Greek Care Sheet

[crimson_lotus]

I don't have a Greek or anything, I was just curious.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-testudo-graeca-care-sheet-overview.87146/

The care sheet on this forum states that the best substrates to use include wood shavings, topsoil mixed with play sand, and it even states that rabbit pellets are okay to use.

I found this as extremely conflicting information. Sand can cause impaction, shavings (although it is stated in the care sheet) are terrible at holding humidity, and the rabbit pellets also do not hold humidity in and they mold.

Again, I am not an expert on Greeks but I thought these substrates were generally frowned upon. What are your thoughts on this?

 

[Tom]

Almost every care sheet out in the world for any species is wrong.

Those substrates are the most commonly used ones from the old days of tortoise keeping. Either that care sheet is old, or the person who wrote it is using old info from someone else's old care sheet.

 

[crimson_lotus]

Could we update it as it is a sticky on this forum?

 

[Yvonne G]

The care sheet was written by one of our members, @HermanniChris. I don't think it needs to be updated. He suggest a MIXTURE of EITHER top soil and play sand OR cypress mulch and aspen wood shavings. He also adds that the shavings are very drying so you'll need to soak the tortoise more often. He is merely giving the tortoise-keeper more options to choose from.

Chris raises Greek tortoises, and he knows his stuff.

 

[HermanniChris]

Thanks Yvonne.

I'm going to sum this up real quick because I am dealing with a death in my family at the moment. Not trying to be a downer, just stating the facts because I am usually more in depth when it comes to my responses.

The care sheet is slightly old, copied and pasted from my website gardenstatetortoise.com and is a briefing on the article I wrote for Reptiles Magazine on Greek tortoises.

You may want to read it again, I do state the issues with certain substrates. You may also want to read my more updated sheets in both the Hermann's, Marginated and Radiated forums. Those are are very thorough and newer then this one. While I personally was not planning on updating this one just yet, I can of course do so.

You have to remember that this hobby is actually my full time job. So, when I am not digging up eggs, hatching babies, cleaning enclosures, bowls etc, answering emails, messages, phone calls and/or other types of inquiries, I do my best to update my sites and write care sheets and articles. However, the time for me to do these things happens in a very small window.

If you really feel you can add something to this here for all of our members worldwide, then by all means please do.

Either way I will continue to contribute in every way I can. The care sheet is certainly not wrong to any extent and reflects more then 20 years of successfully keeping and breeding the targeted species here. It simply just needs to be more specific and sort of revisited. This, in time, will get done.

Thanks.

 

[crimson_lotus]

I'm sorry for your loss, and I hope my comment did not offend you.

I know little to nothing about Greeks, and I did notice that you mentioned the issues with each substrate. I think it's excellent that you contribute your learned knowledge to a forum where a lot of people are looking for basics and advice. I'm hoping to do the same thing with everything I've learned on this forum. I just thought the rabbit pellets were a weird mention.

So again I'm sorry if I sounded like a smart ***.

 

[HermanniChris]

No worries at all and thank you for your condolences!