Here’s how one forum member uses a horizontal plastic shed as a heated outdoor tortoise house:
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/extreme-temperature-habitat-adjustments.172413/
Pour water into the substrate and mix it with your hands. Add a small amount at a time until you get the desired consistency. I don’t worry about the ambient humidity percentage with Greeks, just about the substrate dampness when indoors.
HermanniChris recently posted a very comprehensive Greek...
In my experience, Greek tortoises (T. graeca) do not pyramid easily if they are raised appropriately. Greeks do not need high humidity closed chambers, but they do need deep, damp SUBSTRATE areas they can dig into. A shallow dish of water should also be always available as well as drier...
I don’t think I was very clear explaining what I meant. Sorry about that.
T. hermanni and T. graeca are two different species in Europe and everywhere else. The Latin names are always the same, just the common names can vary. Our common name “Greek” and their common name “Greek” can at times be...
Here’s a link to an example of Hermanns’ tortoise being called “Greek tortoise” (in German “Griechische Landschildkröte”.
http://www.terrarium-welt.de/griechische_landschildkroete__testudo_h_boettgerie.html
I don’t know the above website, I just picket it randomly.
Ps. There are some typos in...
In Europe, Hermanns tortoises are also known as Greek tortoises while T. Graeca are there often called spur-thighs. Using common names can be confusing.
Clean tortoises do not cause allergic reactions, it’s the stuff used in their care. Substrates in their indoor enclosures are the most likely problem. Fir bark and cypress mulch are the two worst substrates to use if you have allergies. They have an intense, irritating odor that bothers...
Do a search for “hatchling failure syndrome” on this forum and you will find many posts about it. I got 310 threads (thread search only) or 941 posts (all results) with the above search term. :) Maybe you’ll find something useful in the old posts.
For all tortoise species on this forum, it would be nice to have several care sheets written by different long term keepers. If the papers were written in the same order and with the same subtitles, like diet, housing, etc., it would be easy to compare how keepers care for their tortoises...
This is in the San Diego zoo. There are more photos of this pen and the tortoise house in an old thread from Jul 2010:
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/san-diego-zoo-galapagos-tortoise-habitat-has-been-remodeled.17051/
@jsheffield,
A good source for info on reptile UV lighting is the “Reptile Lighting” Facebook group. Dr Frances Baines, one of the best known researchers on reptile lighting, is a member there.
https://facebook.com/groups/ReptileLighting/
Snippet from group info: “Posting of photographs...
Per the tortoise table, sph. moss is ok to feed in moderation. They are known to be cautious and conservative in their recommendations.
“There are no known hazards with Sphagnum Moss, and it is often used to increase humidity inside tortoise hides. There should be no harm done if your tortoise...