Health Care

[Lolly]

I have 2 Mediteranian Spur Thigh tortoises they are 3 years old and I have had them 6 months.
My questions are :-

1 How often do you worm them

2, there skin is a bit flakey and I was wondering what might be causing this.

3 I was told that when they peed I would see white stringy bits in there water but I have never seen any ??!!!

I feed them on mixed lettuce leaves bought from supermarket..Not Iceberg.....Tomatoes, green beans, little bit of apple and pear...not often, watercress and mixed green cabbage.

I really just want to know that I am looking after them correctly.

I bath them once a week, and when I first got them I took them to the vet for a check up and everything was OK.

Any advise would be most welcome

Lolly

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Lolly:

to the forum!!

I don't know anything about caring for the Greek tortoises, but someone will answer your questions, I'm sure!

Yvonne

 

[Lolly]

Thank you so much for the welcome...I havn't quite figured out how to use this site yet, so please forgive me.

 

[Yvonne G]

I have 2 Mediteranian Spur Thigh tortoises they are 3 years old and I have had them 6 months.
My questions are :-

1 How often do you worm them

2, there skin is a bit flakey and I was wondering what might be causing this.

3 I was told that when they peed I would see white stringy bits in there water but I have never seen any ??!!!

I feed them on mixed lettuce leaves bought from supermarket..Not Iceberg.....Tomatoes, green beans, little bit of apple and pear...not often, watercress and mixed green cabbage.

I really just want to know that I am looking after them correctly.

I bath them once a week, and when I first got them I took them to the vet for a check up and everything was OK.

Any advise would be most welcome

Lolly

Since no one has answered yet, I'll just give you some "general" answers, not specific to your Med. spur thighed tortoise:

1. If your tortoise is in the house, you will only need to worm once a year. That would be a de-worming application for instance, today, then again in 10 days. Then not again until next year same time.

2. Flakey skin is quite common in the desert-type tortoises. It is nothing to worry about and you should NOT pick at it.

3. A tortoise holds onto its urine because he knows that he's not going to be able to find a puddle to drink from until it rains. While the urine is inside the body for such a long time, it is being re-used and re-used. What is left over is called urates and it can look like lumpy cottage cheese, or hard, white poo, or anything in between. If it comes out hard that means your tortoise is probably dehydrated. If it comes out slimey or soft, that's perfectly normal.

The things you are feeding are ok, but you should scale back on the fruit and cabbage. Fruit should be offered as a treat only occasionally. And cabbage, chard and kale are are high in goitrogens, which impair thyroid function when fed in excess. Feed sparingly.

Again: welcome to the forum! There are quite a few folks here who keep the Med. spur-thighed tortoises and you will learn a lot from them. I forgot to ask, where are you from?

Yvonne

 

[Lolly]

I have 2 Mediteranian Spur Thigh tortoises they are 3 years old and I have had them 6 months.
My questions are :-

1 How often do you worm them

2, there skin is a bit flakey and I was wondering what might be causing this.

3 I was told that when they peed I would see white stringy bits in there water but I have never seen any ??!!!

I feed them on mixed lettuce leaves bought from supermarket..Not Iceberg.....Tomatoes, green beans, little bit of apple and pear...not often, watercress and mixed green cabbage.

I really just want to know that I am looking after them correctly.

I bath them once a week, and when I first got them I took them to the vet for a check up and everything was OK.

Any advise would be most welcome

Lolly

Since no one has answered yet, I'll just give you some "general" answers, not specific to your Med. spur thighed tortoise:

1. If your tortoise is in the house, you will only need to worm once a year. That would be a de-worming application for instance, today, then again in 10 days. Then not again until next year same time.

2. Flakey skin is quite common in the desert-type tortoises. It is nothing to worry about and you should NOT pick at it.

3. A tortoise holds onto its urine because he knows that he's not going to be able to find a puddle to drink from until it rains. While the urine is inside the body for such a long time, it is being re-used and re-used. What is left over is called urates and it can look like lumpy cottage cheese, or hard, white poo, or anything in between. If it comes out hard that means your tortoise is probably dehydrated. If it comes out slimey or soft, that's perfectly normal.

