The Hermann’s Tortoise Is The Most Low-Maintenance Pet | Scaled

Want to get a turtle but don’t know which one to get? The Hermann’s tortoise is basically the cow of the reptile world. Here’s everything you need to know about this slow-moving reptile.

Stream Full Episodes of Scaled:

Subscribe to Animal Planet:

Join us on Facebook:

Follow Animal Planet on Twitter:

[paulfredstone]

My tortoise actually does things for me. I've mounted a Halloween- esque knife on his shell. He protects the house. Can you imagine the fear a very slow moving knife would create in someone invading my home..? I'm sure I can't be the inly person with a guard tortoise...

[JG-onwx]

I love tortoises with all my heart, they're like dinosaur babies to me! I own a 6-year-old Russian tortoise and he can be very calm and slow, but also very energetic, especially when he's looking for food😂

[jimmorton]

Several commenters here complain that they have kept tortoises and that they were high maintenance pets. But it depends on what kind of tortoise. If you have a species that gets two feet long or weighs fifty pounds, yes maintenance can be high. But not this little champ. This one is super easy to feed. Weeds are the major need in their diet, so clover, dandelion, sheep's sorrel, plantain (the American weed, not the tropical fruit). No need to buy vegetables or fruit or live insects or worms or eggs or fish or meat of any kind. In fact, fruits or soft veggies are bad for their digestion. Their systems are designed to process usually difficult to digest weeds. In order to get all the nutrients out to such foods, they have an unusually long digestive tract and there's a longer time between eating and excretion. And because they come from fairly dry climates, their intestines extract almost all of the water from the food before waste pellets are produced. The result is that their droppings are not messy, not wet, not smelly... so that cleaning after them is a breeze. As far as needing a lot of room, again such depends on the kind of tortoise. If you own a species that gets two feet long and weighs thirty pounds, you probably need an entire backyard for them to roam. My Hermann's is a male named Darwin, full grown at less than six inches long, weight slightly more than a pound. I have a roomy enclosure for him when I want him indoors and a small outdoor enclosure as well. I got him when he was four weeks old and now he's eleven years old. Of all the many dozens of animals I have kept and cared for over the years, he's definitely the least demanding and easiest to care for. You just need to provide heat, uva and uvb light, dry substrate, room to roam, and food. There are websites that list all the weeds and wildflowers they like to eat and even have photographs of the plants so that you can identify them. You don't really have to buy any food if you don't want to, though there are actually decent ready made foods... though most pet store foods are not good for them, having too much protein and not enough roughage.

[FarmerCooking]

What a lovely pet you having! amazing man! 👍 I love ❤ Tortoise...❤❤

[rachelwilts]

I got one a week ago did research first. We love him already!!

[kyliesbubbie]

If it's so low maintenance then why does it have pryramiding going on already? You are obviously missing something.

[IronMoth.]

I have a hermann's tortoises!
He is very lovely

[adamsheikh]

When cleaning out the pen my tortoises immediately sprint to corners of the garden and hide under nettles not to mention they cant be kept in the same pen because they bite each other

[rojriot]

i have a russian tort. she’s somewhat low maintenance, but she’s picky and won’t eat kale or chard for some reason. she only wants collard greens, which is more expensive than the other two

[bethhiggins]

Hi I got mine last week he is adorable

[cambriayoung]

Most low maintenance tortoise maybe, definitely not the lowest maintenance pet out there. Tortoises need tons of room and lots of care. If you want a low maintenance pet, go with a snake, not a tortoise :)

[Cafc]

My Hermann is about 18 inches long so not true they don’t grow bigger but he is low maintenance. Has a little house in the garden goes in and out as he pleases only risk here in the uk are foxes and magpies but he’s too big for them now.

[shellbacksclub]

my sulcata tortoise is the most HIGH maintenance pet!

[quinnax]

Anyone who thinks tortoises are low maintenance doesn't care for them well

[jagercousins]

I saved mine from petco he was in ah small enclosure I put my baby one in a 80 gallon stock tank he hasn’t stopping moving around but at petco he wasn’t moving much and was kept with to much decor now he’s looking so much better

[kenjiro]

0:08, those are rookie numbers. Bump it up to 50+ years.

[ryanphillips]

My Hermann's tortoise bites my finger all the time.

[chriswhite]

Very cute faces these tortoises have, they remind me of leopard tortoises. My leopard tortoise pumpkin is so cute, my sulcata isn’t nearly as cute, but I love him still.

[nezaapsner]

Yikes! This makes me cringe so much. So misinformative.

[Bunijoon]

Note to viewers: They're not low maintenance, and if you treat them like they are, you're gonna have a very unhappy, unhealthy tortoise. Do research on proper diet, uvb lights and basking lights, humidity, etc. These guys don't just live 30 years. They can live until 100 and be a lifetime responsibility!! Please never impulse buy an animal and do research!