ScottishFish's Hermanns Tortoise Journal

**Old Marine** · 03-09-2012, 03:26 AM

Isn't he or she Cute

**ScottishFish** · 03-09-2012, 11:48 AM

Darn right He/She is!!

**ScottishFish** · 03-09-2012, 12:32 PM

Just put some shredded carrot with a sprinkling of calcium supplement into wizzles food dish. After 2mins wizzle was straight over and tucking in. Looks like shredded carrots get the two thumbs up then! :D

**Demjor19** · 03-09-2012, 04:50 PM

Very cute little tort!!! You are running a heat pad and a heat lamp? May I ask why? Is the heat pad possibly for at night while the heat lamp is off? Just curious...I would hate to see you cook the little bugger!

On a related note...Make sure you keep him/her very hydrated. Dehydration is one of the leading causes of death in hatchling torts.

**ScottishFish** · 03-11-2012, 02:03 PM

Heat lamp is only on for around 8 hours a day when people are in the house, so the heat mat is the central heating and doesn't let the viv drop bellow a certain temp. Remember its scotland I stay so when everyones at work the house sits at 10C so the heat mat keeps him/her warm. Also freshwater is provided everymorning, and I've happily sat and watched wizzle drinking so I know he/she is getting fluids :) I have been watching the thermometer aswell and it doesn't overheat. The tank is 3ft so there is a warm and cool end with a nice temp gradient :)

Got a bag of salad from my work today its got fresh spinach and lambs lettuce in it, I'm sure wizzle will love it!!

**ScottishFish** · 03-11-2012, 10:03 PM

I really don't know why someone just decided all torts are slow, should have seen wizzle when I put some fresh lambs lettuce and red leafy lettuce and spinach in tonite! Jeez was like a bullet to his/her wee food dish! :D great to watch!!

Oh and I forgot to add to the previous post for demjor, I have a thermostat so when my lamps on the thermostat will register it and cut off my heat mat and the viv will stay pretty constant. But I did check and there's a comfortable temp gradient. And if torts could smile I'd say mines was very happy in its home tonite :D

**ScottishFish** · 03-13-2012, 08:41 AM

Just gave wizzle a bath there, he really is very cute when skiddling around in the basin. Got a couple of pics of it on my phne and will persevere in attempting to upload them.

**Crispy** · 03-13-2012, 12:28 PM

cool thread. best of luck with your little guy. more pics of him and the enclosure would be nice.

**Demjor19** · 03-14-2012, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by ScottishFish

I really don't know why someone just decided all torts are slow, should have seen wizzle when I put some fresh lambs lettuce and red leafy lettuce and spinach in tonite! Jeez was like a bullet to his/her wee food dish! :D great to watch!!

Oh and I forgot to add to the previous post for demjor, I have a thermostat so when my lamps on the thermostat will register it and cut off my heat mat and the viv will stay pretty constant. But I did check and there's a comfortable temp gradient. And if torts could smile I'd say mines was very happy in its home tonite :D

From my experience...No tortoise is slow. They just pretend to be. We let ours outside in the spring/summer to graze and they will sit still as long as they are still feeding. Once they decide they have had enough...It's off to the races. Our Redfoot actually made her way to the woods one day during a family picnic (turned my head for a few minutes too long) and she was actually lost in the woods for 10 days! Thanks to my wifes retired mom looking for her every day...She was found. This was in the early fall while temps were falling into the low 50's at night, so she's lucky to be alive. Since then we bought a big "play pen" that we put outside for the torts to play in!

Good on you for getting the T-Stat. I run them on all of my reptile enclosures. I once had a heat pad malfunction and get so hot it warped a rubbermaid tub. i had an Albino BP in it at the time and he suffered pretty bad burns on half of his belly. I'll never run one again without a T-Stat.

**ScottishFish** · 03-14-2012, 09:24 PM

Wow that's one lucky tort demjor!! My tort will only be outside in the height of the summer, which in scotland can still be miserable :( not surprised if I don't have a day nice enough for a couple of years :( I like the sound of a big tortoise play pen! I really like wizzle!! So glad we got him/her !!