How old is old enough?

TisMary

Active Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2021
Messages
160
Location (City and/or State)
New York
Hello!
I plan to adopt a Western Hermann's this year. Not new to Pet Parenthood; have had dogs my whole life and also now have a Bearded Dragon and a Panther Chameleon. I have been doing a lot of research on the small tortoises (great resource, this!), and I have a few specific questions that maybe you can help with. Here goes!

I've seen discussions about purchasing a "well established" tortoise vs. a hatchling. So, what exactly does that mean when talking about the smaller tortoises in general, and the Western Hermann's in particular? Before we could adopt the little guys we have now, we had to wait a certain amount of time after they made their debut on the world stage - 8 weeks for puppies, 6 weeks for the Beardie, and 3 months for the Chameleon.

What is the collective wisdom on this as it relates to small tortoises? We're feeling comfortable getting one less than a year old, but want to make sure he's "old enough".

So glad to be able to tap into all y'all's expertise and willingness to share! Many thanks for your help.
 

Ink

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jun 10, 2016
Messages
2,455
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
I am not an expert, however I do have a Western Hermanns. He is now almost 3 years old. I should have bought him from someone on the forum. He was sooo tiny, ( quarter size) and was supposed to be a "well started" 6 month old. However he was not. I hounded the seller, tortoise town, to tell me how old he was, finally they said he was maybe 3 or 4 months old. I paid for 6 months or older. I am one of the few that had a tortoise make it from them. You can check reviews of sellers on the forum. Please ask any questions about a breeder or supplies before you buy if you want. Good luck and please post pictures of your tortoise!
 

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