Testudo Hermanni Number 2, or How We Have Another Tortoise
Last year we acquired a Hermann's tortoise from my other half's sister: she had three of them and was struggling to look after them all. The kids called him Billy and they take real good care of him, helping to clean out his vivarium and feeding him. The sister in law is moving house soon and has even less space for her menagerie: she has a few lizards, snakes, and tarantulas, as well as the tortoises.
Hermann's tortoises (Testudo Hermanni) are native to southern Europe. They can live for over 50 years, although the oldest Hermann's tortoise in the UK was over 110 years old.
Meet Norbert. He is slightly bigger than Billy and he arrived at chez Muxxy yesterday. Unsure if we should introduce the tortoises to each other we took them out in the glorious sunshine to see how they got on.
Billy, on the right, was very curious and started to rub beaks with Norbert. At first Norbert appeared as interested in Billy.
Unfortunately things escalated from there: Norbert was having none of it and opened his mouth threateningly, pulling his head into his shell. Billy took note and I imagine he thought 'sod this' and wandered off.
To be honest we are not sure what their sexes are. Going on their behaviour we can guess they are both males. Thankfully we have a vivarium for each tortoise so they will not be kept together. This morning was spent wiring up day and night heat lamps in Norbert's new crib.
Photos taken with a Samsung Note 8. Click any of them to see them larger.
Tortoise is one of the survivors from Jurassic Era that exists until now and has not yet extinct. The other one was crocodiles.
There has been always a tortoise in my life, when I was born Dartagnan was with me until I was 16. Fate would make us get another tortoise, it was a discarded pet and we took her in... she still lives with my mother 20 years later, so cute... It's a Testudo, but a protected species, you can't have those anymore, which is good, I'd not like to see a protected species in a store. But that one was inherited from another family and remains happy with us. They look so wise and smart, and they can be so cute.
These are the first we had. The Hermann's tortoise isn't endangered as far as I know. I agree about endangered species in pet stores.
Look at them going!!! They are always so beautiful on land AND ocean.
So but if these are coming from southern Europe, arent they a little cold where you are located now?
We are in the midst of a heatwave at the moment, but they have heating set up in their vivariums.
Ahh oke they have a warm little house normally.
Heatwave by you guys as well! I havent seen a cloud in days here in Holland, I could get used to this ;)