After much research I'm off to see a breeder next weekend to see her 6 month old Hermanns and hopefully bring one (or two?) home My table is all set up and temps are being monitored at the moment.

I was originally going to have just one but I've been advised that two settle better and that if I have just one at this time of year it may be harder to keep one awake without the stimulation of another. I'm not questioning this advice as it came from a very trustworthy source but I would like to hear about others experiences and whether anyone has had a problem keeping just one baby awake or whether keepers with two have had problems with fighting as they get older and had to split them up.

Thanks.

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If you get 2 you maye have to get more later on if you end up with male and female or split them up. One is normaly ok alone i dident have a problem keeping one up when i got my first one. I must admit when i got more thay did get more active. I dont think you need to give them company i only got more becouse im greedy and wonted more

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Reputable breeders will recommend you buy in pairs, this is not for them to make more money; it is because if a hatchling is used to company from the moment it hatches then they tend to thrive if paired when rehomed/sold. I know of one person who was preparing to sell tortoises singularly was clearly advised that when the eggs hatch she housed them on their own so they would not feel 'lost/lonely' when in their new home.

HTH

Tamie

I had one egg (of 2) hatch 3 months ago and he/she seems fine alone, wandering around and exploring the place. On the other hand my grandad has raised 2 together from the egg and apart from ending up in the same place to sleep at night they wander around the garden without really bothering each other all day.

I must admit i would have loved to have 2 hatch this year because it seems nice for them to have some company but im not sure the tortoise will care either way .

Goodluck with your new tortoise/s and dont forget the pictures!!!

One hatched alone would not suffer seperation problems as there would never have been other babies. When I sell single babies I almost always have people either on the phone or emailing with queries about inactivity. When I sell in pairs I never have this problem. I would ask the breeder what temps they incubate their eggs at, and if below 31 then be prepared for a mixed sex ratio. If above 31 then they would be more likely to be female.
Hope this helps

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Take care
Sue

wizzasmum@aol.com

Incubated between 30 and 32 so she expects both but more females. If I ended up with a male and female how many years would it be before I had a problem? Thinking of space if I needed to separate you see.

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Torts of either sex can display dominant behaviour from as early as tiny hatchlings but true mating behaviour becoming a problem usually manifests at around five years onwards with males. This is not to say they are mature at this age, just that their attentions can be a nuisance and harmful/stressful to females. Of course there is always the odd rogue, which makes a liar of us<g>

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Take care
Sue

wizzasmum@aol.com