Hermann's Tortoise
Testudo hermanni
1. Wide Walking Space, Strong UVB & Damp Digging Dirt
2. Two Great Ways to Set Up Your Habitat
Enclosure: Wide Glass Tank Setup vs. Summer Garden Pen
Tortoises are marathon walkers—and if they can see through clear glass, they'll bonk their nose trying to walk through it all day:
Option A: 40-Gal Breeder, 50-Gal Low-Boy, or 36"×18" Terrarium (Our Top Pick)
Wide floor space gives them room to roam! Just tape a 5-inch strip of dark paper around the outside bottom rim so they don't pace the glass.
Option B: Predator-Proof Outdoor Summer Pen
On sunny Oregon/Washington summer days (70–85°F), a wire-topped garden pen with pesticide-free dandelions and shade bushes is paradise!
Bedding: Why We Ditch Bone-Dry Pellets!
Old books used to recommend dry rabbit pellets or sand—we now know bone-dry bedding is what causes bumpy 'pyramided' shells!
Option A: Reptisoil + Forest Floor Cypress / ReptiBark (4–5" Deep)
Holds gentle moisture underneath for burrowing while giving firm traction; you can even seed Powder Orange/Blue or Giant Canyon Isopods + Springtails under the water dish!
Option B: Reptisoil + Eco Earth + Flat Slate Dinner Tile
Always serve greens on a rough flat piece of slate rock—scraping salad off stone files their beak down naturally so it never overgrows!
Sunbeam Lighting: Linear T5 HO UVB + Basking Flood Bulb
Tortoises need real, high-output UVB to build smooth, rock-hard shells:
Option A: Linear T5 HO 12% Desert UVB Bar + Basking Flood Bulb (Best!)
Covers a wide basking zone so their whole shell warms up under strong UV rays at once. Write the install date on the bulb base with a Sharpie and replace UVB every 6–12 months!
Option B: Overlapping Heat & UV Over a Flat Basking Stone
Hang your basking dome and T5 UVB hood side-by-side 10–12" above a flat rock on the warm end of the tank.
3. The 100% Weed & Leafy Green Menu
Greens, Pellets & Toppers We Love:
Dandelion, collard, mustard, turnip, endive
Soaked timothy-hay & herbal fiber pellets
Hibiscus, dandelion & rose petals (they go crazy for red/yellow!)
Leave a whole white cuttlebone in the tank 24/7
4. Four Keys to a Happy, Thriving Hermann's Tortoise
Warm Tub Soaks 2–3×/Week
Soak your tortoise in chin-deep warm water (85–88°F) in a dishpan for 15 minutes 2–3× a week. Don't panic when they pass toothpastey white 'urates' in the bath—that's normal tortoise pee!
Block Eye-Level Glass
If your tortoise is pacing one wall non-stop, tape a 5" strip of construction paper or vinyl around the bottom outside rim of the glass so they know where the wall stops.
Flip-Over Check
Tortoises love climbing everything! Sink their water dish flush with the dirt and keep steep log hides away from the direct center under the heat bulb so they can never flip upside-down under a hot lamp.
One Tortoise Per Table
Tortoises look peaceful, but two tortoises in one box will ram and bite each other's legs over territory. They are way happier living solo!
Bring-Home Shopping Checklist
Tap items to check them off on your phone while you shop at Critter Cabana.
Wide Tank & Digging Dirt
Sunbeam Heat & Strong UVB
Weeds, Pellets & Calcium
Complete Reference Notes & Oregon Keeping Guide
Species: Testudo hermanni | Difficulty: 2/5 — Easy | Hardiness: 5/5 — Bulletproof
Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply — Keeping Your Pet Healthy & Thriving
At a Glance
| Common Name | Hermann's Tortoise |
| Species | Testudo hermanni |
| Origin | Mediterranean Europe (Italy, Greece, the Balkans) |
| Adult Size | 5–9 inches (depending on subspecies) |
| Lifespan | 50–100 years |
| Diet Type | Strict Herbivore (Weeds, Greens, Grasses) |
| Activity | Diurnal (basks in the morning, hides during midday heat) |
| Temperament | Very active, personable, and friendly. |
| Handleability | Easy. They are small enough to pick up safely and rarely bite. |
| Social Needs | Fine alone. If keeping groups, you must have a large enclosure with a ratio of 1 male to 3+ females to prevent aggressive male harassment. |
| Difficulty | 2/5 — Easy (A perfect beginner tortoise due to its small size and hardiness) |
| Hardiness | 5/5 — Bulletproof (Highly forgiving of temperature fluctuations) |
Why We Love Them: If you want the personality of a tortoise but don't have the space for a 150-pound Sulcata, the Hermann's Tortoise is the perfect pet. They remain small, are incredibly hardy, and are very active. Because they come from the Mediterranean, they tolerate the climate in many US states very well, making them fantastic candidates for outdoor summer enclosures.