The things you are feeding are ok, but you should scale back on the fruit and cabbage. Fruit should be offered as a treat only occasionally. And cabbage, chard and kale are are high in goitrogens, which impair thyroid function when fed in excess. Feed sparingly.

Again: welcome to the forum! There are quite a few folks here who keep the Med. spur-thighed tortoises and you will learn a lot from them. I forgot to ask, where are you from?

Yvonne

---

Hi Yvonne

Thank you for your help

Can I worm them myself or do I have to go to the vet?

So you reckon feeding them mixed leaf lettuce and water cress is OK, with little treats thrown in. I will scale down the cabbage.

My tortoises are called Lolly and Dolly, quite two different characters, lol
If I ever work out how to get a photo of them on here I will.....

I am from Bridlington East Yorkshire, England......where are you from ?

lastely..Have you any further suggestions what I can vary their diet with, tried some herbs but they are not interested....by the way I do supliament thier food with Tortoise dust twice a week.
I also put cuttlefish in their vaverium to help keep their beak sharpe and at least they do get some calsium.

 

[Stazz]

Hi there !!! I only saw you post now ! So sorry for the delay!

I'm a Greek tortoise owner, they are such great torts, I'm just totally in love with my little girl
A good spring mix lettuce is great to feed your tortoises. Such as raddichio, escarole, endive, oak leaf lettuce, that type . Whats your torts names by the way?
Watercress should be fed not too much, its ok once a week or so, as it's high in oxalic acid. I give Tallula treats once or twice a week of mushroom, or yellow pepper, or tomato (take out seeds). She also loves her raspberries as a treat! I'm going to get plants this weekend for her, plants I can keep on my terrace, like rose of sharon, etc, where she can actually eat the flower too! You should be bathing your little guys a few times a week, in warm water (not hot, just tepid warm) for about 15mins a time. Its a great way to keep them hydrated. Oh another thing you should feed your torts is butternut Yep! Butternut. Its a great de-wormer apparently, and Tallula loves it ! Must be cooked, and then cooled to room temperature for them to eat. Its yummy and nutritious Its good to get your torts to the vet, I'd say once a year for a check up and a fecal test, just make sure you have a good reptile/exotics vet who knows what they're doing

Well, I have to run for a bit, but I hope that helps you

---

Oh oops, I just saw your torts names are Lolly and Dolly. How sweet !!! Mine is Tallula, and she's a Jordanian Greek at age 5
Easiest way to post pic son here, is fr you to open a photobucket account, and you upload pics onto their, and then take the img code and copy paste it into the forum here Let me know if you need more help

 

[stells]

There is a great printable booklet here of common weeds and plants found in the UK

http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=30825

 

[Crazy1]

Hi Lolly, welcome to the forum. I live in the USA and raise Greeks but here is a great place for more information on greeks.
http://www.tlady.clara.net/id16.htm

 

[VICtort]

Dear Lolly,

your open mind and willingness to get advice is refreshing. I think Robyn/Crazy1 gave you an excellent reference with the TL link. I think the food list is right on the mark, follow it as best you can. Feeding "weeds" is a good way to go, it gets you out in the woods and fields, you will learn to identify them and/or grow them. Rather than curse weeds, you will have an appreciation for them.
Many of "your" European weeds made it across the pond and have become pests here in the states, but my European and Eurasian tortoises benefit from it. So I would advise you to diversify the diet, and stay away from cabbage and fruit. Think high Calcium, low Phosphorus, high fiber and minimize oxalic acid/goitrogens and your tortoise should thrive. I generally agree with the TL care guide, and also with prolific writer A. Highfield in regard nutrition. Good luck, Vic H. (Imperial Valley, Ca. USA)