Can you identify Eastern, Western or Dalmatian?

[DirtyDogs304]

The shop says that these are western hermanns. I am completely new at this. I have done a lot of research but I’m still having a hard time identifying so I need people with more experience. Do you agree that they are western? I have not purchased one yet.
I have finally decided that I want a Hermann but I want to be fully aware of exactly what I am purchasing first and already have everything set up and ready to go. Also, do you see anything in these pictures as far as the tortoises themselves that I should be concerned with? I do know that the shop owners recommendation on basking lights, humidity, substrate is much different than what is recommended in these forums. All of her animals seem very healthy to me, but after weeks of research I will definitely be following the tips that I read in these forums.
I do not have pictures of all angles but I’m hoping they are still good enough.
And if you could choose any of these 4- which would you choose? What specific things should I be looking for?

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

To ID which type of hermanni these are, we need to see the cheeks, plastrons, and the inguinal scute area. I can't see any of that in the pics.

Check out these great videos from Chris at Hermanni Haven:

These tortoises look like they were grown well for the first part of their lives, but they have deep notches between the scutes in the more recent growth. This indicates a big change and excessive dryness or the wrong bulbs used in their recent history. Perhaps when the pet store got them?

You are right to be leery of the pet store recommendations. Most of the time, its pretty bad. Here is the correct care info, and there is a heating and lighting breakdown along with a temperate species care sheet near the bottom.

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

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More questions are welcome!

 

[Shelled]

The middle tortoise in the last picture looks like a Kinixys to me, which needs a completely different care and has a different diet.

 

[zovick]

The middle tortoise in the last picture looks like a Kinixys to me, which needs a completely different care and has a different diet.

I agree. One of those tortoises is a Hingeback. It is also visible in the background of the third photo. Not sure which species it is. Maybe a spekii. Not homeana or erosa, though.

 

[DirtyDogs304]

Hello and welcome.

To ID which type of hermanni these are, we need to see the cheeks, plastrons, and the inguinal scute area. I can't see any of that in the pics.

Check out these great videos from Chris at Hermanni Haven:

These tortoises look like they were grown well for the first part of their lives, but they have deep notches
These tortoises look like they were grown well for the first part of their lives, but they have deep notches between the scutes in the more recent growth. This indicates a big change and excessive dryness or the wrong bulbs used in their recent history. Perhaps when the pet store got them?

t

Hello and welcome.

To ID which type of hermanni these are, we need to see the cheeks, plastrons, and the inguinal scute area. I can't see any of that in the pics.

Check out these great videos from Chris at Hermanni Haven:

These tortoises look like they were grown well for the first part of their lives, but they have deep notches between the scutes in the more recent growth. This indicates a big change and excessive dryness or the wrong bulbs used in their recent history. Perhaps when the pet store got them?

You are right to be leery of the pet store recommendations. Most of the time, its pretty bad. Here is the correct care info, and there is a heating and lighting breakdown along with a temperate species care sheet near the bottom.

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

More questions are welcome!

thanks so much! With them having deep notches, are they still considered healthy? If I buy one now and give it proper care should it be ok or is it likely that it will have future problems?

The middle tortoise in the last picture looks like a Kinixys to me, which needs a completely different care and has a different diet.

thank you so much for pointing that out! The tank that encloses the Hermanns also had a sign on one side that said hingeback. However, when I was talking to the person at the shop, they just told me they were Hermanns and I did not know the difference. Out of the four that they had in the tank, that is actually the one we were most interested in, so I am so thankful for you pointing that out to me. The person that we were speaking to was not the owner of the shop, he was just a guy helping out there, so maybe he was unaware that there was another one other than Hermann in there. So glad you told me!

 

[zovick]

t

thanks so much! With them having deep notches, are they still considered healthy? If I buy one now and give it proper care should it be ok or is it likely that it will have future problems?

thank you so much for pointing that out! The tank that encloses the Hermanns also had a sign on one side that said hingeback. However, when I was talking to the person at the shop, they just told me they were Hermanns and I did not know the difference. Out of the four that they had in the tank, that is actually the one we were most interested in, so I am so thankful for you pointing that out to me. The person that we were speaking to was not the owner of the shop, he was just a guy helping out there, so maybe he was unaware that there was another one other than Hermann in there. So glad you told me!

The Hingeback would be a good first tortoise. They don't brumate like the Hermann's, so would be less problematic for you through the winters.

How much were they asking for it? You can buy them from any number of sellers on Fauna and other sites. Here are some examples:

FaunaClassifieds

Classifieds and discussion forum on all classes of animals. Board of Inquiry forum.

www.faunaclassifieds.com

Congolese Speke's Hinge-back Tortoise (Kinixys spekii) MALES - FaunaClassifieds

Congolese Speke's Hinge-back Tortoise (Kinixys spekii) MALES Turtles/Tortoises

www.faunaclassifieds.com

For Sale KINIXYS HATCHLINGS - FaunaClassifieds

For Sale KINIXYS HATCHLINGS Turtles/Tortoises

www.faunaclassifieds.com

 

[DirtyDogs304]

Hello and welcome.

To ID which type of hermanni these are, we need to see the cheeks, plastrons, and the inguinal scute area. I can't see any of that in the pics.

