I've been reading up on torts in general and Hermann's in particular for about 6 months. I'll be getting my hatchling in about 3 weeks, so it's time to get down to business! I still have some specific questions that I was hoping some of you could help me with:



1) Is aspen a suitable substrate for hatchlings? I use it for my snakes, and I like it because it's easy to clean and also easy for them to burrow in (and readily available in my area).



2) How often is it necessary to completely clean and disinfect an enclosure? I'm assuming daily spot cleaning, of course. I have a cleaning schedule for my snakes, but their fecal output (ick) must be much less than a tort's.



3) Is daily feeding required for a hatchling, or is it too much? I want to make sure I keep growth at a reasonable rate, but of course I don't want to starve the little guy.



4) I've read that the temps. should be 80-85 in the basking area and 70-75 in the cool area, with a night drop to a low as 65. Is this correct? Where do I measure the basking area temps., at the substrate level or a few inches higher (air temp?)?



5) How much shade should I provide outside, and if the air temp is over a certain degree, should I provide complete shade? I understand that they still get UVB rays on cloudy days, but is this true for shade, also? We can get quite hot here, and I want to err on the side of caution.



6) UVHeat bulbs v. Reptisun? What do you all use? I know from the archives that Niki and EJ like the UVHeat, but I was wondering if they are still having problems with the bulbs going out prematurely. Is there any difference in brands?



7) Is there any way to safely remove possible pesticide residue from weeds/plants? I will be growing some of my own weeds, but what about store-bought produce? I also have access to tons of grape leaves (wine country, lol), but in all likelihood they are sprayed--better to just skip them?



I think that's all the questions I have...for now. I'm really sorry for the length of this post! I appreciate any and all answers I receive--thank you so much!



Jeannie

[ Hide Replies ]

• Done my research, but still have some questions... - Jeannie, Sun Jul 20 10:09:06 2003
• I have had better exp. w/ the ActiveUV than the Powersun......n/p - zhiv9, Sun Jul 20 16:52:08 2003
• Just the opposite for me. PowerSun bulbs have been - Lisa and Virgil, Mon Jul 21 00:03:57 2003
• RE: Done my research, but still have some questions... - EJ, Mon Jul 21 10:26:27 2003