Hi guys, Im a relatively new Hermann Tortoise owner, and Im a bit concerned about the little guy.

He's about 2 years and lives in a Vivarium with wood chippings (but I removed the glass front to let air in and he still can't get out) and has a diet of T-rex tortoise food and the occaisional piece of cucumber, cherry tomato or grape.

Ive noticed that the skin on his neck is starting to peel a bit. Is this normal? what should I do?

Skin shedding is totally normal - don't worry.

How are the temperatures for the little guy? Is he active?

In addition to the T-rex I'd suggest you feed dark leafy greens or weeds instead of the fruits and veggies. They are acceptable as part of a more varied diet but I think the greens would be better.

Some suggestions would be dandelion greens, plantain, Romane and Green/red leaf lettuce(the dark leaves).

I like to suggest low moisture content foods.

Ed

He's quite active, He used to just sleep all day in his little bunker, but then I got him some artificial plants to brighten up his cage and now he's out and about most of the time. I also let him wander around my room quite alot.

they also like to dig so a variety on the floor would be good,i have and so do quite a few tortoise owners on here topsoil/playsand mix at one end with some rocks/stones in the middle and hemp/bark/woodchips at the end.also they like a hide or 2,cuttlefish to gnaw on is a good idea also mine has not ate any of hers yet but has shown interest.if you have a look in the set ups there are pictures with some great ideas,as has already been said i`d change the dried food to green leafy food and weeds from the garden(make sure its not sprayed with pesticides) mine loves dandelion leaves and clover.i also supply mine with fresh water everyday in a shallow dish and she goes in there quite often.you will get loads of advice from other more experienced tort keepers on here.good luck

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2 western hognoses,1 eggeater,1 el salvador,1 b/w tegu,2 dogs,3 cats,4 scorps,1 spidy!!

Hi and to the forum.

The skin peeling on his neck is nothing to worry about, he's simply shedding. Are you giving him regular baths to keep him hydrated?

A cheaper (well free actually) and healthier alternative diet would be a mixture of edible weeds/plants. These should be fed on a piece of slate so that the substrate isn't ingested. The edible plant/weed diet can be used instead of the t-rex diet or as a supplement to it should you prefer.

A kinder substrate for your tort would be either hemp or a sand/soil (40% playsand, 60% topsoil) mix. As has already been said they do appreciate a substrate like this as it allows them to dig down. They do also appreciate hides which create a cooler, shady area for them to retreat to.

Be careful with plastic plants as there is the possibility your tort could try to eat them although I know some keepers use them without problems.

Well done on taking out the glass in your viv... this will at least help with ventilation. Do you manage to have a good temp gradient in there... around 30degs under the basking spot and 20degs at the cool end is what you should be aiming for.

The following thread has links to useful advice on feeding, supplements, housing and general keeping methods for med tortoises... they would be well worth reading.

MED TORTOISES... useful links

Please ask if there's anything else you'd like to know.

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Hi There,

firstly, I'd bin the T-rex tortoise diet. The first thing that shocks me is that there are tons of colourings in them, they are also totally un-natural.

I would feed a good weed-based diet:
Tortoises

has a brilliant guide for which ones to feed, try and get the biggest variety from that list possible.

I would also change your substrate from bark chips to something more suitable to dig in, such as a soil and sand (70:30 soil:sand) mix or a hemp substrate.

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Josh

www.tortoise-world.com

Hi Josh... to have such a strong opinion of the T-rex diet it sounds like you have some pretty good experience in using the diet and keeping tortoises in general. If you don't have extensive experience using the diet... maybe you've done some pretty serious research or studying that you might like to share concerning these strong feelings leading to recommending not using the diet.

That would be helpful.

Ed

Thank you guys for all your help. He does have a little hide which he likes, and the other day he ate his first dandilion leaf which he enjoyed. I probably will change his flooring, and he hasn't tried to eat his plant yet, but i'll keep my eye on him.

I would also bin the T-Rex diet and feed only weeds, no fruit and that includes tomatoes.

I would also change to a tort table and get rid of the wood chippings.

My first tort lived in a viv, on wood chippings and fed T-Rex food.... Something I would never repeat again.

Also the skin shedding is perfectly normal, I would only worry about it is the skin underneath looked red or sore.