Personality

[Trashytort]

I have had a look through the threads here which are all good for practical help, but what about the personality of a hermanns? What are they like to keep?

I was also wondering if people have found that they mourn after losing an owner when rehomed? I would imagine they must do as they are such wise and long lived animals.

 

[GBtortoises]

I have been keeping & breeding Eastern Hermann's and Dalmatians for over 25 years along with many other species of tortoises. Simply put, Hermann's are my absolute favorite and I believe the best all round tortoises to keep in captivity. They are very active, inquisitive, rarely shy, easy to provide for, adaptable to different climates and environmental conditions and once established rarely ever have any health issues. Despite having several other species of interesting tortoises such as Russians, Marginateds, Ibera, Pancakes, Redfoots & Burmese Brown the Hermann's are still my favorite. Mainly because of their inquisitive nature and lack of fear. If I had to get rid of all that I but one species it would be the Eastern Hermann's that I would keep.

Tortoises don't mourn loss of life. They do not posess the same emotional level that humans do. They posess basic survival instincts and any percieved emotion that they may be seeming to display is a response based on their modified survival instinct in captivity. A perfect example of that is when a tortoise eventually comes running to your hand. Many people like to believe that it is a show of affection, such as when you're happy to see someone. In reality it is an association of your hand with food. They're running to the thing that provides the food to them!

 

[Trashytort]

Thats very interesting. I read somewhere that they don't mind living alone. DO you find that to be true or are they better in groups?

 

[GBtortoises]

I don't think it's a matter of minding whether or not they live alone, I think it's more that in the wild they would not normally always congregate with their own species for the sole purpose of just being together because of a desire to. In other words they do likely come together by chance or necessity at common eating, drinking and basking areas and of course during mating seasons. Meeting during the mating season is probably more due to the fact that males will track a females scent, not just meeting by chance.

In captivity many captive born "pet" tortoises live a healthy, solitary life without a clue of any other existence. Even adult wild caught tortoises can live just fine the rest of their lives in captivity without ever having contact with another tortoise again.

But, that is not what I personally agree with doing. I believe keeping a solitary tortoise is a very unnatural method that takes away the tortoises normal lifecycles and existence. I very much believe in keeping tortoises either in a small, sensible ratio of male to female groups. Or keeping a group of females together with the male seperate and introducing them at peak breeding times. I think either is a more natural occuring scenario. At least as close as you can get in captivity.

Alone, they're daily existence is without purpose.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

What a great post!

This is the kind of thoughtful, science-based insight that makes me feel like I'm enrolled in "Tortoises 101".

Now I will have to re-analyze my opinion that Russians are the "best" breed of tortoise for amateurs to keep. I also must ask, are Russians and Hermanns closely related? Are their care and feeding similar or significantly different? Are Hermanns more expensive than Russians, and are they widely available? What would be your primary reason for favoring Hermanns over Russians?

Sorry, Gary, but your knowledge and experience have put you on the spot here for student questions. (At least I'm not sleeping in class!)

 

[GBtortoises]

Stephanie-Honestly, I am biased! Despite also having Russians, Ibera, Marginateds and other species Hermann's have always been my primary obsession. Based on their overall traits and the environment and climate where I live they are the complete package to me, my opinion only of course!

I'm not saying that Russian tortoises aren't great too, because they really are. Mine remind me of little bulldozers. Hermann's and Russians are closely related and their care and feeding is very similar. One of the major differences, at least in the wild is that Hermann's (any of the three subspecies) are not a burrowing species. In fact the only time I've ever seen one dig with their front claws is when there is a juicy plant root that they want to get more of!

Eastern Hermann's, Testudo hermanni boettgeri are the most commonly available, then Dalmatian Hermann's, T. h. hercegovinensis with the most rare and much more expensive Western Hermann's, T. h. hermanni being the hardest to find. In many people's experience the first two subspecies are the most hardy and easier to care for. In terms of price captive born baby Russians, Easterns and Dalmatians usually are nearly the same. As adults, Russians are usually less expensive. Captive born Easterns and Dalmatians are much more commonly available than captive born Russian tortoises by far.

I don't necessarily have a primary reason for favoring Hermann's over Russian but several minor ones including: Hermann's tend to be more inquisitive, they are usually more colorful with brighter constrast in colors, they are often more active, They are very adaptable tortoises in general. They also breed more consistently in captivity which in turn means more captive born Hermann's are available opposed to the majority of Russians in captivity that are wild caught.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Cool. Thanks for the info on Hermanns and the comparison with Russians.

Now I will be able to make a more informed choice if someday I get another tortoise. It's a huge tempation and really you haven't helped to squelch that at all...

 

[GBtortoises]

I'm not very good at talking people out of another tortoise. In fact, it's usually just the opposite!

 

[LaraAngela]

I've had my Hermann's since she was only a few weeks old. She is now two and has an AWESOME personality. They are personable, seem to recognize their owners, will interact with you (especially if there is food involved), hardy and don't get HUGE like some of the other species. In m opinion I couldn't think of a better tortoise to own.

 

[bradley fielden]

I've had my Hermann's since she was only a few weeks old. She is now two and has an AWESOME personality.

i have just got a hermanns ive had her for about 4 weeks now and i love it to bits. they are cool and i couldnt beleive how fast they are! i think people say there are slow comparing them to faster animals like the hare in the famous story but its cool to watch how quickly she gets accross and around my garden. since i noticed this i always keep a close eye...

i love it. and i want another again just becuase when shes not in the garden it just lust so much more boring for her as in she hasnt go meters she has bout couple of foot. so it should be better, entertaining and i have heard they will eat more as they compete for food. what are your views

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

I've had my Hermann's since she was only a few weeks old. She is now two and has an AWESOME personality. They are personable, seem to recognize their owners, will interact with you (especially if there is food involved), hardy and don't get HUGE like some of the other species. In m opinion I couldn't think of a better tortoise to own.

Agreed...Hermann's are THE ultimate tortoise!