The Tortoises

These are the two species of tortoise we are currently breeding:

Hermann's Tortoises

Hermann's tortoises are small to medium size tortoises that have an attractive black and yellow shell which tends to fade as the tortoise gets older. The tail of both sexes has a large horny scale on the end, with the males tail being much longer and fatter. Adult males tend to be smaller than their female counterparts.

There are two main types of Hermann's tortoise.

Testudo hermanni boettgeri 

which comes from Southern Europe, ( mainly the Balkan region ) and is the largest of the two.It is the most common tortoise to be kept as a pet in British gardens. Adult females grow to approx. 250mm and is the species that I breed.

Testudo hermanni hermanni  ( I do not breed this type )

which is found in Northern Spain and Southern France. It is the more brightly coloured and has a yellow spot behind the eye. The plastron, or under shell, is more darkly marked and sometimes has continuous black markings on each side. Adult females seldom reach more than 200mm.

Spur-Thighed Tortoise

Spur-thighed tortoises are also small to medium tortoises and have a distinctive spur or wart on each thigh either side of the tail. The tail unlike Hermann's tortoise has no scale on the end and the shells are not usually so bright.

There are two main types of spur-thighed tortoise.

.Testudo graeca ibera 

Found in Northern Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria. These are the most suitable spur-thighs to be kept as pets in British gardens and is the species that I breed.

Testudo graeca graeca ( I do not breed this type )

 North African spur-thighs found in Morocco, Algeria, Libya and parts of Tunisia