Check out these great videos from Chris at Hermanni Haven:

These tortoises look like they were grown well for the first part of their lives, but they have deep notches between the scutes in the more recent growth. This indicates a big change and excessive dryness or the wrong bulbs used in their recent history. Perhaps when the pet store got them?

You are right to be leery of the pet store recommendations. Most of the time, its pretty bad. Here is the correct care info, and there is a heating and lighting breakdown along with a temperate species care sheet near the bottom.

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

More questions are welcome!

The shop sent me some more pictures today. Does that help with identifying what kind they are? You had mentioned the deep notches… is that something I should be concerned about if I purchase them? Even after bringing them home and giving them proper care today could it cause problems in the future?
they did mention that in their opinion, they think all three are females. Is there one that would be your top pick?

 

[DirtyDogs304]

The Hingeback would be a good first tortoise. They don't brumate like the Hermann's, so would be less problematic for you through the winters.

How much were they asking for it? You can buy them from any number of sellers on Fauna and other sites. Here are some examples:

FaunaClassifieds

Classifieds and discussion forum on all classes of animals. Board of Inquiry forum.

www.faunaclassifieds.com

Congolese Speke's Hinge-back Tortoise (Kinixys spekii) MALES - FaunaClassifieds

Congolese Speke's Hinge-back Tortoise (Kinixys spekii) MALES Turtles/Tortoises

www.faunaclassifieds.com

For Sale KINIXYS HATCHLINGS - FaunaClassifieds

For Sale KINIXYS HATCHLINGS Turtles/Tortoises

www.faunaclassifieds.com

Thanks for the links. I’ll check them out! Since just finding out that the one is a hinge back, I’ve only had a few minutes to do any type of research on them, but I was reading that they are actually hard to care for. Whatever I get will be kept indoors. I had decided on the Hermann because they are on the smaller side and seem to have an outgoing, active personality. I didn’t know until you pointed it out that a hingeback was an option.😂 i’ll definitely do some more research on them now. I didn’t ask the price for the hinge back but it seemed that most of their tortoises were $200. I’ll let you know if I go that route.

 

[zovick]

Thanks for the links. I’ll check them out! Since just finding out that the one is a hinge back, I’ve only had a few minutes to do any type of research on them, but I was reading that they are actually hard to care for. Whatever I get will be kept indoors. I had decided on the Hermann because they are on the smaller side and seem to have an outgoing, active personality. I didn’t know until you pointed it out that a hingeback was an option.😂 i’ll definitely do some more research on them now. I didn’t ask the price for the hinge back but it seemed that most of their tortoises were $200. I’ll let you know if I go that route.

#two looks like a male to me. The other two look like females.

 

[zovick]

Thanks for the links. I’ll check them out! Since just finding out that the one is a hinge back, I’ve only had a few minutes to do any type of research on them, but I was reading that they are actually hard to care for. Whatever I get will be kept indoors. I had decided on the Hermann because they are on the smaller side and seem to have an outgoing, active personality. I didn’t know until you pointed it out that a hingeback was an option.😂 i’ll definitely do some more research on them now. I didn’t ask the price for the hinge back but it seemed that most of their tortoises were $200. I’ll let you know if I go that route.

If you buy a captive bred Hingeback, it will be easier to keep than a wild caught one, but they are more costly than WC ones. There are two distinct types of Hingebacks, the forest Hingebacks (Kinixys erosa and K. homeana), and the savannah/grassland type Hingebacks. The forest Hingebacks are more difficult to keep for beginners. That is probably what you read.

The Speke's Hingebacks are not that difficult to keep and several ads currently running on Fauna have captive bred Speke's babies and yearlings available if you are interested in them. With the Hingebacks you won't have to worry about the tortoise slowing down and not wanting to eat every winter and having to decide whether to brumate it or try to keep it active all winter, either of which can sometimes be a challenge.

 

[Tom]

The shop sent me some more pictures today. Does that help with identifying what kind they are? You had mentioned the deep notches… is that something I should be concerned about if I purchase them? Even after bringing them home and giving them proper care today could it cause problems in the future?
they did mention that in their opinion, they think all three are females. Is there one that would be your top pick?

There is no way for us to know if it is healthy.

I would not buy anything from a pet shop that was mixing species like that. The chances of them passing various pathogens back and forth is far too great. Buy your tortoise from a breeder that houses them correctly and can give you better care advice.

 

[OkAdiza]

The shop sent me some more pictures today. Does that help with identifying what kind they are? You had mentioned the deep notches… is that something I should be concerned about if I purchase them? Even after bringing them home and giving them proper care today could it cause problems in the future?
they did mention that in their opinion, they think all three are females. Is there one that would be your top pick?

Hello, just stumbled across your post. I’m not an expert, but these all look like Eastern Herman’s tortoises to me. One looks like it could be a hybrid of western and eastern, but I’m pretty sure none of them are pure Western, and most likely Eastern. Here is a picture of my Tuscany Western Hermann’s
vs my Eastern:

It’s probably less likely you will find Western’s in your local pet stores. Either way, both do have great personalities and are a pleasure to have.
I’d agree with Tom about those particular ones.
Maybe check with Garden State Tortoise for either type to purchase one.