Reptile & Amphibian Forums

HI, Can anyone please recomend a setup for a Hermans Hatchling. Im getting it in a few days. I can either set up a 10 gallon or a 20 that I have at home. I have a heat lamp, and a 100 watt bulb that also emits the UV rays, and a undertank heater that I can use at night. What is the ideal temp to keep on the warm side? Also since its still kinda hard to find dandilions and clover in cold Michigan weather, what is the best diet to feed it? Is timothy hay something I can feed? I've looked online, but can't really find a good website on Hermans care. Thanks, Dave.

Hi Dave,

Sounds to me like you have the right lites. I keep my basking area around 95 degrees and his cool side is around the low 70s. He seems to be doing good so far. I feed my little Herman mixed greens from the grocery store if I can't find any weeds outside. There is some good sites on what they can eat if you do a search for "edible plants for tortoises". They can also eat Timothy Hay although mine tends to burrow in it more than eat it.
I would stay away from glass aquariums. Everyone I know says they are not good for tortoises. They are constantly trying to get out because they can see through the glass and they are in danger of over heating. We made a wooden turtle table for our little guy. It is pretty much just a book case laying down on its back. I've also heard you can use a 55 gallon rubbermaid container to keep inside the house. You can hook your lights right on the side. It is plenty big for your tortoise. And of course I'm sure you know this one...leave a shallow bowl of fresh water daily in the pen. I also soak my little one every other day in warm water for ten minutes to keep him hydrated. Good luck! We have one little guy that is 3 months old and another one on the way. They are very addictive!
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Becki

1 Husband
4 kids
2 Hermans
1 Dog
4 Finches
1 Betta

If you are talking a 20 gal long that should work very nicely in your area for the first few years.
A temperature gradient of 75 to 90 should work very well. For food you can use the prepackaged spring mix that you can usually find at any grocery store. You can use Mazuri tortoise diet that you can get here
http://www.turtlecafe.com/home.pl
or you can use the Walkabout Farms mixes which are very good and can be obtained here
http://www.herpnutrition.com/
There are 3 key points to focus on... heat, hydration and variety of foods. If you got that covered I can guarentee that you will raise a perfect tortoise.
Oh, Hermans are not big on grazing. They mostly like dark leafy greens.
Good luck with the little guy.
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Ed
Tortoise_Keepers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

I still think a 20 is too small, but OK, I'll defer to you, Ed. I would caution that the enclosure should be set up ahead of time so that warm/cool side temps can be monitored and adjusted if necessary. The MV bulbs can get quite hot (some brands hotter than others for some reason), so make sure there is a thermometer on both sides of the enclosure. The MV bulbs can't be used with a thermostat or rheostat, so you might have to adjust the height. Have fun--Hermanns are cocky little guys.
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.2 Hermann's Tortoises
plus my kids' herps:
0.0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko