A comprehensive online guide to Hermann's tortoises and all other species of the genus Testudo.
The Testudo tortoises are an iconic group of species and subspecies found throughout Europe. For an impressive amount of time they have remained extremely popular in herpetoculture and have always been a focal point for us here at Garden State Tortoise. Although well-known, mass confusion surrounds the proper identification and understanding of them. Many types are actually quite rare both in nature and captivity, often being overlooked or grouped together with more common ones. Impurity has therefore become one of deepest threats for Testudos, particularly the endangered Western Hermann's tortoise. This site was launched several years ago as a tribute to the Western Hermann's and our work with them. We are proud to announce that we have now gone above and beyond and welcome all Testudo keepers and fans to thoroughly enjoy this site and all it has to offer. Hermanni Haven is the home for all things Testudo.
"BumbleBee" (????-2014)
The logo used on this site is not just a painting of a random tortoise. It's a very special one, one I hold very close to my heart. BumbleBee was a western Hermann's tortoise I acquired many years ago from a keeper I looked up to greatly. She had been brought to the USA as an adult back in the 1970s so when I received her, she was already quite old. I was fortunate enough to share 10 amazing years with her before she died in August of 2014 just 2 weeks after my grandfather, who helped me start Garden State Tortoise. These were both iconic losses for me and I learned much about Testudo hermanni hermanni from BumbleBee. In many ways she is responsible for the work I've done with her species and absolutely is a symbol for it. For my first ever Father's Day, my wife surprised me with an incredibly realistic painting of her done by one of my favorite wildlife artists, Matt Patterson. To this day I feel as though I am looking right at her in it. I felt it completely necessary to incorporate her into the logo for this site and now her memory is truly kept alive.
Matt has done outstanding paintings of other species we keep here and more. Please visit his work and purchase some for yourself: