HELP - noob

[burnn]

right. lets start from the beginning...
I live in south england.
got this 5 year old tortoise about 6 months ago, from a friend who'd had these tortoises roaming round his garden, unsure of the species.
Spent the summer happily walking around the garden, all is fine, started to bring him in ready for hibernation. spent a few weeks in the kitchen, sleeping at night in a box(on its side, filled with straw). He'd stopped eatingand stuff, so I knew he was ready to hibernate. The we lost him...
we've checked the whole house so he must be outside. he's 'jumped' the door before but we can't find him anywhere.
So please can you kind people answer me these 4 questions...
1) what species is he?(this is the only photo i can find)
2) his shell is slightly pointed (does he suffer from "pyrimading")
3) how deep do toirtoises burrow?
4) what slim percentage has he got for surviving a harsh british winter if we cant find him?

 

[tortoisenerd]

Welcome to the group! Someone should be along soon to help, as I don't have too many answers for you.

My guess is some kind of Greek tortoise.

I can't see the top of his shell to see if he is pyramided or not. Pyramiding is characterized by each individual scute (plate) having a point to it. The dome appearance of the shell is normal. If you were to run your hand over the tort's shell, a "normal" tort would have a smooth shell, similar to a ball. The pyramided tort would have ridges or bumps. Pyramiding is typically caused primarily by lack of humidity, but poor diet and lack of exercise can also contribute. Growth that is pyramided cannot be reversed, but by correcting the care, new growth (if the tortoise is still growing, as he likely still is at 5) can be made smooth, and the overall appearance of the pyramiding lessened.

Has he hibernated before? What type of conditions (indoors, outdoors, temperature, etc)?

There is a possibility he got out, and then decided to go back to hibernating outside. Otherwise, cold temperatures and the tortoise being awake are bad. They can freeze pretty quickly. He wouldn't survive being outside all winter unless he was hibernating.

Tortoises are very good at hiding. If awake, he's likely looking for warm, dark, and small places. Look at heat sources, behind things, in little nooks, etc. I'd be surprised he would be attracted to going out in the cold vs. the warmer house. Are you sure he got outside? Was there a way to get out (open door)? If you think he dug a hole to burrow outside, you should be able to see some loose dirt on top. Look very closely. Some species have a tunnel, and some back fill the hole. Either way, the dirt would not be smooth. They like to dig a hole next to something like a rock or a wall to feel secure in many cases. I'd get down on your hands and knees and "think like a tortoise", both inside and outside of your home.

I hope you find him! Best wishes.

 

[dmmj]

It looks like a herman to me but I sure danny will be able to verify, I know hermans and greeks are popular in engalnd. If he can burrow down he should be able to survive the winter outdoors, but I am not sure how cold it gets during the winter, also england winters are usually wetter than US winters I believe which is bad for a tort. Without seeing the top of the shell we won't be able to tell whether it is pyramiding or not. Don't giv eup hope of him being inside myself I have alot of nooks and crannies a tort could hide in my house and never see him, not that they do. Welcome to the forum and here is hoping you find yor tort.

 

[burnn]

thanks guys,
based on the only other photo i could find, I'd say, sadly, that is pyrimading.
And sorry for the typo, he's 15, not 5 years old!

Ive started digging in his favourite spot, in the vegetable patch, up against a wall, he used to burrow there in the summer when it got too hot. All the ground is loose, so I'm having to gently dig the whole thing up! how far would you guys suggest to dig? I'm going for 8 inches minimum.

the door was open for a bit to air the house and there was a small step but he's done that jump before!

I'll get in contact with the previous owners and see what they did, I think they had quite a few tortoises that came with the house, i think they used to roam freely around quite a large garden.

And yes, British winter is long (Nov-Apr) and mainly wet and frosty.

 

[Kymiie]

Aww I hope you find him!

xxx

 

[K412]

If he happens to come out when you aren't there to see him there is a trick that you can try.
Put flour sprinked all over the floor where you think he will be then just follow the trail. Good luck.