r/Tortoises

I just acquired a 2-1/2 month old Herman’s (Optimus prime).
What % humidity should I shoot for?
Ambient temp?
Basking temp?
Is a t5 10.0 on top of a mesh screen that’s 12” high enough UV or would you recommend something different?

Hello! This is my first post on this subreddit, but I hope y’all can help me out.

So, after my grandfather passed me and my family had come into ownership of his 3 adult tortoises. We think* they are 2 females and 1 male but we aren’t sure. (2/3 tortoises pictured here I believe)

But those adult tortoises have had babies, 6 that we have in total. Though we think some might be from a different clutch because they are smaller than the rest.

(I have tried to label the pictures with an R for the recent photos. And I’ll see if I can find more photos of the adults.)

My family says they are desert tortoises but we are not entirely sure. We also know that the first tortoise was found by another relative and given to my grandfather and then the other two were gifted to him by another person because they heard he had a tortoise.

If anybody has an idea of what species they are would be so appreciated!

I’ve been giving it to a friend with chickens but I have been overloading her so I was gonna branch out to other species

and what kind of tortoise is those

Hey everyone :)

I recently got 2 Russian tortoises, one is about 1 year old (around 5 cm) and the other is 2 years old (around 7 cm). Their names are Littlefoot and Schnappi :)

They both seem really happy so far and are slowly getting used to me and becoming less scared every day. I just want to make sure I’m giving them the best life possible and would love any advice from more experienced keepers.

Right now they have:
- a large overhead UVB light and a separate heating/UVB lamp (both from Arcadia) (one the picture was the day they moved in so the overhead uvb that goes trough the whole terrarium wasn’t installed yet and the heated lamp is now from above so they have one clear spot with a stone beneath)
- a water area
- several green/plant sections
- 4 hides
- different surfaces like wood, stone, and substrate
- substrate that’s around 15–18 cm deep so they can properly dig and burrow

Their indoor enclosure is only temporary for the next ~2 years until they’re big enough to move into a large outdoor enclosure, because personally I don’t think Russian tortoises should permanently live indoors if it can be avoided.

I mainly just want to know:
- Is there anything I could improve?
- Any “must know” beginner mistakes to avoid?
- Things that made your tortoises noticeably happier/healthier?
- Favorite plants/foods/enrichment ideas?

Thank you so much :) I really want them to have the best life possible.

Especially when it “rains” 😉

made out of an old bed frame.

they only live here while it's cold outside if they're not dormant.

That bird wasn’t going to stop Crush from getting to his yummy snack.

Here are some pictures of tortoises I have taken pictures of at zoo. Abilene Zoo and Kentucky Down Under.

Just want to show my two baby Hermann's tortoise :)

They're both 1 year and a half old, and they're so curious and full of energy !

saw this in my backyard any idea of what species is it?

Hi! I got a juvenile red foot tortoise a week ago and I have some questions I’m hoping to get clarity on!

What’s a good area temperature wise to place the food slate? Should it be directly under the basking area?

How do you prevent over feeding with a juvenile?

Picture 1.
Is this shell rot on its left-centered plastron shell piece?

Picture 2, 4, and 5
I have trouble identifying early signs of pyramiding. Are there any?

Picture 3.
Are poops normally so huge? He pooped two days ago and it was maybe 3/4 the size of this one.

Thank you for your time!!

I’ve noticed one of my hatchlings “itching” their belly on some things in their enclosure. One of my three torts is doing this. The others are not itching or acting differently at all.

Today I soaked all 3 hatchlings and took the opportunity to check that torts belly. Then I check the rest …

I see that they all have developed these orange marks underneath. The orange spotty bits and the faint white outline bits are what I’m concerned about.

Other Info:

• Eating fine, toileting fine.
• I soak 1-2 times per week but will be increasing to 3-4.
• Added a humid hide this week but tbh, humidity is something I think they need more of.
• They’re only like 4-5mnths old hatchlings
• We live in New Zealand, tortoise knowledgable vets aren’t really a thing here, hence seeking help from this community.

I’m not sure if it’s just normal with hatchling shell growth, or just a sign that they need more humidity? Is it something worse… the start of a fungus? Shell rot?

What is it?