Help needed... for real.. UK

[Maddhippy]

I recently became a carer for two torts... lets say from North Africa, no papers... no certs.. just a stupid person not wanting to leave them to die!! I need help.. what UVB light to get? they have been 10 days without direct sunlight.. They are eating well and still very mobile, i have heat lamp and tort table,, these are young and unregistered.. am i a criminal?? should i hide them or find a way to treat them?? all advice much needed..

 

[Yvonne G]

Well, for starters, we'll need to know what species before we can give you any help.

 

[FLINTUS]

I'm going to guess that these are testudo graeca of some subspecies. You don't need papers to possess them, just to legally sell them-rehoming is allowed. If you plan to breed, you will need to get papers-Article 10- for the parents. These can be obtained from DEFRA. They also need to be microchipped once over 600mm.
In terms of UV, don't worry, 10 days won't do much harm. I'm a fan of Arcadia's T5 system, but there are lots of choices out there.

 

[Maddhippy]

OK I got them from a nasty market trader in Marrakech... he didn't care life or death.. I brought them here in a cheeky way, any life here was better than death in a box there.. here are some pics..

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Man. The first one looks days...or weeks old. Thanks for the save!

 

[Maddhippy]

I just need to know what lighting to you use,, There were another 20+ I had to leave behind

 

[ZEROPILOT]

A good an inexpensive UVB source would be a florescent strip light with a 5.0 tube. This will supply UVB but no heat. Give them a warm water soak. They are likely very dehydrated.

 

[Yvonne G]

Let's send a shout out to @HermanniChris

I use two kinds in different enclosures. I have the Mercury Vapor Bulbs because I like the fact you get heat and UVB all in one fixture. Then I have the tube-type UVB fluorescent bulbs out in the tort tables. Of the two, I like the MVB better.

 

[HermanniChris]

Definitely look like T. graeca graeca. I've had success with both mercury vapor bulbs and also regular basking lights in combination with either 5.0 or 10.0 fluorescent tube bulbs. I tend to prefer the Mercury vapors but be careful to not keep them too close to the babies, they are very intense and can dry out the entire enclosure rapidly which is not good for such young ones.

 

[crimson_lotus]

What substrate are you using? I'm just worried because I see sand in your profile picture, and 100% sand isn't good.

Cute little guys though, good save.

 

[Maddhippy]

Thanks for all the help everyone, I think I will try mvb lamp and see how that sits.. Thanks again. For substrate I am using a mix of sand/Calci sand and top soil, does it need to be mixed up a bit more?

 

[FLINTUS]

Ok, yes, you've illegally brought them into the country. Any transactions require an A10 cert for the UK, and you'd also need the CITES import and export permits. Did you bring them back on the plane or something? You have to go to DEFRA and sort it out, what you have at the moment are illegally possessed-due to the sale- tortoises, coupled with illegally transported-which all of CITES, the UK and the Moroccan government could hold you accountable for.

 

[Heather H]

Nice save. Good luck.

 

[Maddhippy]

There was no sale, transport was arranged.

 

[FLINTUS]

Ok, well no sale would mean that in theory, you'd just need to apply for A10s from DEFRA, but did you get the CITES import and export permits? This is the key really here.