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My Hermanns Tortoises

Hermanns Tortoises feeding
Hermanns Tortoises feeding
Female Hermanns laying
Female Hermanns laying
Hermanns hatching
Hermanns hatching
Adult Female Hermanns
Adult Female Hermanns
This baby Hermanns really was this shape when it hatched
This baby Hermanns really was this shape when it hatched

I have kept Hermanns Tortoises since 1997 and they have bred for me every year since 2000.

Of the available species of Mediterranean tortoises the Hermanns Tortoise is the hardiest and does the best in our climate with a little care and attention at certain times of the year.

They are the most active too, even in showery weather. Greenish to olive/straw coloured carapace with darker markings. They are real characters - always on the go. Adult length is typically up to 20cm for the (slightly larger) female.
I recommend my Hermanns Tortoise youngsters as suitable for anyone, even if you have never kept a tortoise before. Their needs are easily met and I keep hatchlings indoors over their first winter in open-topped housing with a spotlight for warmth and an Arcadia D3 daylight strip-light to provide 12% UVB radiation for proper bone-growth (please e-mail me for a comprehensive care-sheet).

From late-April onwards they are allowed outside on sunny days from about 12 noon to about 3pm on the lawn to give them access to natural sunlight and the change to graze on mixed vegetation. Outdoor accommodation must be escape-proof, predator proof (e.g. mesh top allowing sunlight through but keeping cats and birds out) and include an area of shade to enable the tortoises to get out of the heat if they feel the need to. For the third winter and beyond I over-winter all my youngsters out-of-doors in cold-frames which give frost protection.

My adults live in greenhouses all year round and also have outside access to allow them to bask in direct sunlight, and also have the run of a secure garden for the summer months (generally from May to August).

Several excellent publications dealing with hibernation and with general care of Hermanns Tortoises are available from The Tortoise Trust and I recommend that you obtain one of their care-sheets and study it in depth before purchasing any tortoise. The Tortoise Trust web-site is http://www.tortoisetrust.org

These tortoises, given proper care can live for upwards of 40 years so look at them as a long-term investment. Hermanns Tortoises are listed on CITES Appendix II and each animal is supplied with an Article 10 Exemption certificate issued in my name by DEFRA as required by law.

Click here for my free Hermanns Tortoise care-sheet and tortoise price-list.
(If the link doesn't work please use info@marcus-langford-reptiles.co.uk)