Hi I'm new to all this, and have recently got a Hermans tortoise i have read alot of stuff on-line about them, and wonderred if there is any useful information anyone could give me to make sure im doing everything right. He (not sure if it is a he but thats what i keep refering to it as) is kept in a totoise table with sand as the substrate, i'm currently feeding it on pellets i was given by my local pet shop, although the tortoise itself wasnt bought from there. He has a 5.0 UVB tube light and a heat light for basking. Any more help and advice would be very much appriciated as i have read so much stuff that contradicts itself on other sites.

Hi and welcome!
I am afraid to say you have quite a lot of things that could be changed/improved! Where did you get the actual tortoise from?
Well done for not being conned into getting a viv ,open topped are the way forward. i'd get some topsoil(no chemicals) and mix it 50/50 with the sand,much better for your tort.
Please get rid of the pellets,what sort of diet is that??they'd never come across those in the wild would they! They are also too high in protien which is very harmful. stick to weeds such as dandelions(this a sticky thread at the top of the tort section with pics of edible plants/weeds),they are free too!
5.0 uvb isnt quite high enough,you need an 8.0 0r 10.0. What sort of heat bulb do you have?
there is lots of contradicting advice around but there are some very experienced keepers on here to help you out!
hth
ps-whats his/her name?

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KERRY
0.0.6 Hermanns Tortoises
0.1.0 Hamster
1.0.0 Dalmatian puppy!

Thankyou for ur advise and fast response any more suggetions are truely welcome as i really want to make sure i give this tortoise the best life i can.

My boyfriend got the tortoise from someone in Essex. When went to collect it we didnt realise until we were on our way home with the tortoise that its certificate is German.

The UV bulb is a reptiglow 5.0 tube,and the heat bulb is a 60w basking lamp was considering getting a combined uv/heat bulb so would like some opinions on them if possible.

I did read about giving him weeds and plants but was just a little worried incase i got the wrong plants. But will go hunting in the garden from now on.

Oh and his name is Pagani.

as mentioned previously 5.0 uvb is very low 10.0uvb or a combined are recommended.

the combined bulbs like the megaray,powersun and t-rex are fantastic n kick out alot more uvb than seperate.

60w basking lamp is fine providing it gets the temp right.

as for weeds myself n peaches did a picture sticky at the top of the page which may be worth a glance.

do try to get it off the sand asap as this could cause impaction if ingested. even if it means putting a towel down overnight/this afternoon until you get some top soil.

pellets are high in protein, for med tortoises like the hermanns a high fibre low protein diet is needed. to much protein can cause fast growth and lumpy shell. along with other internal problems. try to avoid store bought veg as it has very little nutritional value, and also avoid fruit like the plague.. as the torts stomach (meds at least) cant digest it fully, so that can lead to the gut flora becoming messed up.

other than whats already been mentioned i'd say visit the tortoisetrust.org fantastic site run by a very knowledgeable tort keeper.

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Thats great, taken him off the sand for now and as soon as the other half comes home going out to get top soil and new bulbs.

Just had a brief look round the garden for some weeds and found some dandelions but couldnt really see much else going to have a lok to see if i can buy some seeds for them and grow them.

I do have just one question that is puzzling me i have read on alot of sites bout vitimin and mineral suppliments but when i was in my local petshop trying to get some i was told they weren't nesessary, could someone help clear this mater up for me and if they are needed what ones are the best ones.

Thankyou

I would recomend nutrobal and Zolcal-D Nurtobal is a powder which is sprinkled on their food and Zolcal-D is a liquid calcium which can be put in their water or put directly onto a favourite food.

for seeds i'd recommend Shelled warriors.if you pm blondesarah or go on ebay - go to shops n type in Shelled..it should come up that way.

in regards to vitamin suppliments.

nutrobal daily for growing torts.and limestone flour sprinkled daily.

for adult torts nutrobal can be given 3-4 times a week but daily limestone is essential

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I give nutrobal daily now, i was giving it 3-4 times a day, plus limestone flour.

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Is nutrobal purely for adult tortoise? cause mine is still very young.

No for all tortoises. I feed it to all my tortoises age range 1 -100+

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