Hermann’s Tortoise Care Guide

Hermann’s Tortoise Care Guide
The Hermann tortoise also known as a Mediterranean tortoise can be found in southern Europe such as in Eastern Spain, southern France, and in southern and central Italy. They can live at temperatures between 80-86°F (27-30°C) at day and 65-70°F (18-21°C) at night. The Hermann’s tortoise would be easier to take care of due to its size, adaptation to North American weather and animal behavior. It grows to about 6-8 inches in length and can be kept outdoors from mid-March until the end of October.
A Hermann tortoise’s diet consists mainly of leafy greens and grasses and a variety of other vegetables. They may be fed with dandelions, lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, carrots, clover and broccoli. You can also feed them small amounts of peaches, strawberries, grapes, apricots, melons and apples. Feeding them too much animal protein is harmful, so do not feed them with dog or cat food.
The Hermann tortoise would leave their shelter in the early morning to graze and eat then returns at midday when the sun is too hot. Then, they feed again in the late afternoon. Your pet needs an enclosure where it can graze and feed in a sunny location of your yard. Provide them with a shelter with an accessible entryway where it can come and go during feeding and grazing. Indoors, mix soil, sand or cypress bark as substrate. They also need UVA/UVB lamps to mimic outdoor temperatures. It is enough to put them at the windowsill during winter since glass filters UV light.

Your pet needs to hibernate and mature tortoises may sleep for about 4-5 months. Keep them in the basement in a rodent-proof box covered with thick layers of dry leaves. Maintain temperatures at 5°C. Do not let it fall below zero degrees.