big guy is about 10 years old and he sleeps under the bushes in my yard. The little one has 4 years and she is very small so she sleeps in a little house she got from the pet shop.
In the terrarium, you’ll need a big cage. The floor must be entirely full with rocks and/or sand, but NEVER let it be only glass!
Fill the space with artificial plants, buy a little house for the fella and a little bowl for water. You don’t need a bowl for food, just put lettuce, tomatoes and strawberries on the floor.
But if you are going to keep them outside, nothing to buy. They will sleep under trees, bushes, rocks, in any kind of protected area. You only gotta give them vegetables 3-4 times in the week, they eat garden plants when you don’t feed them and can stay long without any water at all!
And I would advice you this - don’t keep only one tortoise. My male was alone almost 3 years and he was really sad, so we got him a female baby girl. She will be his play mate for many years.
And for the attitude - they are just awesome!!
They don’t like being kept in hands for too long, they love wandering around their free space, eating, sleeping and sunbathing.
If you ask me, the COOLEST little pets EVER!
There, I hope I helped!
Well, c ya and good luck with those turtles of yours!
