Hi everyone!

I have just got a 3 year old Western Hermanns.  I am so confused about what she needs for an indoor house.  The breeder who sold her said all she needed was a cardnoard box lined with newspaper, a heat mat for under part of the box, UVB lamp for daytime and access to a shallow water dish he suggested the lid of a jam jar!  at the moment this is my setup.  I went into a local reptile house who tried to sell me a glass Vivarium setup which i declined.  been looking on the net today but feeling very confused!  thankfully came accross this site nad would love to hear from someone who actually cares for one of these lovely creatures.  By the way although I don't know the sex i'm calling he/she Poppy.  If anyone can help, would love to hear from you.

Cheers

Marie

Hi Marie

After reading what you said in your message I'm so pleased you found us too.  Unfortunately you have been given some appalling advice, but we will help you get set up properly.  First of all have a read through our hermanns care sheet.  If you click on 'The Tortoise' in the green left hand margin of this page it will show you drop down menus and you will find the care sheet there.  Have a read and then ask any questions you like.

Can you post us a picture of your hermanns please as we love to see pics .  You can add one to your message but you will need to resize it and make it a small photo.  Alternatively you can go to the members photo gallery and create your own album.  You'll find instructions on how to upload your photos there.

Have a look at other members pictures and also enclosures in the TPG photo gallery tand this should give you some good ideas of what you really need to do.

Helen

 Marie, You'll find many questions answered on the care sheets but PLEASE feel free to ask away anything that you are unsure about. Love the name Poppy!

looking forward to the new pictures,

Elaine

Hi Marie, I could be totally wrong but I suspect I know who your breeder is, from the advice.  I think it might be best to ignore all you have been told by your breeder! Especially as you have been told you have a Western, it must be(Bob).

Heatmats are no longer thought suitable at all and I'd suggest you don't use it.  At nighttime the normal temperature in your house will be plenty high enough (except possibly in winter if your house is very cold and your tort not hibernating).  For a short period the cardboard box without the heatmat at night will be fine.  For indoors I personally favour the heat+UV lamps (MegaRay or Powersun) but you need an open table to hang it over, you can either buy one of these tables or make one simply.  The bigger the better as there will be times when this is all your tort will have.

I've found I need the indoors tortoise table and facilities outside as well.  They just love being outside and are quite hardy, but do require protection not only from predators but the cold as well.  I've found a coldframe to be a great investment.  If you just got your tort you might want to concentrate on your indoor set-up to begin with.

I've been keeping a few torts for a few years now and I started off quite badly because of wrong advice.  By spending a lot of time on the net I found there are people out there who do really care about these animals and whats best for them, and don't try and suggest it's all easy.  These are mediterranean animals after all, they need quite a bit of help to thrive in this climate.

I've rambled on too much as usual, but please do keep posting your questions here as you will get really expert advice from Helen, Nina and others, and it doesn't matter how many questions or how often you post them.  Please read the Hermann caresheet on this site.

The Western hermann is a very unusal tortoise to be kept in the UK, you will find everyone else has the Eastern.  I personally think the Western is the most beautiful tortoise.  I'd love to see some pics of Poppy if you have a digital camera!

I hope you'll let us know how you get on.  Jonathan

Hi Helen

Thanks for getting back to me....got the care sheets and have been busy setting uo outdoor area...in fact she's out there now in the sunshine!  will post some pictures and let you know how we're getting on.

Cheers

Marie

Hi Elaine

Thanks for your reply...got care sheets now and will post pictures soon,,,glad you like the name!

Cheers

Marie

Hi Jonathon

Thanks for replying...you have given a lot of help and got me wondering about what type Poppy is!  I will post a picture soon.  I have got my outdoor area sorted.....kind friend did that for me...she's out there now actually, but it's the indoor thats worrying me.  There is so much conflicting information and i've been in to a local reptile place that actually had torts for sale....they were in a glass vivarium and I felt so sorry for them.

I'll let you know how i get on and I do appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with me.

Cheers

Marie

There is lots of confusininformation out there and you have to do what's best for your tortoise and what works for you.  Have a browse through the TPG photos for some ideas - they are all different as you will see.

I look forward to seeing your pictures but if you get stuck uploading them please shout and we'll help, best advice I can give for now is to read the instructions as you may need to resize your pictures.

Helen