What species is this !!

[mxisaki]

My mom came off a metro stop in Oslo and when she went up the stairs, she saw this tiny bebi poking its head and limbs out!! It was -3 idk how it even survived it's so cold.

She brought it home, and ive made a tiny home for it but we mainly let it walk around out carpet, hes quite fast !! I think, haven't really observed tortoises in my life haha

We've fed it mainly broccoli and some cucumber snd some slices of cabbage, but for now, we have no idea what species this even is... or sex.

I've been told on Reddit it's a Moroccan, A Moroccan Greek, North African gracea, but none of thr photos i look up online match this guy, im so incredibly confused man, hope u guys here can help, attached some photos

 

[wellington]

I'm not good with iding the Mediterranean species. My guess would also be a Greek.
However, it needs to be kept warm, 75-80F with a basking area with an incandescent flood bulb that reaches 95-100 at tortoise height during the day and night temps can drop to 65-70F It also needs to be housed in a closed chamber enclosure with 80% humidity, proper substrate and a low sided water dish. Enclosure should be at least a 2 or 3 x 4 for now. Given daily warm water soaks and to not be on the floors of the house as it's too cold and dangerous for them to be on the floor. It also needs a tube flourescent uvb light.
Feed arugula, escarole, endive, spring mix no spinach or cabbage. Cucumber is okay but mostly water.

 

[wellington]

It's a life time commitment, so if you're not prepared to spend a few bucks to house it properly, you can call a local wildlife rescue.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

He is very small, someone has definitely abandoned it, I don't think it has escaped on his own.

 

[wellington]

He is very small, someone has definitely abandoned it, I don't think it has escaped on his own.

I'm thinking it's native.

 

[turtlesteve]

It is a Greek tortoise. I don’t know which subspecies. Moroccan is just as good a guess as any.

 

[jaizei]

I'm thinking it's native.

Oslo is in Norway; I don't think there are any native tortoises.

 

[wellington]

Oslo is in Norway; I don't think there are any native tortoises.

Nope, they sure don't have any.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I agree could be Greek, he does need housing correctly as a baby, and his is a very vital and delicate stage of life, don’t let him free roam your carpets. Leafy greens are best and safe weeds. This baby won’t be able to be sexed for a good few years yet.

I’d suggest giving this thread a read, i know it says Herman’s and Russians, but care info can still apply, it covers correct equipment(very important to have the right bulbs), levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! (but I’ll link some other options)

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes some different closed chamber options, some run more efficiently than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, probably most important, this one is also really good to familiarise yourself with, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they help! Always happy to try and answer any further questions! Welcome to the forum

 

[mxisaki]

I agree could be Greek, he does need housing correctly as a baby, and his is a very vital and delicate stage of life, don’t let him free roam your carpets. Leafy greens are best and safe weeds. This baby won’t be able to be sexed for a good few years yet.

I’d suggest giving this thread a read, i know it says Herman’s and Russians, but care info can still apply, it covers correct equipment(very important to have the right bulbs), levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! (but I’ll link some other options)

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes some different closed chamber options, some run more efficiently than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, probably most important, this one is also really good to familiarise yourself with, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they help! Always happy to try and answer any further questions! Welcome to the forum

Hii!! I just scrolled these guides , but now I am unsure of what sort of lamp/bulb to order him...i read the following are bad : Mercy vapour bulbs, Halogen bulbs, Coil compact UV bulbs, Red heat bulbs, theure 'incorrect', so which one works? Im pretty sure lile 999.9% sure it's a testudo greaca greaca , i hole u can tell me which ones are appropriate ^_^

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hii!! I just scrolled these guides , but now I am unsure of what sort of lamp/bulb to order him...i read the following are bad : Mercy vapour bulbs, Halogen bulbs, Coil compact UV bulbs, Red heat bulbs, theure 'incorrect', so which one works? Im pretty sure lile 999.9% sure it's a testudo greaca greaca , i hole u can tell me which ones are appropriate ^_^

Hello! If you scroll through the first housing link, all correct lighting is covered in there

Essentially for basking, you want an incandescent reptile floodlight(I know the Arcadia brand do them) try to find the right watt and height to create your desired basking temperature underneath.
If the basking light isn’t heating the entire enclosure to where needed, you’ll need to add a CHE(ceramic heat emitter) though these usually aren’t necessary for these guys unless your house gets particularly cold, if you do need one though it’ll need to run on a thermostat 24/7.

Then for UVB you want a t5 tube fluorescent light, don’t go off brand as they can be too unreliable, you want to go for either ‘Arcadia prot5 kit 12%’ which comes with the reflector fitting, or, ‘zoo med reptisun 10.0’ which usually needs the hood buying separately.
With the uv timing, every other source of information will tell you 12hours of uv. This is essentially an old fashioned rule that has stuck with a lot of keepers, it stems from the presumption that once the basking light or ambient lighting is on, ie the ‘sun’, that uv must coexist the same amount of hours. Fact is, uv rays only peak for a few hours a day, anyone with a uv meter will confirm this. No tortoise is blasted with 12 hours of uv in the wild, therefore it’s not necessary in captivity.
The right uv bulbs are much more expensive to replace once their uv strength diminishes, so it’s definitely best having it on a 4 hour timer that provides them with all the uv they need, saving your bulb life.
Then some cheaper led lighting for your ambient 12 hour light cycle as well as the basking light on the same 12hrs, your ceramics(if needed)will run 24/7 on a thermostat, hopefully that will make sense if you read through the housing one

For ambient lighting, a regular screw in led bulb in a dome can do the trick, or you could look into strip lighting

 

[mxisaki]

Hello! If you scroll through the first housing link, all correct lighting is covered in there

Essentially for basking, you want an incandescent reptile floodlight(I know the Arcadia brand do them) try to find the right watt and height to create your desired basking temperature underneath.
If the basking light isn’t heating the entire enclosure to where needed, you’ll need to add a CHE(ceramic heat emitter) though these usually aren’t necessary for these guys unless your house gets particularly cold, if you do need one though it’ll need to run on a thermostat 24/7.

Then for UVB you want a t5 tube fluorescent light, don’t go off brand as they can be too unreliable, you want to go for either ‘Arcadia prot5 kit 12%’ which comes with the reflector fitting, or, ‘zoo med reptisun 10.0’ which usually needs the hood buying separately.
With the uv timing, every other source of information will tell you 12hours of uv. This is essentially an old fashioned rule that has stuck with a lot of keepers, it stems from the presumption that once the basking light or ambient lighting is on, ie the ‘sun’, that uv must coexist the same amount of hours. Fact is, uv rays only peak for a few hours a day, anyone with a uv meter will confirm this. No tortoise is blasted with 12 hours of uv in the wild, therefore it’s not necessary in captivity.
The right uv bulbs are much more expensive to replace once their uv strength diminishes, so it’s definitely best having it on a 4 hour timer that provides them with all the uv they need, saving your bulb life.
Then some cheaper led lighting for your ambient 12 hour light cycle as well as the basking light on the same 12hrs, your ceramics(if needed)will run 24/7 on a thermostat, hopefully that will make sense if you read through the housing one

For ambient lighting, a regular screw in led bulb in a dome can do the trick, or you could look into strip lighting

Thank you so much, appreciate ya !! ^_^

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you so much, appreciate ya !! ^_^

No problem!