Hi Everyone I am new to this so bear with me!!

My 2 yr hermans tort has been reared on the correct diet, environment and heating etc. Her weight has always been in the corrrect range apart from one time she was slightly underweight which prevented her from hibernating (this would have been her first time). But still her shell is quite lumpy not badly but enough to notice, has anyone else had this problem and how do I get the shell to grow smoothly and correct it. If I reduce her food she will be underweight? Help!!!

Hiya and welcome

Is it possible that you can upload a picture, using the link above the smileys on this page, here for us to see your hermanns and assess how 'lumpy' she is before we advise? 

You say she has been reared on the correct diet could you give some details and let us know how much you give her at feed time and how often you feed her?  Do you have an exact hatching date for her and what does she weigh now?  How much weight is she gaining per month?  A lot of questions but this will help us to build a better picture.

Helen

Hi Everyone I am new to this so bear with me!!

My 2 yr hermans tort has been reared on the correct diet, environment and heating etc. Her weight has always been in the corrrect range apart from one time she was slightly underweight which prevented her from hibernating (this would have been her first time). But still her shell is quite lumpy not badly but enough to notice, has anyone else had this problem and how do I get the shell to grow smoothly and correct it. If I reduce her food she will be underweight? Help!!!

Hi helen

thanks for quick reply. As there is quite abit of info to give you I will gather it all together and post back to you tomorrow evening. I will also try to figure out how to send the photo!!

Speak soon

Jane

Hi Helen

Hopefully I can explain our history without being too complicated.

Got my tort in April 2007,  she was born August 2006.

I didn't know how to do the Jackson ratio when I first got my tort, so didn't start to record properly until the November. When I got her she was 1.5 oz's and 3" long (over carapace) fed her on 2 med sized dandelion leaves and 1 dandelion head. opuntia about 3 times a week (about 4 small slices) One day without food every week

As from

10/11 Length 7.5 cm weight 72 gms

1/12       "      7.5cm      "    76gm

Was going to hibernate but was told underweight, so increased food intake 3 dandelion leaves a couple of sm heads.

8/12     "       7.5cm     "    79gm

14/12  "          "           "    81 gm

29/12  "          "           "    85gm

Started wind down for hibernation- No food- Light- Bath every day

Lost too much weight down to 74 gms, so decided not to go ahead and hibernate- started feeding again.

First wk put on 6 gms, second 5gms third wk 3 gms, fourth wk 3 gms

As to date her weight is 129gm and length 8.5 I monitor her weight  dividing 3 length into the weight (0.17 under weight ).22 obese).

She has an open top indoor pen with john innes and play sand- Powersun light, temps kept 28 top end 22 bottom. Always has water and I give her a bath nearly every day. She has an outdoor pen which she can out when the weather is good. We have nearly finished building her house with heat lamp.

Hope this is the sort of info you needed(or that you haven't fallen asleep by now teehee)

I will send the phot seperate incase I loose this email

Regards

Jane

Hi helen

I think I have done it, if you click the upload/view images hopefully the photo is there.

Regards

Jane

Hi Helen here is another one although it is hard to get a close look

Thanks

Jane

For info, my babies born in 2006 who live outside all year round and have hibernated since birth weight between 17 and 27 g. 

Here you can see their enclosure – although the text is in French the pictures will speak for themselves.

http://tortue.forumpro.fr/les-enclos-f12/enclos-pour-nouvveaux-nes-et-bb-t156.htm

Hi Tangerine

You are lucky to have the weather so good, I saw the hot spots on the news forecast last night, unfortunately the weather up in the north of England is not so good and we are frantically trying to get her outdoor pen safe proof as we are at work all day. Hopefully that will be in a weeks time. Are you saying that once she is outside the lumpy shell will correct itself?

Thanks

Jane

Hi Jane,

I live in the North East of England too and my torts live outdoors 24/7 , I do have a sheltered south-facing garden, but the extra room that is afforded by living in a large outdoor enclosure, does allow them much more exercise and therefore better control over their weight gain.

Try restricting the amount of food and monitor the weight, but getting an interesting and spacious outdoor enclosure up and running will definately help.

Hope this helps

Jo

Hi Jane

I see you've had 1 or 2 answers already.  I think perhaps as they say that exercise is the key.  Once your tortoise starts running around I think the growth rate should steady.  I live in the North too, but not as far North as Jo <g>.

Helen

Hi folks

Sorry for the delay in replying I thought I had lost the posting..

Thank you for the reassurance- I have put her out for the last couple of days because the weather has been better, and now her house is ready that means she can stay out all day now, so here's hoping I have a happy little tort on my hands now.

Off on holidays from tomorrow, going to Cornwall and I am going to visit the tortoise sanctuary at St. Austell, looking really forward to it.

Jane