Eastern Hermanns Boettgeri

[Hildegarde_4VScutes]

Hi,
I’m happy to join the group and the world of the tortoise!
We re-homed a young Hermann with us just a week ago.
I’ve learned a lot already in particular from the tortoise table pages!
We have been given an Annex A certificate from previous holder confirming species as Hermanni and that ‘she’ hatched between 4 dates in June/July 2020.
So, as just about to turn 5 I am hoping now that I may be able to identify her sex/ sub/species as female/ Boettgeri (?) based on what I’ve read up on and I hope the group can confirm this for me x
I’ll be measuring ‘Hilda’ to establish if we need a new certificate now but in the meantime she does not appear stressed by the changes in her environment, healthy appetite (range of non toxic plants in our garden) and quite active!
I can provide more photos but some too large in size to attach at the moment.

Added more photos of Hilda as requested by the poster.

[lin]

Hi Hildegarde and congratulations on your beautiful Hermann tortoise and being a newbi to the world of tortoises.

I will say she looks like a female but for me to identify a subspecies I would need more photos, especially of the head out of shell from the side, top of shell (carapace) straight down, back end of the shell, and the same of the bottom shell (plastron) and side on view of tortoise.
If the photos are proving difficult to send you can send them to me lin@thetortoisetable.org.uk and I can resize them and post them on here for you.

While I am waiting for the photos I will send you over a Hermann caresheet that we use for sending trusted advice.
https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf

It sounds like Hilda is settling in nice and stress free and is eating a lovely diet that is good for her so well done, she will on doing your homework for her.
Kind regards

Lin

[lin]

Hi Hildegarde.

I have been studying Hildegarde and she is in fact a Western Hermann's tortoise ( Testudo hermanni hermanni. Having the 4 scutes and realising what scute is missing it puts things into perspective.

Lin

[Hildegarde_4VScutes]

Thanks Lin! Really appreciate your expertise as I was convinced she was Eastern as her colours did not seem ‘bright’ and I couldn’t make out the ‘mushroom cloud’.
Is it the middle central vertical scute you think is the one missing? I would love to know what it is about Hilda that means she’s definitely Western - I’ve been reading so much about sub-species differences (incl. Dalmatian) and I’m still struggling there’s a lot to learn x