Another tortoise?+new tortoise owner tips

Lovethetorts!

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
85
Location (City and/or State)
Los Angeles california
hello everyone! I hope you are having a good day! So recently about 2-3 weeks ago I adopted a female Hermann tortoise named Sophie from a breeder close by. I originally had built a very large outdoor encloser for her becuse I new I wanted to have more than 1 tortoise I wanted to eventually have about 2-3 Hermann tortoises maybe a few years after I got Sophie. Well when I was looking to get a Hermann tortoise it took quite a while to find a female Hermann tortoise. The breeder where I got Sophie from contacted me yesterday saying he had one more female Hermann tortoise for adoption and it was taking quit a while to sell her becuse nobody was interested. He had heard that I was going to get more Hermann to tortoise soon so he asked me if I was interested in adopting her He said that if I was interested that he would drop her off on Saturday the 17th which is about a week away from now. I told him I would think about it. I have really adored Sophie and absolutely love her!? and I do trust him and his tortoise are very healthy But I just wasn't expecting to get another one so soon! Can you give me your opinion and advice? And any tips for a new tortoise owner? Thanks so much!?
:
 

Lovethetorts!

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
85
Location (City and/or State)
Los Angeles california
Here are some pictures of her and her encloser and a video. (these pictures where taken about a week ago I just didn't want to go outside right now becuse its raining.)?
 

Attachments

  • WIN_20210331_10_48_38_Pro.jpg
    WIN_20210331_10_48_38_Pro.jpg
    473.1 KB · Views: 65
  • WIN_20210331_10_45_34_Pro.jpg
    WIN_20210331_10_45_34_Pro.jpg
    1.1 MB · Views: 64

TeamZissou

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
1,048
Location (City and/or State)
Albuquerque, NM
The good news is that if you get a tortoise from the same breeder, you likely do not need to quarantine for 3-6 months like you would if it came from another source.

The bad news is that it's not good to keep tortoises in pairs, regardless of sex. If you get this second female, you will need to build another enclosure for her. If you were able to get a third tortoise, they would probably do alright in the same enclosure. The rule of thumb is 1 or 3 or more, but not pairs.

This enclosure looks too small for even a single tortoise. The recommended minimum size for a single is 4 x 8 feet. If you were to get two more, you'd probably need something closer to 6 x 12 feet at a minimum.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
I can't tell by the picture how big she is?
Do you know for sure they are female?
They usually can't be sexed until around 5 years or so. Sometimes males will let you know sooner but not always.
Otherwise I agree with TeamZissou on enclosure size and pairs.
If you can give proper size enclosure and seperate them and are 100% on sex, it's a great start to a nice group. Females are usually harder to get ahold of in most species.
 

Lovethetorts!

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
85
Location (City and/or State)
Los Angeles california
She is for sure a female the breeder even incubated her to be a female and I am pretty sure she is around 4-5 years. But why would it be bad if I kept a pair? Would they fight or something?
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
She is for sure a female the breeder even incubated her to be a female and I am pretty sure she is around 4-5 years. But why would it be bad if I kept a pair? Would they fight or something?
Incubated for female does not guarantee female.
Pairs, yes, fighting, bullying, one will end up as the loser and get sick or dead.
Many years of it on this forum. It's a fact not a guess.
 

Lovethetorts!

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
85
Location (City and/or State)
Los Angeles california
you think the encloser is to small for I signal tortoise? Really? I thought it was pretty big! And I am pretty sure she is done growing. The breeder I got her from is an expert and has been breeding Hermann tortoises for over 20 years and he said the encloser was perfect for a so signal tortoise maybe a little big.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Keeping a group needs lots of room. A good size yard enclosure or room size for indoor with lots of sight barriers, hides, and water and feed stations. Tortoises are loners in the wild. They do not live in groups, they live alone and thats how they want it. They see another tortoise to mate only and move on. If they come across one they aren't going to mate with they fight.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
How big is the enclosure? 4x8 foot is the minimum for a single Hermanns. Bigger is better.
I don't know who the breeder is. However, unless they have kept up with the new ways to care for a tortoise then they aren't much good. Many breeders of years breeding still stick to the old outdated wrong ways.
Don't forget too, a breeder is trying to sell you something. Just like pet stores, some will tell you anything to make a sale.
Keep all this in mind.
The info on here is because the people of this forum has learned, experimented and done the right and wrong things to come up.with the newest and very best ways to raise a healthy tortoise. We aren't trying to sell anything.
 

Lovethetorts!

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
85
Location (City and/or State)
Los Angeles california
Actually the breeder was selling Hermann tortoises for 250$ each when I asked him how I should pay him he just said no don't pay it is a gift. So he ended up giving me Sophie for free. As well as a cuttlebone and a bag of mazori tortoise diet and he gave me a bunch of I formation about Hermann tortoise care.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
But I thought females didn't fight!
No, they can still fight. One will still take the top spot. Females have a better chance of getting along then 2 males but there is no guarantees and because of this, one always has to have room for an enclosure for each tort. Males will not only fight but will try to mate a female to illness or death.
Recommended is one Male to a group of females if breeding is what you want to do. Sometimes even in a group, the male can be too aggressive and has to be housed alone.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Actually the breeder was selling Hermann tortoises for 250$ each when I asked him how I should pay him he just said no don't pay it is a gift. So he ended up giving me Sophie for free. As well as a cuttlebone and a bag of mazori tortoise diet and he gave me a bunch of I formation about Hermann tortoise care.
Nice. However you need to compare his info to the caresheets here and follow the forums if they arent the same. Many more experienced and years of experience and trial and error here.
Believe me we hear it all the time from newbies. When they finally listen they realize the forums info is better and correct.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
And I thought the rule of thumb for a tortoise encloser is every inch of space on a tortoises shell= a foot of encloser space. I thought everyone new that!
Lol that's a new one. I guess in the wild then these tortoises don't roam very far. Wrong!
You can follow this forums right way or not. It's your tortoises they will pay.
 
Top