Hello from WI

[greengnu]

Hi everyone,

I'm Liz from Wisconsin. I've been browsing this forum for awhile now and decided to join.

I am taking care of 2 male tortoises -long term--until their owners return to the states. They are 6-8 years old and were imported from Germany My best guess is that they are some sort of Greek hybrid. If you've got any ideas of what they are let me know.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Liz:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome

Could you post a picture of each tort's plastron ( under shell) including the tail please?

 

[wellington]

Hello and WELCOME . The substrate you have them on is about the worst. Learn all you can from this forum on how to better their life. Then when the new owners come back, teach it to them and ask them to join our forum also. Good luck, there is a lot to learn.

 

[Katherine]

Welcome!

 

[jvaldes55]

Welcome to the forum

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[ada caro]

Welcome.

 

[TORTOISEMAN1]

Welcome!

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

Welcome!

 

[Zamric]

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[greengnu]

I will work on posting some pics of their undersides and overall better photos.

I hate the bedding too! When it disintegrates it makes a huge mess. It's hard to clean up and creates excessive dust. I recently switched to some sort of shredded coconut? It comes in a block form that you soak in water, squeeze out the excess, and spread around the enclosure. I also added slate tiles in an attempt to wear down their nails a bit. I don't think it's working.

I'm looking forward to learning how to better care for them.

 

[GBtortoises]

Both are Hermann's tortoises. If you can post a photo of their plastrons (belly) we can tell if they are Westerns, Testudo hermanni hermanni or Easterns, Testudo hermanni boettgeri. Doubtful that their Dalmatians, Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis. If I had to bet, just based on that one photo I'd say Westerns, but their coloration and contrast may be from being maintained under artificial lighting. A plastron photo will tell for sure.

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum...

 

[turtlemann2]

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum hope you stick around a while

 

[greengnu]

Here they are--the undersides of the tortoises. Someone here said they are Hermann's tortoises.

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p610/greengnu/t2.jpg

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p610/greengnu/t1.jpg

Let me know what you think.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome.

 

[greengnu]

I put the link to some photos of their undersides in this post.

Has the artificial light done any damage to the shell? Or is this just something that happens to tortoises in captivity? Maybe my lighting was bad in the photos?

 

[Yvonne G]

No, he just meant that sometimes a color of a tortoise's shell is different due to not ever having been in the sun. Once they get outside, it will change to a more normal coloration for that species.

 

[GBtortoises]

Both are definitely Eastern Hermann's, Testudo hermanni boettgeri.