Testudo hermanni hermanni pura?

Hi there, sorry I was late! Yesterday I had not the chance to join my PC, and it was really hard to compare them with the smartphone, with several pictures missing. BTW, I was stunned by your posts: your specimens are really healthy and well-raised by the pictures.

You're from NJ, so it should not be so hard to breed THHs in your country, by the fact temperatures and humidity are quite similar to ours ( curiosity: are you from the north of NJ? Because it is the only area apparently different ).

As far as I can see, I'd say you own beautiful THHs.

My only doubt is on the second one ( Hermanni #2 ), which I'd classify as a THH anyway, but the suture on the plastron are ( referring to the pictures ) quite the same lenght. On the other hand, it has got the yellow cheek, the proper coloration of a THH, so I'd say it is a THH as well.

Try posting some more pictures of your second specimen, so that we'll try to figure it out

Thank you Ugo! I live in central-southern NJ, so the climate is very good for them here.

Here are some additional photos of Hermanni #2:

Fine, I say THH as well. From the latest pictures I didn't notice the suture was not specular. By visualizing this last picture you posted, I can confirm this is a THH.

Thank you Ugo!

Thank you for posting pictures from your "Haven"

Great photos! You remember who these animals exported and the country of origin of certificates? From the Database of CITES, there are in fact Italy's exports never to the U.S., and therefore it is very difficult to be sure of the origin.
Personally, the images pair compatible with specimens from Tuscany, the rest I do not know what to say. Only those who have collected these animals can respond...
Testudo hermanni hermanni in the U.S. are worth many thousands of dollars each.

- - - Aggiornato - - -

The difficulty in having many depositions and eggs, may depend on the location and climate. I do not think the east coast has a Mediterranean climate like that, even if we are at the same latitude. To find a Mediterranean climate in the U.S., you have to go to the west coast around LA.
If you want excellent breeders, you have to search for Thh of Sardinia and Corsica. My sardines lay up to three times from 5 to 7 eggs.

Hello and thank you!

Yes Testudo hermanni hermanni are worth thousands of dollars here. These were all imported from German breeders who collected the original adults in the 1970s and 1980s. Most of them are specific to origin and phenotype.
Each year many babies are born but the average clutch size is small. I do not know if I will ever find any Sardinia hermanni but I have a friend who keeps Corsica hermanni. We also hatch many Testudo marginata.

The climate here works very well for the tortoises based on more than 30 years of keeping Testudo. Even Testudo graeca cyrenaica does well for us here. However, additional heat sources must sometimes be provided in artificial shelters to keep the animals warm and dry. Sometimes our night temperatures will drop and it can get wet from an abundance of rain. Sometimes it can be hard work to keep up with the weather, but we always manage to keep the tortoises healthy and productive. They are my passion!

Hello, if you can comfort, even here in Italy the number of births per female does not exceed an average of 7-8 per year. Unlike Testudo marginata... The females born in my farm arrive to lay 45-51 eggs per year.
That's why the Germans are happy to go in Italy... They bring back a souvenir! And I think they do so even now.