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Hermann's Tortoise
Testudo hermanni
Meet Hermann's Tortoise, a majestic Mediterranean herbivore. Long-lived and deeply rewarding to keep, this diurnal reptile thrives in sun-drenched outdoor enclosures with a fiber-rich weed diet.
Class:Testudines
Order:Testudines
Family:Testudinidae
Genus:Testudo
Species:Testudo hermanni
Formerly known as:Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
40 - 60 %
Day temperature
18 - 35 °C
Night temperature
18 - 22 °C
Adult size
28 cm
UVB
High
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Hermann's Tortoise is native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, including Italy, Greece, the Balkans, southern France, and eastern Spain. It thrives in Mediterranean oak and beech forests, scrublands, rocky hillsides, and coastal meadows with dense vegetation for cover and open patches for basking.
Taxonomy and Genetics: A reptile belonging to the Testudinidae family. It is classically divided into two main subspecies: the Western Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni hermanni) and the larger Eastern Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni boettgeri).
Behavior and Habits: It is strongly diurnal and heavily reliant on solar thermoregulation. It actively browses for food in the morning, hides during the hottest hours of the day, and becomes active again in the late afternoon. In the wild, it undergoes winter brumation (hibernation) to survive cold months.
Morphology: Features a moderately domed, oval carapace with highly contrasting yellow and black markings. A key identifying trait is the presence of a horny scale or "spur" at the tip of the tail. The supracaudal scute (shield above the tail) is typically divided.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: An outdoor, secure enclosure is vastly superior to any indoor setup and should be provided whenever weather permits. If housed indoors, a large open-top tortoise table is required (minimum 4x8 feet for an adult). Use a deep substrate of topsoil mixed with play sand. Glass tanks are inappropriate as they restrict ventilation and cause stress.
Lighting and Heating: Excellent lighting is paramount. A high-quality UVB source (Ferguson Zone 3) is strictly required for calcium metabolism. Provide a basking spot of 32-35°C (90-95°F) with a cooler ambient end around 21-24°C (70-75°F). Nighttime temperatures can drop safely to 15-18°C (60-65°F).
Humidity and Hydration: Ambient humidity should be 40-60%. Provide a shallow dish of fresh water for drinking and soaking. Microclimates are essential; offering a humid hide helps prevent shell pyramiding, especially during the crucial juvenile growth stages.
Feeding and Supplementation: Strictly herbivorous. The diet should be high in fiber, rich in calcium, and low in protein and sugars. Feed a diverse mix of wild weeds (dandelion, plantain, clover, mallow) and edible flowers. Avoid fruits, iceberg lettuce, and animal protein completely. Dust food with a calcium supplement daily and vitamins weekly.
Compatibility: Best kept solitary. If keeping a group, a massive enclosure is needed with many visual barriers. Males are notoriously territorial and aggressive, constantly harassing females to mate, so a ratio of one male to at least three females is required if cohabiting.
Health and Common Diseases: Vulnerable to respiratory infections if kept cold and damp. Shell pyramiding is a common developmental disease caused by incorrect humidity and diet. Also susceptible to metabolic bone disease (MBD) if UVB or calcium is lacking.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Hermann's Tortoise is native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, including Italy, Greece, the Balkans, southern France, and eastern Spain. It thrives in Mediterranean oak and beech forests, scrublands, rocky hillsides, and coastal meadows with dense vegetation for cover and open patches for basking.
Origin
Europe, Mediterranean, and West Asia
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 28 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 28 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 28 cm for this species, recorded as straight carapace length (SCL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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