Hi Cheryl,
Welcome to The Tortoise Table, and congratulations on getting Dumbledore (great name by the way)!
I can understand that you feel overwhelmed, but I’m really encouraged because you have all the right concerns and have pinpointed the potential problems.
First of all, here’s a link to a care sheet for Hermanns.
https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf
Secondly 3’ x 2’ is really too small for a 3 year old, although it will do for a little while, especially if he can go outdoors. Tortoises need a fair amount of space and an interesting environment to keep them from getting bored and wanting to sleep all day. I would say that 4’x 2’ would be much better, and in that space you can accommodate a ramp up to a second level that would give him more scope for exercise. Have a look at the indoor enclosure section on our website for some ideas. Here’s a link to the general enclosures page and there are links there to the indoor and outdoor sections.
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... 0kRscp4Wf0
You can even use something like a set of bookshelves, lying on its back with the shelves taken out.
I would take the heat mat out of the plastic box, as they don’t need extra heat in there. Also, if it is on the floor of the box then he is at risk of burns, but if on the roof then it isn’t dangerous, but not necessary.
Substrate. The best is something that approximates what they would have in the wild, which is a sandy soil, so we use a mixture of ordinary sterilised topsoil and children’s play sand (both of which can be bought at garden centres or places like Homebase). You mix them 50/50, or maybe a bit more soil than sand, and give it a light spray every day or so to keep it from getting dusty. And make it as deep as possible so that he can dig in and bury himself completely if he wants to.
The Exo Terra dual light. I assume that this is a combined heat/light/and UVB lamp. Do you know how old it is? These lamps need to be replaced every two years, as they stop putting out UVB after a while. A local reptile shop could possibly check this for you with a UVB meter.
There should be a protective shade around it to protect your eyes, as UVB can damage your eyes if you look straight into the bulb (if the bulb has a silver coating around the bottom that will offer some protection).
You will need a good thermometer that can measure the temperature directly under the bulb, at the height of Dumbledore’s shell. The digital fridge thermometers with a display unit and then a probe at the end of a long cord are good for this. Temperature is super important for tortoises, and you want a temp of about 30C directly under the lamp and about 20C at the cool end, so depending on the temperature in the room you might need to raise or lower the lamp to get it right.
It is great that you are giving him time outside! Weather not great at the moment, but if it’s warm enough for you to be in a t-shirt then it’s warm enough for him to be out (and if it’s sunny but a bit cooler he can still go out for a while and then back in to warm up under the lights and back out again).
Sorry to have gone on at such length! Sort out the heat mat and the new substrate first, and please come back with any questions or problems you have. I think you’re going to give Dumbledore an excellent home!
Nima
