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AKTUALISIERT: MÄRZ 2021
Western Hermann's Tortoises
(Testudo hermanni hermanni)
We are head over heels in love with Western Hermann's Tortoises (Testudo h. hermanni) These miniature Mediterranean tortoises the most colorful and wonderful tortoise we know. They are in general the smallest of the Hermann's Tortoises and are also currently listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List.  These little tortoises are found across coastal areas in Spain, France and Italy as well as on the outer islands. While Hermann's Tortoises are well known in the pet trade as popular pets, its actually the Eastern Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo h. boettgeri) that is common. The Western/Dwarf/Italian Tortoise (Testudo h. hermanni) is much less common, in fact rather rare in captive populations in the United States. 

The locale we work with here are from the Madonie mountain region of Sicily. Due to their rarity in the US and the fact that these little gems are endangered in their natural habitat I have chosen to work toward maintaining an assurance colony. In future years we hope to get my animals linked in with the AZA Studbook program and with the Turtle Survival Alliance to ensure healthy genetic integrity and diversity for this species going forward. 
 
Dalmatian Hermann's Tortoises
(Testudo hermanni 'hercegovinesis')
We also work with a unique "locality-type" of the Eastern Hermann's, formerly a subspecies, called the Dalmatian Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni 'hercegovinensis').  These awesome little tortoises come from the Herzegovina region in Bosnia and Croatia. They are much smaller generally than the common Eastern counterparts and they are more colorful as well. They are even morphologically distinct from the Easterns and some Westerns because the lack an inguinal scutes entirely. Many keepers are very passionate, like us, about keeping the integrity of the locality-type/subspecies and maintain pure bloodlines of these wonderful animals. In many European countries in  these tortoises are still classified as a subspecies and in one French publication they're listed as a full species (Testudo hercegovinesis)! At Reptile Mountain LLC., we adamantly disagree with the "lumping" taxonomy practices and feel such actions are slopy science and an attack on the integrity of natural history and diversity.

Note: TC has previously disagreed with historical attempts to lump subspecies and has since been published and affirmed by quality science to have been accurate in classifying other reptile species as full species (re: Crotalus concolor).  

 
NEAR THREATENED CBB Testudo hermanni 'hercegovinensis'
(LEFT) Breeding pair, Dalmatian Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni 'hercegovinensis') feeding on fresh dandelion greens in their outdoor paddock during the summer season.  Co-habitation of certain tortoise species can be successfully managed with proper set up and observation.

 (BELOW) Breeder male,
Dalmatian Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni 'hercegovinensis') preparing to basking in the morning sun in an outdoor paddock. Providing access to morning sunlight is vital to captive management of tortoises in outdoor settings. 
NEAR THREATENED CBB Testudo hermanni 'hercegovinensis'
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NEAR THREATENED CBB2018 Testudo hermanni 'hercegovinensis'
TestudoHermanni
Hermann's Tortoise
Endangered CBB2021 Western Hermann's Tortoise
Western Hermann's Tortoise
Western Hermann's Tortoise
Western Hermann's Tortoise.jpg
Dalmatian Hermann's Tortoise
Dalmatian Hermann's Tortoise
Female Dalmatian Hermann's Tortoise
Male Dalmatian Hermann's basking

Recommended Hermann's Tortoise Videos 
by Garden State Tortoise

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