Hermanns hatchling help

[Kaeloni]

Yesterday I came across an ad on Craigslist of a teenage boy getting rid of all his reptiles because of family problems. He had many reptiles because his dad once owned an exotic pet store. I was interested in taking in the female Russian tortoise he had, but someone had already picked her up.

The boy then offered me a Hermanns hatchling. Apparently the dad had hatched 4 of them and they must go along with everything else. I’m not experienced with Hermanns but I’ve been reading care sheets on here and the hatchling care sounds similar to a Russian. Please correct me if I’m wrong. I’ve been asking the boy important questions about how the hatchlings were started and he has no answers.

So here’s where I’m at, I could take in one of the hatchlings but I’m worried that it won’t be well started and will die on me. There’s a chance I could possibly be saving this hatchlings life. If the hatchlings haven’t been started correctly, is there any way for them to thrive? I have the time and resources to put into caring for a hatchling but I don’t want to set myself up for heartbreak.

 

[Minority2]

Hermanns and Russians/Horsefield tortoises are sister species. That being said, both should never be housed together.

Don't be fooled by discounted prices. Quality comes with reputation as well as price. The information you provided raises several red flags. I would not buy a single animal from the boy or his father unless I can have some sort of evidence that:

1. He uses updated tortoise care practices.
2. His tortoise housing enclosure space is adequate for the number of tortoises owned.

There is no 100% success rates. Though responsible and knowledgeable tortoise breeders are much closer to that figure than your average pet store owner/claimed breeder that really only ever sells wild caught.

 

[Kaeloni]

Hermanns and Russians/Horsefield tortoises are sister species. That being said, both should never be housed together.

Don't be fooled by discounted prices. Quality comes with reputation as well as price. The information you provided raises several red flags. I would not buy a single animal from the boy or his father unless I can have some sort of evidence that:

1. He uses updated tortoise care practices.
2. His tortoise housing enclosure space is adequate for the number of tortoises owned.

There is no 100% success rates. Though responsible and knowledgeable tortoise breeders are much closer to that figure than your average pet store owner/claimed breeder that really only ever sells wild caught.

Thanks for the information. I don’t think I’m going to take one. Free or not. I couldn’t get any information from this kid what so ever on how the hatchlings were started. I was looking for a young adult female Russian tortoise and I’m going to continue my search.