Hermann's Tortoise

Overview

Hermann's tortoise is a medium-sized Testudo tortoise. Adults are usually 5 to 8 inches long, and the western subspecies can reach 11 inches. Females average about 12% larger than males ¹. Many have a yellow fleck on the cheek, and a horny spur tips the tail ¹². With good care, Testudo tortoises live well into their 50s and possibly to 100 ². A Hermann's may outlive you, so plan for it.

Natural history

Wild Hermann's tortoises live around the Mediterranean. They use evergreen and oak forests, dry rocky hillsides, scrub and grassy slopes, with damp springs and autumns and very dry summers ¹. They are more than 90% plant-eaters and seem to prefer legumes and clovers over grasses. They occasionally eat snails, worms or carrion, but in captivity they should be fed as strict herbivores ¹.

Enclosure

• Outdoors in warm months whenever possible. Most Hermann's cope well in secure, well-drained, planted pens ¹.
• Climate. Outdoor housing suits warm, dry climates. Excess moisture invites shell and respiratory disease ³.
• Indoors. Give enough room to roam ¹. Only juveniles up to about 4 inches can start in a 36- to 48-inch tank. After that, Chicago Exotics recommends sizeable pens, ideally 12 ft square or more even for small species ⁴.
• Furnishings. Multiple hides, including one humid hide with damp sphagnum moss, plus artificial burrows and edible plants for shade and grazing ³.

Temperature & lighting

Tortoises need UVB to use calcium and build healthy shells and bones ³. Use a strong fluorescent UVB tube or mercury vapor bulb, replaced every 6 to 12 months. Run about 14 hours of light and 10 of darkness on a timer ³. Avoid hot rocks and use a thermostat ³.

Humidity

LafeberVet gives a range of 40 to 75% ¹. Keep the main enclosure dry and well ventilated, and offer a humid hide ³.

Substrate

Cypress mulch or coconut husk indoors. Avoid gravel, sand, cedar, pine or aspen shavings, which can injure tortoises or cause impaction ³.

Diet & supplementation

• Staples. Weeds, forbs and dark leafy greens such as dandelion, collards, mustard, endive and escarole, plus clover and grape leaves ³.
• Occasional extras. Squash and other vegetables in smaller amounts, fruit only rarely ³.
• Avoid meat, insects, dairy, bread, spinach, onion, garlic, mushrooms, iceberg lettuce and processed foods ³.
• Calcium. Dust food with calcium carbonate twice a week ³.
• Young tortoises under 2 years can also have soaked tortoise pellets every 2 to 3 days ³.
• Soaks. Shallow warm-water soaks for 15 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week, help with drinking and passing waste ³.

Handling & temperament

Tortoises are docile and endearing, but they defend themselves by withdrawing into the shell rather than fleeing ⁴. Like other reptiles they can carry Salmonella, so wash your hands after handling them or their enclosure ⁸.

Health

Common issues

• Tortoise herpesvirus. Hermann's are especially susceptible to the severe TeHV3 strain ¹. Quarantine newcomers and talk to your vet before mixing tortoises.
• Post-hibernation blindness, linked to vitamin A deficiency ¹.
• Metabolic bone disease and pyramiding from too little UVB or calcium or poor diet ⁹.
• Husbandry problems. Poor husbandry is behind many tortoise illnesses, which makes tortoises among the reptiles vets see most often ⁴.

When to see a vet

See your vet for a runny nose, eye discharge, breathing problems, or a soft or misshapen shell ⁹¹⁰. Have an annual wellness exam ³.

Hibernation

Wild Hermann's hibernate for about 4 to 5 months, from October or November to March or April. LafeberVet recommends no more than about three months for a healthy captive adult, kept at 40–50°F ¹. Only healthy, well-conditioned tortoises should hibernate. Book a pre-hibernation checkup in late summer and an exam afterwards ¹⁰.

Breeding overview

Females have much smaller tail spurs than males ¹. Pre-hibernation X-rays can catch retained eggs in females ¹⁰.

Legal & ethics

Testudo hermanni is listed on CITES Appendix II and is "near threatened" on the IUCN Red List ¹⁵. Choose captive-bred. In the US, selling turtles or tortoises with a shell under 4 inches is banned except for bona fide scientific, educational or exhibition purposes other than as pets ⁶. The ban dates from 1975 and is aimed at turtle-related Salmonella ⁷.

Sources

1. Basic Information Sheet: Hermann’s Tortoise · LafeberVet
2. Basic Information Sheet: Mediterranean Tortoises · LafeberVet
3. Testudo Tortoise Care · Tree of Life Exotic Pet Medical Center
4. General Tortoise Husbandry · Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital
5. CITES listing: Testudo hermanni · Species+ (UNEP-WCMC and CITES Secretariat)
6. 21 CFR 1240.62: Turtles intrastate and interstate requirements · Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
7. Salmonella and Turtle Safety · U.S. Food and Drug Administration
8. Salmonella, Feeder Rodents, and Pet Reptiles and Amphibians · U.S. Food and Drug Administration
9. Tortoise Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases · Tree of Life Exotic Pet Medical Center
10. HIBERNATION RECOMMENDATIONS · Tree of Life Exotic Pet Medical Center

Last reviewed 2026-10-24 by Novel Fauna. This guide is general husbandry information, not veterinary advice. When an animal is sick, see a veterinarian experienced with exotic animals.

Revision history

1. 2026-10-24 Library: fix source frontmatter, hognose difficulty, fallback guide links, hero copy a22966a
2. 2026-10-24 Library: 50 cited care guides, /library/[slug] route, coming-soon cards, SLUGS.txt synced to species.guide_slug 228ce54

Evidence grades: Novel Fauna editorial: source classification, not yet expert-reviewed, 2026-10-25. What the grades mean.

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