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Sudden And Unexpected Hermanns Owner

Started by DevLss, Feb 03 2014 05:06 PM

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#1 DevLss

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Posted 03 February 2014 - 05:06 PM

Just to introduce ourselves and say hello!

 

Last week we didn't know anything about owning a tortoise and, despite always admiring them and thinking that it must be wonderful to have one, we never thought we would.

 

However, after a frantic visit from a friend in a domestic crisis needing an immediate new home for his Hermanns tortoise, we spent most of the night researching on the internet, the following morning building a tortoise table and the afternoon collecting him (we are working with 'him' until proven otherwise)!

 

He was only bought 6 months ago from a pet shop (hatched in 2011) and has been kept in a viv. on wood chippings and fed pellets for that time and in the pet shop too. We now have him on a tortoise table on topsoil and munching through some mixed salad, dandilion and foget-me-not. He looks happy and is busy charging around.

 

Hopefully we are doing good by him - but does anyone know if there are any particular things we should check him over for or look out for given his history? I worry that even though he hasn't cost us anything to acquire we could have set ourselves up for a future of vets bills...

 

Anyway, on a brighter note, used up most of the day on Sunday sitting and watching him. Actually a lovely feeling that could still be with us in many years time.


#2 Guest_Wizzasmum_*

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Posted 04 February 2014 - 12:26 PM

Have a good look at his shell shape for the most obvious problems and check if he is nice and smooth, with no lumps and bumps. The next step re shell growth is to check the lighter coloured growth lines and see if they are the same thickness all around the tortoise and not thicker at the front compared to the rear. Sloping off towards the rea is a sign of metabolic bone disease due to lack of D3 and/or uvb. Make sure eyes are nice and bright and not sunken looking at all and that his tail area is clean with no loose faeces. Check his walking and make sure that he walks nice and tall and not close to the ground. Well done on taking him on and giving him a better environment, he will surely thank you for it in the long run. Do you have his paperwork, as you will need this in the future, especially if you end up with more tortoises ;)

Good luck :D


#3 DevLss

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Posted 05 February 2014 - 09:53 AM

Thank you for such a detailed reply. Yep, we have the certificate. Luckily since his owner had only recently bought him it was all still together in the box he travelled from the pet shop in!

He is certainly walking nice and tall and marching around - so much so that today I have the afternoon off work to build him a bigger table with much higher sides! His eyes were very dry when he arrived and one wouldn't open. We have given him a few good soaks and gently bathed it and today it seemed much better and opened on its own. 

 

From my inexperienced eye his shell seems to be in good shape but I am not clear how smooth it should be. If I can work out how to post photos I will put a few up...

 

He weighs 88g. Is that about right for his age?

 

We have already 'jokingly' talked about a 'friend' for him - but we'll wait to find out for sure what sex he is first I think so that will give us a while to get used to looking after one!

 

Thanks again


#4 DevLss

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Posted 05 February 2014 - 11:37 AM

Can't work out how to post photos - I'm being thick.

I can manage to upload a very tiny one to my profile but not in a post!


#5 Kelly

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Posted 05 February 2014 - 12:53 PM

If you upload your photos onto photobucket.com you can copy and paste the IMG code into your posts to get a full size image. :)


#6 Guest_Wizzasmum_*

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Posted 05 February 2014 - 02:45 PM

Hi there, my two year olds weigh around 40-50 grams, so if this one has been kept awake and not hibernated, his weight is not bad. It will be a few years before you know what sex it is and introducing another at a later stage might cause a few problems. If you introduced another male, there would almost certainly be dominance issues, but once the initial fighting is over, they should settle providing there are no females around. If you were to introduce a female then you would have to keep them separate unless you had more females and could give them a wide area to roam. From his pics, his shell looks fine :)


#7 DevLss

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Posted 06 February 2014 - 04:36 PM

Brilliant, thanks.

 

From what you have said I think we will stick to one... we will see how it goes :)

 

I eventually managed it I hope: 

 

T3_zpsbe659980.jpg

 

T2_zps3cefdf88.jpg

 

T1_zpsdc5f1d13.jpg


#8 Beermat89

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Posted 06 February 2014 - 07:08 PM

To be honest after beening kept in a viv and fed on pellets hes in rather good condition i would say,very lucky tort :)

#9 Guest_Wizzasmum_*

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Posted 06 February 2014 - 07:10 PM

Considering what he has been through, he is not looking bad. For want of a better word, he should not have a 'skirt' area, but should be smooth all over from top to bottom, but as he is only small and given enough humidity, that will not show after a couple of years. Keep growth nice and slow and don't let the lighter growth area get any wider and he will be fine. The growth lines should be hardly visible to encourage smooth growth :)


#10 DevLss

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 10:52 AM

Thank you for your help and comments :) We will try to put your advice into practice!


#11 Guest_Wizzasmum_*

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 03:44 PM

Luckily he has only had 6 months of bad care - 12 months would have produced a completely different looking tortoise ;)


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