Notable Morphs & Locales
There are two primary subspecies of the Hermann's Tortoise available in the pet trade:
- *Eastern Hermann's (Testudo hermanni boettgeri):* The most common subspecies. They grow slightly larger (7–9 inches) and have a somewhat muted, brownish-yellow shell. They are incredibly hardy.
- *Western Hermann's (Testudo hermanni hermanni):* Smaller (5–7 inches) and highly prized for their vibrant, high-contrast yellow and black shells. They feature a distinct "keyhole" marking on the supracaudal scute above their tail.
Housing & Enclosure
Enclosure Size
- Indoor Minimum: A 4 feet Long x 2 feet Wide (8 square feet) "tortoise table" or terrarium. Open-topped wooden tables provide excellent ventilation.
- Outdoor Housing: Highly recommended during the summer. A secure 6x4 foot outdoor pen with wire mesh sunk into the ground (to prevent digging out) and a secure lid (to prevent raccoons/birds of prey from getting in) is ideal.
Enclosure Setup
- Substrate: They need deep substrate to dig shallow scrapes to sleep in. A 50/50 mix of Zilla Jungle Mix (or topsoil) and playsand works perfectly. Provide at least 3–4 inches of depth.
- Decor: Provide low, heavy hides (like half-logs or rock lairs), slate rocks to feed on (which naturally files their beak down), and small sight-breaks like fake plants to reduce stress.
Humidity & Water
- Humidity: Moderate (50%–70%). They are not desert animals, nor are they rainforest animals. They do best with a dry surface but slightly damp lower layers of substrate so they can dig down to find moisture.
- Water Source: Provide a shallow water dish (like a terra cotta plant saucer) sunk flush with the substrate so they can easily climb in to soak and drink without tipping over.
Temperature & Lighting
- Warm Side / Basking Spot: 90–95°F (32–35°C).
- Cool Side Ambient: 70–80°F (21–26°C).
- Nighttime: Can safely drop to 60–65°F (15–18°C), mimicking their natural Mediterranean nights.
- Lighting: A high-output UVB bulb (T5 10% or 12% Desert Bulb) spanning at least half the enclosure is absolutely mandatory indoors to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease.
Diet & Nutrition
The Strict Herbivore
Like their cousin the Russian Tortoise, Hermann's tortoises are strict herbivores. Their digestive tracts are designed to ferment tough, fibrous weeds.
- 80% Leafy Greens & Weeds: Dandelion greens, collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, endive, escarole, and hibiscus leaves.
- 20% Grasses/Hay: Orchard grass or timothy hay (though they eat less hay than Sulcatas).
- TOXIC / AVOID: No fruit (causes severe diarrhea and gut flora blooms), no animal protein (destroys the kidneys), no iceberg lettuce (zero nutrition), and avoid high-oxalate greens like spinach in large quantities.
Supplements
- Calcium: Dust their food with calcium powder (with D3 if housed indoors, without D3 if outdoors) 2-3 times a week.
- Vitamins: A light dusting of reptile multivitamin once every two weeks.
- Cuttlebone: Leave a cuttlebone in the enclosure for natural beak trimming and supplemental calcium.
Health & Husbandry
Common Health Issues
- Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) — Symptoms: Soft, spongy shell; weak legs; dragging the back end. / Cause: Lack of UVB lighting or calcium. / Treatment: Requires immediate veterinary intervention to stop progression.
- Pyramiding — Symptoms: Lumpy, raised scutes on the shell instead of smooth growth. / Cause: Lack of humidity during the first two years of life, or too much protein in the diet.
- Overgrown Beak — Symptoms: The front of the mouth extends like a parrot beak, making eating difficult. / Cause: Eating exclusively soft foods off of soft bedding. / Prevention: Always feed on a piece of rough slate or tile.
