Baby Egyptian Tortoise - Newbie

[GeneralGipsy]

Hello,

I recieved this cutie as a gift, I already have a bigger one that is doing well and hibernating, I need to know what shall I do in order to maintain the health of it... noting that the house they are in is now inside as it gets freezing outside at night.. appreciate your advice.

Thank you

 

[TeamZissou]

Neither of your tortoises are Egyptian tortoises (Testudo kleinmanni). What you have are Greek tortoises, and appear to be the Mesopotamian subspecies (Testudo graeca terrestris). Mesopotamian tortoises are found in the wild in Jordan as well.

Egyptian tortoises do not hibernate (brumate) at all. Mesopotamian tortoises supposedly do not either, but I have heard of some from Jordan and Syria being able to do it. It can be risky if not done properly.

Here's a comparison of different species of Testudo:

Which Baby Tortoise Do I Have? - A Pictorial Guide

Which Baby Tortoise Do I have? -A Pictorial Guide to Differentiating Baby Mediterranean Tortoises By Chris Leone “HermanniChris” www.gardenstatetortoise.com www.hermannihaven.com BabyTortoisesHatching by GardenStateTortoise, on Flickr We’ve come a considerable distance in understanding...

tortoiseforum.org

Here's the care sheet:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I have also found these as well I don't think anyone here is going to have first hand experience with those products. Probably better to go with weeds, grasses, leaves, opuntia pads, and grocery store greens rather than unknown tortoise pelleted diets.

tortoiseforum.org

Greek Tortoise Care Guide

The Greek Tortoise Care Guide (Testudo graeca ssp) Chris Leone HermanniHaven.com GardenStateTortoise.com theTurtleRoom.com THIS CARE-SHEET IS DETAILED FOR A REASON. READ IT THOROUGHLY BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH OBTAINING A TORTOISE. Moroccan tortoise (Testudo graeca marokkensis) Introduction...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tom]

Hello,

I recieved this cutie as a gift, I already have a bigger one that is doing well and hibernating, I need to know what shall I do in order to maintain the health of it... noting that the house they are in is now inside as it gets freezing outside at night.. appreciate your advice.

Thank you

View attachment 338332

Team Zissou spelled it all out perfectly for you. Read that care sheet, please post lots of pics for us, and feel free to ask all of your questions. We are here to talk tortoises!

 

[GeneralGipsy]

Yes he did and am grateful for everything he shared and also correcting my false information.

I have one question, why is the soaking is important for baby tortoises? Just to understand.

Thanks guys appreciate it ??

 

[Tom]

Yes he did and am grateful for everything he shared and also correcting my false information.

I have one question, why is the soaking is important for baby tortoises? Just to understand.

Thanks guys appreciate it ??

Many reasons:
1. Dehydration is a number one killer of baby tortoises. This applies to all species, including the true "desert tortoises" that we have here in Southwestern United States. Dogs are probably number two, but that's for another discussion... Soaking daily helps prevent dehydration.
2. It helps the shell grow smoother by contributing to less desiccation of the carapace in an overly dry indoor enclosure with heat lamps.
3. Most tortoises begin walking around in the soaking tub in an effort to get out. We affectionately call this "the tortoise treadmill", and it is good exercise for a young growing tortoise, but even more importantly, it helps with gut motility. Much like horses, our tortoises rely on locomotion to help move food trough the intestinal tract. This is also why small enclosures are not good for them.
4. It gets your tortoise in your hands daily, which allows you to identify problems much sooner than if you were hands off more of the time.
5. While the tortoise is soaking, you can service the enclosure without having to worry about disturbing them with all of your activities.
6. Almost all tortoises will poop in the soak water, which can then be dumped in the garden or down the toilet. This keeps the enclosure much cleaner and more sanitary, and reduces time, money, and energy expenditures since you don't have to clean and replace the substrate all the time.

These are the high points. I hope others will add more if I've omitted any.

 

[Yvonne G]

Because of their small size baby tortoises dehydrate quickly, and the heat and lights we provide also help to dehydrate them. Soaking helps to alleviate this.

 

[GeneralGipsy]

Dears,

The baby tortoise is barely waking up even when i soak her in warm water... is she hibernating? Am so worried... and probably she barely eats if she woke up.
And when I soak her should I make the water to cover her full body?

Appreciate ur help...