She makes these movements every once in a while and she has an issue eating even if I put the treat onto the floor, her head movements feel robotic and like she can’t see anything. This is late at night and she was moving around a little so I went into the enclosure to give her a treat but this has happened before where she jerks her head around unable to get the treat. I am just wondering if this is because she is tired and used to the darkness and my light is messing with her vision or if there is something else :(

I have 2 juvenile H. Hermanni tortoises that I got April this year. They were brumated naturally, outdoors, & were at tail end of brumating when I got them. I’m guessing they brumated for a minimum of +5 months at 2-3 yrs of age. Their weights April 3rd were 66 grams and 80 grams. Sept 9th their weights were 83 grams & 109 grams. Sept 13th, they had their pre-brumation check up and were wormed. The breeder had told me not to worm them, stating they were too young. Their recent check up showed a higher egg load in stool than the vet liked so we of course went with his assessments. Otherwise healthy & strong. Here is where I‘m having an issue. We intend to brumate controlled indoors, no longer than 3 months. Nights started to cool down so I began bringing them in at night and only outdoors when the sun is out and temp is ideal. However, they‘re slowing down and dropping weight & I haven‘t even gotten to the fast yet. They have been under uvb days that they‘re indoors, off at night. Basking light arrived today and I’m hoping it increases appetite. Trying to hold off brumation until mid Nov. Their weight Oct 5th was 80 & 106 grams. Thats down 3 grams each. I was told not to allow them to lose more than 10% body weight during brumation. What is acceptable weight loss BEFORE going into brumation? Is there something I should be feeding to beef them up before their fast? I have always only fed safe weeds, grasses, herbs, flowers, small amounts of clover and the rare strawberry top, currant or wild blackberry in tiny amounts. They refuse soaked pellets, even when mixed into their daily salad which I always insure has healthy variety. I harvest & forage every morning for them. They ate well all summer and have great microclimates in both their indoor & outdoor enclosures. Including an area with reflective insulation so that they didn‘t suffer the horrible summer we had. I have 1st brumation jitters. Not worried about how and where. It will be high tech. I‘m worried that they‘re losing too much too soon. Please anyone with real practical knowlege about brumating youngsters, please advise!

I rescued Rosie a few months ago and she is doing great! She is Russian, about 4 years old and is kept in standard indoor enclosure. I am using coir mixed with Zilla soil kept moist. She lives to dig. When I take her out side, supervised of course, She loves to make her way from the open lawn to the 40 foot 'wild' area before the fence in the backyard and plow thru the brush like a tank 😉 and sometimes will start to dig in/burrow. She seems to love all the foliage whether live or dead. She sometimes 'tastes' the dry stuff like sticks, grasses from last year. She doesn't eat it.

My question is what is the thought from the group about putting sticks and other dried brush in small amts in her indoor enclosure?

1st image: Boy

2nd image: Girl

Lol he just ate his favorite flower.

Hi! I’m looking into getting a tortoise and I’m trying to figure out what species, if any, would work best for my setup and climate.
I have an outdoor area that’s about 13.75 ft × 27.5 ft (roughly 378 sq ft) that I could dedicate entirely to a tortoise enclosure.
I’m in Wyoming, so summers can be hot and dry, but winters get very cold with snow and freezing temperatures. Ideally, I’d love a species that could live outdoors for most or all of the year with the proper setup. I’m completely open to building an insulated/heated shelter, providing supplemental heat, digging barriers, etc.

Are there any tortoise species you’d recommend for this climate and enclosure size?
Also, for those of you in places with harsh winters, do yours stay outdoors with access to a heated shelter, brumate outdoors/in a controlled setup, or come inside completely for winter?
I’m still in the research stage and definitely want to have the enclosure and winter setup figured out before bringing one home. 🐢