What We Stock & Use in Our Stores
These are products we actively carry and recommend for Indoor Hermann's Tortoise setups. Ask any associate for help finding them in-store.
| Category | Product | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Enclosure | Zoo Med 50-Gallon Low-Boy (48"×24"×10") or 40-Gallon Breeder Terrarium (with a 5" visual barrier strip taped around the bottom outside rim) | An excellent, well-ventilated wooden table enclosure |
| Substrate | Zilla Jungle Mix | Mix with a little sand to create the perfect digging texture |
| Heating | Exo Terra Intense Basking Spot Bulb (75w-100w) | Creates a localized hot spot |
| UVB Lighting | Exo Terra Reptile UVB150 (Desert) | High-output UVB is absolutely critical indoors |
| Diet | Zoo Med Natural Grassland Tortoise Food | A fantastic, high-fiber pellet to mix with fresh greens |
| Supplements | Zoo Med ReptiCalcium (With D3) | Dust onto food to ensure strong bone and shell growth |
Care sheet compiled by Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply. For questions, ask any livestock specialist in-store.
Last updated: 2026-08-04
How We Keep Them at Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply
- Beating Dry Oregon Furnace Air (and Summer Heat Spikes): Across the Willamette Valley and Portland Metro, running the house furnace all winter drops indoor humidity to 25–35%, which quickly causes stuck sheds and dehydration in screen-top tanks. To hold
balanced humidityreliably for Hermann's Tortoise, our crew uses a deep 3–5" substrate bed (or our store-shelf 10-Part Bioactive Mix of ReptiSoil, Coco Fiber, Orchiata Bark, Sphagnum Moss, and Leaf Litter), a dedicated humid hide packed with damp sphagnum moss, and partial screen cover when needed. - Thermostat & Linear UVB Standard: Every heating element in our Newberg and Gresham reptile rooms runs on a thermostat probe set to
species-appropriate warm zoneon the warm side with acomfortable room temperaturecool retreat, paired withspecies-appropriate lightingon a 12-hour day/night timer. In summer, if an upstairs room climbs above 82°F, a dimming thermostat automatically backs down the basking lamp so the cool side never overheats. - Stocked at Newberg & Gresham: We stock reptile enclosures, thermostats, Arcadia & Zoo Med UVB lighting, bioactive substrate ingredients, live Springtails, Dwarf White, Powder Blue/Orange, Dairy Cow, and Giant Canyon isopods, and gut-loaded crickets, dubia roaches, hornworms, and frozen-thawed rodents at Critter Cabana (Newberg) and Gresham Pet Supply.
Common Questions (FAQ)
What size tank does an adult Hermann's Tortoise actually need?
An adult Hermann's Tortoise needs at least 50-Gallon Low-Boy (48"×24"×10") or 40-Gal Breeder so you can maintain a true thermal gradient from species-appropriate warm zone on the warm/basking side down to comfortable room temperature on the cool side.
How do I keep Hermann's Tortoise humidity at balanced humidity during dry Oregon winters?
Oregon winter furnace heat dries out thin bedding fast. Use a 3–5 inch moisture-retaining substrate mix (such as Zoo Med ReptiSoil blended with coco fiber, Orchiata bark, and sphagnum moss), provide an enclosed humid hide, and cover 50–70% of an open screen top with HVAC foil tape or a PVC panel if ambient humidity drops too low.
What is the best bioactive clean-up crew for a Hermann's Tortoise?
Pair Temperate White Springtails with a humidity-matched isopod species (such as Powder Blue/Orange for semi-arid setups or Dwarf White / Dairy Cow isopods for humid forest setups) in a 3–5 inch bioactive soil and leaf-litter bed. You can pick up our 1-Page or Tri-Fold Bioactive Substrate Recipe Guide and live cultures at Critter Cabana (Newberg) or Gresham Pet Supply.
Where can I get Hermann's Tortoise setup supplies, live feeders, and thermostats in Oregon?
We stock our full reptile, amphibian, and bioactive setup supplies—including enclosures, thermostats, Arcadia and Zoo Med UVB lighting, bioactive substrates, live isopods/springtails, and live or frozen feeders—at Critter Cabana in Newberg (514 E First St, 503-537-2887) and Gresham Pet Supply (2185 NW Burnside Rd, 503-665-7606).
