Hermann's tortoise is a small Mediterranean species from southern Europe, valued for its manageable size, hardy nature and food-motivated personality.
It occurs in western and eastern forms and suits outdoor keeping in temperate climates during warmer months.
This is a lifelong, even multi-generational, commitment, with healthy animals often living past 50 years.
Captive-bred, microchipped animals with the correct paperwork are the responsible choice, as the species is protected and wild collection has harmed natural populations.
Housing
Provide an open-topped tortoise table or enclosure of at least 120x60 cm for one adult, scaled up outdoors.
Create a gradient with a basking spot of 32-35C under a heat lamp and a cooler end of 20-24C, allowing a natural night-time drop.
A UVB lamp over the basking area is essential for healthy shell and bone development; replace it on schedule.
Use a deep substrate, slightly moist underneath, for burrowing, plus hides and edible plants.
A secure, predator-proof outdoor enclosure with sunlight, grazing and shade is ideal in dry, warm spells.
Diet
Hermann's tortoises are herbivores that thrive on a high-fibre, calcium-rich, low-protein diet of weeds and wild flowers such as dandelion, plantain, clover, sow thistle, hibiscus and mallow.
Supermarket salads should be a minor part only, and fruit rare or avoided as it disrupts gut flora.
Dust greens with calcium regularly and provide a cuttlebone.
Offer fresh water at all times and bathe young or new tortoises a few times a week.
Diets high in protein, sugar or pellets, or low in fibre and calcium, cause shell pyramiding, obesity and kidney and bladder problems.
Health
Signs of health include a firm, smooth shell, clear bright eyes, dry nostrils and strong leg resistance when handled.
Respiratory infections (runny nose, bubbling, lethargy), shell pyramiding and metabolic bone disease are the most common husbandry-linked issues.
Fit adults naturally brumate over winter, but only healthy, parasite-free, correctly weighed animals should be cooled down, ideally with veterinary guidance.
Watch for beak and nail overgrowth, parasites and bladder stones.
An exotics vet should perform faecal checks and assess any worrying change.
Temperament
Hermann's tortoises are confident, curious and notably food-driven, often approaching their keeper and learning routines.
They are diurnal and spend the day grazing, basking and exploring.
They tolerate brief, gentle handling but are not pets to be carried around.
They are solitary by nature and best housed alone.
Males can be persistent and aggressive, ramming and biting rivals and harassing females.
Mixed or crowded groups lead to stress, injury and uneven access to food and basking, so single housing is strongly recommended.
A good fit for
Keepers wanting a hardy Mediterranean tortoise
Gardeners who can build an outdoor grazing pen
Owners prepared for a lifelong commitment
People wanting an interactive, food-motivated reptile
Tortoise problems build over months, so the signs to watch are shape and habit rather than sudden events.
Go now
Runny nose, bubbles, or noisy breathingGo now. Respiratory infections in tortoises become chronic quickly.
Now
Today
A soft shell in a growing tortoise, or a pyramided, lumpy shellBook an appointment and review UVB, diet and humidity. Both are husbandry outcomes and both are permanent once formed.
This week
Not eating for more than a few days outside a planned brumationCall today. An unplanned fast in an active tortoise is not normal.
Today
Swollen eyelids, or eyes held shutBook today. Often vitamin A related, sometimes infectious; both need treating.
Today
This is general guidance for a healthy adult, not a diagnosis. An exotics vet who knows your animal always overrides it — and the time to find one is before you need one.
Can a hermann's tortoise eat that?
A tortoise is a grazer, not a fruit eater. For Mediterranean and arid species, fruit and protein are the two things that do lasting damage.
Never (16)
AlcoholNo safe amount at any body weight on this site.
never
Animal proteinCauses shell pyramiding and irreversible kidney damage. This includes dog and cat food, which is still sometimes recommended.
never
AvocadoPersin, concentrated in the skin, stone and leaves. Implicated in cardiac damage across birds, rodents and reptiles.
never
ButtercupProtoanemonin.
never
CaffeineCoffee, tea and energy drinks. Cardiac and neurological toxicity at tiny doses for an animal this size.
never
ChocolateTheobromine and caffeine. Small mammals and reptiles cannot clear either.
never
DaffodilToxic. Common in gardens where tortoises graze in spring.
never
FoxgloveCardiac glycosides.
never
FruitFor Mediterranean and arid species — Hermann's, Greek, Russian, sulcata, leopard — fruit sugars disrupt the gut flora and are associated with parasitic overgrowth and diarrhoea. Tropical species such as red-footed tortoises are the exception and do take fruit; check the species guide.
never
GarlicSame allium toxicity as onion, and more concentrated by weight.
never
Iceberg lettuceNo nutritional value.
never
IvyToxic, and it grows exactly where a tortoise pen tends to be.
never
LeekAllium family. Same mechanism as onion and garlic.
never
OnionOrganosulphur compounds damage red blood cells. The whole allium family is out.
never
RhubarbOxalates.
never
Salty or seasoned human foodSalt, oil and seasoning. Crisps, chips, seasoned leftovers and processed meat are all out.
never
Rare treats (3)
Pellets and commercial tortoise foodMost are too high in protein and too low in fibre. Weeds and greens are better in every respect. Not needed if the diet is right.
rare treat
SpinachOxalates, in a species already at risk of bladder stones. Rarely if at all.
rare treat
TomatoSugary and acidic. Never the leaves or stems. A small piece rarely, for species that take fruit at all.
rare treat
Occasional (4)
Bell pepperSafe in small amounts. A little, once or twice a week.
occasional
Butternut squashWell tolerated. A small amount weekly.
occasional
CucumberMostly water. Useful for a tortoise that will not drink. A slice occasionally.
occasional
KaleGood, but rotate it rather than feeding it daily. Twice a week.
occasional
Everyday foods (3)
Grasses and hayEssential for grazing species such as sulcatas and leopard tortoises. Available at all times for grazing species.
everyday food
Leafy greensCollard, mustard, turnip greens, watercress and rocket in rotation. Daily where weeds are unavailable.
everyday food
Weeds and wild forageDandelion, plantain, clover, sow thistle, hawkbit. This is the natural diet and it is free. Pick well away from roads and sprayed ground. The bulk of the diet, daily.
everyday food
That plant is not on our list. Tortoises graze indiscriminately and a great many garden plants are toxic, so identify it before it goes anywhere near the pen.
Check the species guide before applying the fruit rule: it is correct for Mediterranean and arid tortoises and wrong for tropical ones like the red-footed.
Setup, monthly, first year and across a whole life, itemised and with the electricity worked out from the actual wattage. Published figures for the same animal disagree by a factor of four, so the calculator shows ranges rather than picking one.
Intermediate
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Intermediate