# Help in identifying the breed of my tortoise



## mr.speed (Apr 14, 2011)

Hello, i was given a tortoise last June unexpectedly and the person who gave him to me had no idea what breed he is, all i know is that he's originally from Morocco. I was told at the pet shop that it's a sulcata and i thought it was a sulcata up till now, but i've had suggestions of him being a leopard or an egyptian tort since i've joined the forum so if anyone could tell me for sure i'd really appreciate it because i want to make sure i'm looking after him the right way.. also if you could tell me whether mr.speed is a she or a he it would be an added bonus! 

The picture with the flower was around august, the rest are all recent

p.s. if you think he looks unhealthy can you please let me know and suggest why this maybe, i want to make sure he's in good health

Thank You!
Zahra


----------



## lindsay44 (Apr 14, 2011)

It looks like a sulcata to me. I own a sulcata myself and you need to realize sulcatas get big. They are the third largest tortoise breed in the world. And you need to research his food so he get the nutrients he needs.

Goodluck with your baby
Lindsay


----------



## mr.speed (Apr 14, 2011)

lindsay44 said:


> It looks like a sulcata to me. I own a sulcata myself and you need to realize sulcatas get big. They are the third largest tortoise breed in the world. And you need to research his food so he get the nutrients he needs.
> 
> Goodluck with your baby
> Lindsay



Yes i've researched sulcatas and their food etc. i'm just worried cause i'm being told that he might not be a sulcata... i'm really excited about him growing big as well, i've heard that they're very strong..but i have a big garden and plenty of space for him inside =)


----------



## dmarcus (Apr 14, 2011)

lindsay44 said:


> It looks like a sulcata to me. I own a sulcata myself and you need to realize sulcatas get big. They are the third largest tortoise breed in the world. And you need to research his food so he get the nutrients he needs.
> 
> Goodluck with your baby
> Lindsay



It is unfortunately not a Sulcata, I am sure someone will know for sure soon.

Here is a photo of what my Sulcata hatchling looks like so you can see the difference.


----------



## mr.speed (Apr 14, 2011)

dalano73 said:


> lindsay44 said:
> 
> 
> > It looks like a sulcata to me. I own a sulcata myself and you need to realize sulcatas get big. They are the third largest tortoise breed in the world. And you need to research his food so he get the nutrients he needs.
> ...





Your hatchling is beautiful dalano! 

I found a description that sort of fits mr. speed especially as this type of tortoise is from morocco, but i'm still not sure 

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/care/cgraeca.html


----------



## TLL (Apr 14, 2011)

my "educated" guess would be greek.. maybe ibera.. he's a cutie pie though


----------



## JohnathanO (Apr 14, 2011)

I'm thinking, either greek or egyptian. We need Egytiandan to look at this thread.


----------



## dmarcus (Apr 14, 2011)

I belive you are on to something, your little one looks like the North Morocco hatchling..


----------



## Maggie Cummings (Apr 14, 2011)

First of all tortoises come in species, not breeds and I think yours is a very dry looking Sulcata, but it could be a Hermanni that was not taken care of properly. He needs to be better hydrated...


----------



## Mao Senpai (Apr 14, 2011)

I think it's a type of greek of some sort... Maybe golden greek..
I'm also gonna guess it's a female


----------



## mr.speed (Apr 14, 2011)

maggie3fan said:


> First of all tortoises come in species, not breeds and I think yours is a very dry looking Sulcata, but it could be a Hermanni that was not taken care of properly. He needs to be better hydrated...



I soak him every day or every other day, how else do you suggest I keep him better hydrated?


----------



## Laura (Apr 14, 2011)

what are you feeding him? 
it came from Morroco, where do you live?


----------



## mr.speed (Apr 14, 2011)

Laura said:


> what are you feeding him?
> it came from Morroco, where do you live?



I live in London, someone brought a few from morocco then their parents didnt let them keep them so he had to give them away, apparently my one is the only one alive now :-( I feed him romaine lettuce, spinach, Rose petals, and sometimes tomatoe but he doesn't eat it much, he prefers the romaine lettuce, and when he's outside he eats weeds an dandelions, in the summer I also gave him vine leaves cause I have them in my garden


----------



## Maggie Cummings (Apr 14, 2011)

mr.speed said:


> maggie3fan said:
> 
> 
> > First of all tortoises come in species, not breeds and I think yours is a very dry looking Sulcata, but it could be a Hermanni that was not taken care of properly. He needs to be better hydrated...
> ...



I'm sorry, I thought I read that he was soaked once a week. I must have confused him with another tortoise.


----------



## Tom (Apr 14, 2011)

You have a Greek tortoise. Testudo gracea. Like Maggie said, that's his species, not his breed. There are many "types" of greeks. Several different subspecies and they come from several different localities. I'm no greek expert by any means, so hopefully somebody with real knowledge of the species will come a long and tell you the sub-species and locality of your tortoise.

The stuff he's eating while outside is the best thing for him, but the rest of the stuff you are feeding needs some improvement. Romaine is not very nutritious. Spinach can be detrimental if fed too often. Tomato is no good either. Be careful what type of vine you are feeding him. Some are great and some are toxic.

We have a member in the UK named Kelly. Her username is Stells. Do a search for her username and send her a PM asking for tips and proper ID. She's raises gorgeous Greeks and knows all about them and how to properly care for them in the UK. I'm sure she'd be happy to help you and having seen pics of her tortoises, I know she'll be steering you the right way.


----------



## bikerchicspain (Apr 15, 2011)

I think it's a Testudo Greaca nabeluensis, 
Quite possibly a female, although would need a photo of the tail underneath..


----------



## Squirtle Time (Apr 15, 2011)

I am byfar not an expert, in fact I am new to this, but I did so searching on the internet and like everyone else it looks closest to a Sulcata, but is also similar looking to the Greek tortoises. Sorry I can't be of more help.


----------



## stells (Apr 15, 2011)

Testudo graeca Marrokensis... i breed these myself... can't have been showing my hatchlings off enough on this forum lol


----------



## mr.speed (Apr 15, 2011)

Ok thanks Tom, i'll PM Kelly right now, thanks everyone else!



stells said:


> Testudo graeca Marrokensis... i breed these myself... can't have been showing my hatchlings off enough on this forum lol



Thanks Kelly i just saw your post I'm going to send you a PM with a few questions if you don't mind helping =)


----------



## bikerchicspain (Apr 17, 2011)

mr.speed said:


> Laura said:
> 
> 
> > what are you feeding him?
> ...


So these torts were wild caught then smuggled into the UK, Because these animals need a cites to get into the UK, and they will 
not give a cites to this species as it is endangered, BECAUSE of the black market 
smuggling....

Problem 1, you do not have any cites and if caught with these torts you could get a prison sentence,

Problem 2, you do not know what diseases or parasites that they may have, hence why only one is still alive for now, adaption process for any animal taken from the wild and put into captivity is very stressful to the extent that it could die!!!!

In Morrocco you cannot buy these torts legally so they are bought illegally and they are 100% wild caught, of 

which I am totally against,


The person that smuggled them should be reported to the authorities, why there are people willing to pay or receive them the smugglers will carry on doing it.

My opinion turn them over to DEFRA


----------

