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Hermanns Tortoises are native to the Mediterranean region of Europe from Eastern Spain right across to Türkiye. Due to their compact size and personable character, they are generally regarded as the best pet species of tortoise. They do well in captivity but cannot be kept outside in the UK all year round.

 Hermanns tortoises (along with the larger Spur Thigh and Marginated tortoises) are one of the 3 species that used to be referred to as ‘common garden species’ that in years gone by were imported by the thousand into the UK pet market. Due to this they are now protected in Europe and all individuals must have an accompanying ‘article 10’ certificate to prove they were bred in captivity and not taken from the wild.

There are currently 2 different subspecies recognized (Testudo hermanni hermanni) the Western Hermann’s which occurs from Eastern Spain through Southern France, the Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and as far east as Italy. And then the Eastern Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni boetgeri) which occurs from the Dalmatian Coast (Croatia to Albania) down to Greece and as far east as Northern Parts of Türkiye. There used to be some other subspecies recognized as well, but these have now been included as locality forms of the Eastern Hermanns tortoise rather than separate subspecies. Generally, the Western Hermanns stays a little smaller than the Eastern but there is considerable variability in the size of both dependent upon the specific population they originate from.

Hermanns tortoises occur in a variety of habitats but are mostly associated with meadows, open grassland and rocky scrubland, often in areas which have sandy or free draining soils. They tend to have a biphasic activity pattern where they will bask and forage in the morning, avoid the heat of the day by sheltering in dense shrubs or shaded areas and then become active again in late afternoon. In the wild they would forage on an extensive variety of shrubs and weeds, providing a wide variety of plant matter in their diet in captivity is essential. In captivity they can be kept on a tortoise table or in a large vivarium with adequate ventilation but they will always benefit from being able to live in outdoors during the warmer months of the year.

All of our Hermanns tortoises are microchipped and have accompanying 'Article 10' certificates.