New to tortoises

[Amanda1873]

Hello! I am thinking about getting a Hermann's tortoise in Jacksonville (north) Florida. I was wondering if anybody has any tips on what to use for substrate and lamps. I was also thinking about building my own indoor enclosure for it but I'm not 100% sure where to start. There seems to be a lot of conflicting information on the internet and I was wondering if anybody has any tips. My biggest question is can I use a clear plastic tub? is black better? or glass? thanks! also, what is the advantage/disadvantage of purchasing a baby vs a juvenile tortoise?

 

[SweetGreekTorts]

Welcome to the Forum! You're definitely in the right place. Here's a care sheet exclusively for the Hermann's. I was written by Chris Leone of Garden State Tortoise, who is very passionate about tortoises and especially this species - he specializes in them!

You'll find all the information you need about substrate, lighting, temperatures, enclosure types, humidity, diet, behavior, etc:

https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

And here's his website where you can learn about all the different subspecies and locales of Hermann's. He breeds them, so I definitely recommend contacting him when you're ready to purchase. I've bought a lot of my Greek Tortoise hatchlings from him to start building my breeding groups.

https://www.hermannihaven.com/general


To answer your question about hatchlings vs. juveniles: hatchlings are more fragile because of their young age and smaller size.