Minimum size for female Western hermann's tortoise?

[TortoiseNoob9]

I was wondering what the minimum was? Moving her outside in spring or summer.

 

[wellington]

Usually most if not all go outside permanently at around 3 or 4 years which they should be 10 inches or very close to it.
Your's likely won't hit that size at that age if ever.
If they were mine, I'd go by the age of 3 as long as they were a good size, 4 if not.
Check out the care sheet and see if it says anything.

 

[wellington]

Thread 'Sticky: HERMANN'S TORTOISE CARE SHEET *UPDATED' https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

 

[Tom]

I was wondering what the minimum was? Moving her outside in spring or summer.

My general rule, for tortoises that eventually get larger than yours ever will, is an hour of access to sunshine per inch of tortoise. Contrary to popular opinion, baby tortoises do better when kept mostly inside. I gradually increase the amount of outside time as they gain size, until they eventually live outside with a heated shelter full time. I think this gradual acclimation is better than inside one day and outside full time the next.

For a Western hermanni, I'd think outside all day would be fine at 3-4 inches with the right enclosure. I'd want a welded wire cover built over a tort that small. Or make a sunning enclosure out of large dog kennel or chicken coop with a visual barrier around the bottom:


In this thread, I explain a way to do outdoor housing that works great in our Cali climate:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

A temperature controlled box with an optional heat lamp set on a timer when needed, makes it so that the outside weather doesn't become a set back for us.

 

[TortoiseNoob9]

My general rule, for tortoises that eventually get larger than yours ever will, is an hour of access to sunshine per inch of tortoise. Contrary to popular opinion, baby tortoises do better when kept mostly inside. I gradually increase the amount of outside time as they gain size, until they eventually live outside with a heated shelter full time. I think this gradual acclimation is better than inside one day and outside full time the next.

For a Western hermanni, I'd think outside all day would be fine at 3-4 inches with the right enclosure. I'd want a welded wire cover built over a tort that small. Or make a sunning enclosure out of large dog kennel or chicken coop with a visual barrier around the bottom:
View attachment 354772

In this thread, I explain a way to do outdoor housing that works great in our Cali climate:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

A temperature controlled box with an optional heat lamp set on a timer when needed, makes it so that the outside weather doesn't become a set back for us.

So you would recommend 8 by 4 for my tortoise my tortoise that will be 7in(Actual question jot sarcasm)?

 

[Tom]

So you would recommend 8 by 4 for my tortoise my tortoise that will be 7in(Actual question jot sarcasm)?

Yes. At least 4x8 for indoors. Bigger would be better. And even larger outdoors. The cage in the picture is 8x8 feet for a single male star tortoise.

 

[TortoiseNoob9]

Yes. At least 4x8 for indoors. Bigger would be better. And even larger outdoors. The cage in the picture is 8x8 feet for a single male star tortoise.

I found a good 8 by 3 enclosure for outdoor use I was thinking of using that

 

[Tom]

I found a good 8 by 3 enclosure for outdoor use I was thinking of using that

That's okay for a smaller juvenile, but I prefer bigger than that for larger tortoises. I put 3-4 inch torts in 8x12 or 4 x 24 foot enclosures outside. My star groups are in 8x32 foot enclosures, or larger.

 

[TortoiseNoob9]

That's okay for a smaller juvenile, but I prefer bigger than that for larger tortoises. I put 3-4 inch torts in 8x12 or 4 x 24 foot enclosures outside. My star groups are in 8x32 foot

The biggest I can have is 8 by 4 feet though.

 

[Tom]

The biggest I can have is 8 by 4 feet though.

Why?

What size is your tortoise now? 8x4 is fine for a juvenile, but I would want something bigger for a full sized adult female. If all you can do is 8x4 feet, its not the end of the world. Bigger would be better.

 

[TortoiseNoob9]

Why?

What size is your tortoise now? 8x4 is fine for a juvenile, but I would want something bigger for a full sized adult female. If all you can do is 8x4 feet, its not the end of the world. Bigger would be better.

My tortoise will be 2 years old in August she is about 3.5in.

 

[Shelled]

Usually most if not all go outside permanently at around 3 or 4 years which they should be 10 inches or very close to it.
Your's likely won't hit that size at that age if ever.
If they were mine, I'd go by the age of 3 as long as they were a good size, 4 if not.
Check out the care sheet and see if it says anything.

3 years and 10 inches for a Western Hermann's? Most never even get that big, and certainly not males.

 

[wellington]

3 years and 10 inches for a Western Hermann's? Most never even get that big, and certainly not males.

Yes, that's why I said yours likely will never get that size and why I would wait until it 3 years if it's a good size, 4 if not.

 

[Shelled]

Yes, that's why I said yours likely will never get that size and why I would wait until it 3 years if it's a good size, 4 if not.

You wrote:

Usually most if not all go outside permanently at around 3 or 4 years which they should be 10 inches or very close to it.

I read that as you mean that after 3 or 4 years they should be 10 inches or close to it, yet Western Hermann's usually only get 5 or 6 inches, males even smaller. And they don't reach that after 3 or 4 years, tortoises don't mature that quickly.

 

[TortoiseNoob9]

Usually most if not all go outside permanently at around 3 or 4 years which they should be 10 inches or very close to it.
Your's likely won't hit that size at that age if ever.
If they were mine, I'd go by the age of 3 as long as they were a good size, 4 if not.
Check out the care sheet and see if it says anything.

 

[TortoiseNoob9]

Got it so what size should I keep the tortoise indoors in for the rest of its life?

 

[wellington]

You wrote:

I read that as you mean that after 3 or 4 years they should be 10 inches or close to it, yet Western Hermann's usually only get 5 or 6 inches, males even smaller. And they don't reach that after 3 or 4 years, tortoises don't mature that quickly.

Actually some do. A few don't get that size. Others that do are not really considered mature but are big enough to live outside, which is what your question was.
Usually at 3 or 4 years most if not all can live outside.
As I said in my first post, at 3 or 4 years i would put them out, depending on their size. Some when not started or housed/fed right will not be the size it should be at certain ages. If it seems too small for the age of 3 then I would wait until it's 4.
in the mean time it can still spend time outside
(Don't know why this is writing in bold. The bold was not activated, sorry)

 

[TortoiseNoob9]

So 6 by 4 or 8 by 3

 

[Shelled]

No European tortoise should be 10 inch by 3 or 4 years, western hermann's mature at smaller sizes, and they shouldn't reach maturity at that young ages, and maturity in tortoise is largely related to size.
In reference to them rarely growing to 10 inches (and males never), you write:
"Actually some do", so you confirm SOME do, (thus MOST DON'T).
Then you write:
"A few don't get that size", so you SOME don't get to that size (thus MOST DO).
So what are you trying to say?
And what size are they at 3 to 4 years when they could go outside according to you?

 

[Tom]

So 6 by 4 or 8 by 3

Doesn't matter. Each of those is 24 square feet. Whichever is most convenient for your location.