Baby Greek Tortoise - I Need Your Help (Please)

TortMom6

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Joined
Jan 26, 2018
Messages
95
Location (City and/or State)
Citrus Heights, California, USA
Hello,

I recently adopted a baby Greek tortoise. I was told he/she hatched August 11, 2018. I have never cared for a tortoise this young before so any help and advise is more than welcome (in truth I would appreciate all the help I can get here)! I have named him Gilbert Fitzwilliam (I know it is way way to early to know the gender, I just felt like he was male, so I went with a boy name, I figured I had a 50/50 chance of being right, LOL!! I have a male box turtle name Juliet though so my track record with guessing isn't good)

I was also, wondering if anyone would be able to identify the subspecies of Greek tortoise that he is?

I was told these were likely the parents:
View media item 9969
A picture of his enclosure as it is not (lighting not included):
View media item 9968
A picture next to a nickle for size comparison:
View media item 9967
Picture from above:
View media item 9966
Picture from below:
View media item 9965
Picture from the side:
View media item 9964
I would appreciate advice about how to heat (lightin, heat mat, etc.), how often and how long he should go outside (supervised) for UVB, humidity (is moss in a humid hide a good idea), appropriate size and type of habitat for while he is a baby, and anything else you all think I should know. I don't know how any of this changes from caring for an adult.

So far he has been eating well. I got him on 8/18/2018 and I have seen him eat a little bit every day but one.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You soooo much for the help and advise. I want to do right by this little one.

I look forward to all the replies. In the mean time I am going to browse through the posted information.

Kayla Williams
 

Gillian M

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5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2014
Messages
15,424
Location (City and/or State)
Jordan
Hi Kayla and welcome to the forum.

Please read the "Beginners Mistakes" Thread. Give your cute tort a daily soak in warm water so as to avoid dehydration and pyramiding. As for gender, I believe that your cutie is way too young to tell if it's a male or a female. @Yvonne G please help. Thanks.

(By the way, even I have a Greek tort).
 

SweetGreekTorts

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Joined
Jun 12, 2018
Messages
987
Location (City and/or State)
Tucson, AZ
First of all, congrats on your new hatchling!!!

I am not an expert, but I currently have 4 Greek hatchlings (2 Mesopotamian and 2 Asia Minor) that all hatched between June, July, and August. They are all thriving and doing well, so I figured I could at least share what I'm doing.

The most important thing is hydration. I soak my babies every morning in warm water for about 15 minutes.

You'll want to leave a water dish large enough for the hatchling to crawl into but shallow enough to avoid drowning. I use the terra cota plant saucers.

A large Rubbermade tub works best as an enclosure for the first few months. It helps maintain humidity better. My substrate is a 50/50 mix of topsoil and coco coir.

No heat mats, those are dangerous and a burn hazard. Instead, add a UVB lamp and a UVA lamp. I have a fluorescent Zoo Med Redptisun 10.0 UVB lamp that extends across the enclosure. The UVA bulb is a 75 Watt that hangs over one area for basking. The basking spot is 95 degrees.

I made humid hides out of square plastic containers with an opening cut into one side. They are filled with sphagnum moss which I keep damp and warm. The lids are removable so I can fish my tortoises out when needed.

At night the babies sleep in their hides and I have a CHE bulb overhead to help maintain a temperature of 80 degrees while they sleep. There is a digital thermometer + hygrometer with probes inside the hide to help me know the humidity and temperature.

I also keep a spray bottle handy to mist the enclosures throughout the day. My babies love it when it rains.

Here are a few pictures from inside my Asia Minor enclosure.

Also, I could not see the pictures you posted of your baby, so I'm not able to possibly help identify which sub-species you have...

~ Kitty20180823_131721.jpeg20180823_131750.jpegIMG_20180818_085144.jpeg
 

Gillian M

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2014
Messages
15,424
Location (City and/or State)
Jordan
First of all, congrats on your new hatchling!!!

I am not an expert, but I currently have 4 Greek hatchlings (2 Mesopotamian and 2 Asia Minor) that all hatched between June, July, and August. They are all thriving and doing well, so I figured I could at least share what I'm doing.

The most important thing is hydration. I soak my babies every morning in warm water for about 15 minutes.

You'll want to leave a water dish large enough for the hatchling to crawl into but shallow enough to avoid drowning. I use the terra cota plant saucers.

A large Rubbermade tub works best as an enclosure for the first few months. It helps maintain humidity better. My substrate is a 50/50 mix of topsoil and coco coir.

No heat mats, those are dangerous and a burn hazard. Instead, add a UVB lamp and a UVA lamp. I have a fluorescent Zoo Med Redptisun 10.0 UVB lamp that extends across the enclosure. The UVA bulb is a 75 Watt that hangs over one area for basking. The basking spot is 95 degrees.

I made humid hides out of square plastic containers with an opening cut into one side. They are filled with sphagnum moss which I keep damp and warm. The lids are removable so I can fish my tortoises out when needed.

At night the babies sleep in their hides and I have a CHE bulb overhead to help maintain a temperature of 80 degrees while they sleep. There is a digital thermometer + hygrometer with probes inside the hide to help me know the humidity and temperature.

I also keep a spray bottle handy to mist the enclosures throughout the day. My babies love it when it rains.

Here are a few pictures from inside my Asia Minor enclosure.

Also, I could not see the pictures you posted of your baby, so I'm not able to possibly help identify which sub-species you have...

~ KittyView attachment 249144View attachment 249145View attachment 249146
Adorable! God bless.
 

SweetGreekTorts

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Joined
Jun 12, 2018
Messages
987
Location (City and/or State)
Tucson, AZ
Kitty,
Can you see the pictures now? The one of the 2 adults I was told they are mom and dad.
My guess would be Asia Minor (Testudo graeca ibera), or "Ibera" as they are more commonly known. They are also the more common Greek subspecies available.
 
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