"Naturalistic Keeping and Breeding of Hermanns Tortoises" Book

This very in depth manual is the most complete book I've seen on hermanns tortoise care, breeding and general information. It's a hardcover and 351 pages of great information and beautiful color photos covering their native habitats and everything you could want to know about them in captivity. 

Hermanns tortoises are undoubtedly the terrestrial chelonians that are most commonly kept in human care.

Even though the first specimen was scientifically described as long ago as 1789 by GMELIN, our knowledge of these archetypical animals is still relatively young. In fact, it has only been for a few years that basic information has been emerging on subjects as fundamental as their dietary requirements and associated metabolic functions in particular. 

I have written this book as a tortoise's friend of many years and as a breeder of, amongst others, hermanns tortoise. It is a summary of my own experiences, gathered from years of observation of specimens in captivity, in natural habitats, and from the exchange of information with other keepers and breeders. 

I have consciously attempted to convey my own knowledge and understanding of rather complex biological processes in a very simplified manner so that the respective concepts are as widely comprehendable as possible. For this I ask experts for their understanding. 

If this book helps only a few small tortoises hatched in human care and never seeing their Southern homelands to live to their natural life expectancy, then my work will have reached it's intended goal. 

I would now like to express my gratitude to all experts, veterinarians, and scientists, who over the past years have contributed to the well-being of Mediterranean tortoises. Also, I wish to acknowledge in particular the efforts in this respect of the German Society for Herpetology and Terrariology (DGHT), The Chelonian Interest Group Switzerland (SIGS), and the Austrian Herpetological Societies. I am appealing to you to support the work of these organizations by becoming a member! 

By Wolfgang Wegehaupt