Zoo database

Hermanns Tortoise

Testudo hermanni

Natural diet Hermanns Tortoise

Fruits
Grain / seeds
Grasses
Leaves

Hermann’s tortoises have a herbivorous diet. Although their diet is dependent on the population (eastern or western), territory and seasonal availability, it primarily includes a variety of plants and herbs. Opportunistically, also some insects may be consumed.

Feeding advice Hermanns Tortoise

Feed quantity per day

10% of body weight

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 2 kg and eats 10% of its body weight, it will get

2 x 0.1 = 0.2 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

1% Supplements
9% Concentrates
40% Leafy and cabbage vegetables
50% Browse

Proportions (fresh product)

0.01 x 0.2 kg = 2 g supplements
0.09 x 0.2 kg = 18 g concentrates
0.4 x 0.2 kg = 80 g leafy and cabbage vegetables
0.5 x 0.2 kg = 100 g browse

Diet suggestions

Not recommended

Fruits
Celery

Additional advice

Divide the “Feed quantity per day” over at least one feeding moment per day.
Tortoises require adequate calcium through the form of supplementation or by feeding concentrates.
The supplements should be given according to the appropriate dosage that is mentioned on the labelling.
Although present in their natural diets, feeding fruits might lead to abnormal fermentation in the hindgut because of high sugar levels in cultivated fruits compared to wild fruits (read more about nutritional values of (wild) fruits and vegetables).
Foraging behaviour can be stimulated by dispersing the food throughout the enclosure (read more about feed enrichment and foraging behaviour).

Common diseases

An unbalanced diet may result in one of these more commonly occurring diseases/conditions:

Metabolic bone disease
Respiratory disease
Shell softening

Feed quantity per day

Sample percentage calculation

Feed composition

Proportions (fresh product)

Tortoise Diet

Agrobs TESTUDO

Marieke Post

Manager R&D & QA