The Tortoise Table

Hi everyone,
I've had my Hermann's for 13 yrs now and have never hibernated him due to his weight.
He does slow down but some yrs he won't but I was wondering should I be worried about the weight. According to the Jackson hibernation scale thing his underweight but his been roughly the same weight and length for yrs now with not much change. Is this just his normal weight or should I be doing something.

Also as it's winter should I be changing his temps and light times to match winter or leave it.

He has a tortoise table and is out during the summer, fed on a mix of herbs and flowers with the occasional fruit/veg.

Hi Victoria,

I think your Hermann's is probably OK, but without knowing what his score is on the Jackson Ratio I can't really tell. How are you measuring the SCL? His length needs to be measured in a specific way, which you are probably doing, but just in case, here are instructions for how to correctly measure the length of a tortoise https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... measuring/ . And here is another article on how to measure and the Jackson ratio: https://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/measuring.htm . The other thing is that the Jackson Ratio is a bible and not a guide. What was his score on the Jackson ratio?

If you are keeping him awake over the winter then you don't want to match winter temperatures in his enclosure, because that will encourage him to slow down and stop eating, and he will start to lose body fat. Because tortoises are ectothermic (they don't make their own body heat like mammals do, but instead rely on the temperatures around them to produce their body heat and allow their internal systems to work), you do need to keep him nice and warm during the winter. Essentially what you want is to fool him into thinking that it's a bright summer's day. Here is our article on overwintering tortoises --- have a read and get back with any questions you have: https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... -tortoise/

It sounds like you've been giving him a good life with both indoor and outdoor space, and I really wouldn't worry if he doesn't continue to gain weight (but it would help to know how much he weighs and what his length is). Regarding his diet, that's great that he is having herbs and flowers to eat (and don't forget weeds like plantain, dandelion, sowthistle, etc. -- they are great for them), but I think I'd leave out the fruit. They do love fruit (and tomatoes count as a fruit), but tortoises like Hermann's have digestive systems that don't cope well with the natural sugars in fruit, and it can upset their gut flora.

Do let us know how you get on, and please come back with any questions.

Nina