Hi. New Tortoise keeper

Hi. My name is Kerry.

I have only had my Tortoise for three weeks. He’s a 62 year old Greek Spur Thigh called Ron & I’m already in love.

I’ve wanted a Tortoise since I was a child & have done lots of reading for years. I think I could read forever about them & still not know all I need to know!!!

Looking forward to getting to know you all & reading the useful posts on here ( been reading for a while but hadn’t joined)

Kerry

Salutations!

Kez said:

Hi. My name is Kerry.

I have only had my Tortoise for three weeks. He’s a 62 year old Greek Spur Thigh called Ron & I’m already in love.

I’ve wanted a Tortoise since I was a child & have done lots of reading for years. I think I could read forever about them & still not know all I need to know!!!

Looking forward to getting to know you all & reading the useful posts on here ( been reading for a while but hadn’t joined)

Kerry

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Hi Kerry, welcome to the forum.
Would love to see some pics of Ron

Welcome to TFO!

Jamie

katieandiggy said:

Hi Kerry, welcome to the forum.
Would love to see some pics of Ron

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Hi Katieandiggy.

Thanku [emoji4]

Picture of Ron.

Wow Ron is beautiful. Nice smooth shell.

Kez said:

Hi Katieandiggy.

Thanku [emoji4]

Picture of Ron. View attachment 272566

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Wow look at that little dinosaur

We’ve had some nice warm weather I bet he’s been enjoying it outside

Hi and welcome to you and Ron - he looks great for a 62 year old!
There's lots of old information out there in books other websites and from pet shops etc but great up to date advice here from very experienced keepers worldwide.
Have you found the caresheet yet?
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-care-guide.174622/
The Beginners Mistakes thread is also a good help for avoiding problems
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Ask as many questions as you need there's always someone around to help.
Looking forward to seeing how Ron settles into his new home.

Very handsome tort. Welcome!

Very cool. Do you know his history?

Beautiful tortoise.

Hi Kerry, and welcome to the Forum!

We have a pretty good thread for keepers in the UK written by one of our members who had her "Joe" for over 40 years:

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/outdoor-accommodation-in-a-colder-uk-climate.140866/

I'll send her a shout-out to see if she has any words of wisdom for you - @JoesMum

Welcome to the forum

Lyn W said:

Hi and welcome to you and Ron - he looks great for a 62 year old!
There's lots of old information out there in books other websites and from pet shops etc but great up to date advice here from very experienced keepers worldwide.
Have you found the caresheet yet?
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-care-guide.174622/
The Beginners Mistakes thread is also a good help for avoiding problems
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Ask as many questions as you need there's always someone around to help.
Looking forward to seeing how Ron settles into his new home.

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Hi.

Thank you [emoji4]
I’m so glad I found this forum. There is definitely some questionable advice out there.
I had found the care sheet but will take another look.
Thanks, I’m sure I will have questions, I have spent hours reading already & have barely scratched the surface of what I need to know!

katieandiggy said:

Wow look at that little dinosaur

We’ve had some nice warm weather I bet he’s been enjoying it outside

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He’s been loving the nice weather.
We don’t get too much of it here [emoji943]

Yvonne G said:

Hi Kerry, and welcome to the Forum!

We have a pretty good thread for keepers in the UK written by one of our members who had her "Joe" for over 40 years:

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/outdoor-accommodation-in-a-colder-uk-climate.140866/

I'll send her a shout-out to see if she has any words of wisdom for you - @JoesMum

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Hi Yvonne.
Thank you I will definitely have a read of that. The U.K would probably not be a Tortoises preferred place to live! I would love somewhere warmer myself lol.
Thanks again, really appreciate that.

SWFLTortoise said:

Very cool. Do you know his history?

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Hi.
Yes, he was given to a lady 27 years ago by an old man on a London street who could no longer look after him. He had had him for 35 years.
He came to me because the lady could also no longer look after him.
He is missing part of his right back leg due to a lawn mower incident many years ago but still manages to get about & quickly when he’s warmed up!

Ray--Opo said:

Wow Ron is beautiful. Nice smooth shell.

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Thanks.
He’s going for his first health check with the vet on Thursday so fingers crossed he’s all good

Kez said:

Hi.

Thank you [emoji4]
I’m so glad I found this forum. There is definitely some questionable advice out there.
I had found the care sheet but will take another look.
Thanks, I’m sure I will have questions, I have spent hours reading already & have barely scratched the surface of what I need to know!

Click to expand...

I've been here for almost 5 years and still learn something new everytime I sign in!

Kez said:

Hi.
Yes, he was given to a lady 27 years ago by an old man on a London street who could no longer look after him. He had had him for 35 years.
He came to me because the lady could also no longer look after him.
He is missing part of his right back leg due to a lawn mower incident many years ago but still manages to get about & quickly when he’s warmed up!

Click to expand...

Kez said:

Thanks.
He’s going for his first health check with the vet on Thursday so fingers crossed he’s all good

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My tort has his left foot missing.The vet said it could have been chewed by a rat or dog but no idea of his history as he was found in a field and unclaimed.

Is your vet a reptile specialist? They are few and far between but definitely worth finding.
If you can take a poop sample to the vet they can check for parasites - other more experienced members will be able to tell you more about the prefered treatment if needed.
Vitamin shots can be risky for some torts, so avoid those if they are suggested until you know more about them.