Here to Learn

[CassieAnne]

Hello! We have a Greek Tortoise that we brought home from PetSmart 16 years ago - before we knew any better - he was sold as a juvenile Russian Tortoise. We have learned a lot and he was most likely a wild caught adult. I grabbed a few pics today as he was waking up. He has no interest in cuttlebone and so I occasionally need to file his beak a bit so he can more easily eat. We have changed up his enclosure several times and have found he needs a mostly flat surface - any rocks, plates, bowls etc and he will flip himself over and be unable to right himself. He was to the vet yearly for the first few years. How often do you all go to the vet? We are still not sure which type of Greek he is - we have gotten mixed info. We adore him. Here's Calvin.

 

[TammyJ]

Calvin is beautiful .

 

[Ink]

It's either a Greek or a Herman tortoise. I'm not an expert. @Yvonne G should be able to help you. Water dish use a clay plant pot saucer. Not many people take their tortoises to the vet unless sick. I have brought my tortoise and turtle poop to the vet for parasite checks. If they needed to get medicine then you should bring it in. Welcome to the forum

 

[CassieAnne]

It's either a Greek or a Herman tortoise. I'm not an expert. @Yvonne G should be able to help you. Water dish use a clay plant pot saucer. Not many people take their tortoises to the vet unless sick. I have brought my tortoise and turtle poop to the vet for parasite checks. If they needed to get medicine then you should bring it in. Welcome to the forum

Thank you! Great idea to ask about stool checks. We tried the clay saucer and he flipped himself over. Even with it recessed in the substrate a bit. He drug the substrate into the saucer and then flipped himself over walking out. We should try it again supervised. Maybe he has developed better navigational skills.

 

[Tom]

Hello! We have a Greek Tortoise that we brought home from PetSmart 16 years ago - before we knew any better - he was sold as a juvenile Russian Tortoise. We have learned a lot and he was most likely a wild caught adult. I grabbed a few pics today as he was waking up. He has no interest in cuttlebone and so I occasionally need to file his beak a bit so he can more easily eat. We have changed up his enclosure several times and have found he needs a mostly flat surface - any rocks, plates, bowls etc and he will flip himself over and be unable to right himself. He was to the vet yearly for the first few years. How often do you all go to the vet? We are still not sure which type of Greek he is - we have gotten mixed info. We adore him. Here's Calvin.

Hello and welcome. Here is a thread that will catch you up to speed on all the new and correct care info. There is also a temperate species care sheet near the bottom:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

@TeamZissou can ID the subspecies.

Questions are welcome.

 

[COmtnLady]

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!

Calvin is beautiful.

.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thank you! Great idea to ask about stool checks. We tried the clay saucer and he flipped himself over. Even with it recessed in the substrate a bit. He drug the substrate into the saucer and then flipped himself over walking out. We should try it again supervised. Maybe he has developed better navigational skills.

You may put some flat large pebbles in the saucer, so he can get in and out easier.

What substrate is it? Wooden shavings aren't a good option - coco coir, orchid (fir) bark or cypress mulch are better.

 

[CassieAnne]

Hello and welcome. Here is a thread that will catch you up to speed on all the new and correct care info. There is also a temperate species care sheet near the bottom:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

@TeamZissou can ID the subspecies.

Questions are welcome.

Thank you for the helpful info!

 

[CassieAnne]

You may put some flat large pebbles in the saucer, so he can get in and out easier.

What substrate is it? Wooden shavings aren't a good option - coco coir, orchid (fir) bark or cypress mulch are better.

Why are the aspen shavings not a good option? Coco coir was extremely dusty snd when damp developed tiny bugs. A few years ago in a fb tortoise group the advice was not to use cypress because it was toxic. We chose the aspen because it is far leas dusty and not as sharp edges and easy to clean. He loves digging into it at night to eep as well and the other options don't allow for that? Is it for humidity retention? Thank you for the advice.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Why are the aspen shavings not a good option? Coco coir was extremely dusty snd when damp developed tiny bugs. A few years ago in a fb tortoise group the advice was not to use cypress because it was toxic. We chose the aspen because it is far leas dusty and not as sharp edges and easy to clean. He loves digging into it at night to eep as well and the other options don't allow for that? Is it for humidity retention? Thank you for the advice.

Tortoises need damp substrate to maintain humidity levels in the enclosure and to get some moisture when burrowed. As I read here, aspen shavings are too dry and become mouldy when damp.
Dry coco coir is dusty, that's true. But when damp and hand packed - this is not an issue.

Bugs can live in any kind of substrate - some of them, like springtails, are actually useful (they are small and brave enclosure cleaning crew). To keep them away for longer times some keepers "bake" substrate in the oven before adding it in the enclosure.

Cypress mulch is non toxic, any cedar and pine based substrates are.

Tortoises can burrow in any of three substrates I mentioned just fine.

For the most Testudo species (like Greek, Russian or Hermann's) humidity should be around 50-70% across the enclosure.

 

[EppsDynasty]

@CassieAnne .. If you have enough"water" in/on the Aspen to create the needed Humidity it is not long before mold and lots of it take over your tank/enclosure. As @Alex and the Redfoot mentioned you will need to put things such as pebbles, large flat rocks or something along those lines to allow him to go in and out in safety.
The bug issue ... This is best solved by "baking" the substrate as also mentioned above. Once you sterilize it with high temps it will stay bug free for quite a while, then just repeat.

 

[Tom]

Why are the aspen shavings not a good option? Coco coir was extremely dusty snd when damp developed tiny bugs. A few years ago in a fb tortoise group the advice was not to use cypress because it was toxic. We chose the aspen because it is far leas dusty and not as sharp edges and easy to clean. He loves digging into it at night to eep as well and the other options don't allow for that? Is it for humidity retention? Thank you for the advice.

FB and YT offer TERRIBLE tortoise advice and almost everything you find there will be the usual wrong info. They all repeat the same wrong info learned for all the same wrong sources. All of this is explained in the thread I left for you.

 

[JoJosMom]

@CassieAnne All the above information you are receiving from fellow members is top notch true and real info. Our family here on the forum speaks from real life experiences. What I love is that once you absorb all this incredible vital info, you put the info into action and you immediately see the results in your tort! You will know you are doing the right thing when you can see your tort come to life! May I also suggest that if your tort is refusing to allow a water dish due to his over joyful acrobat abilities, then please ensure you provide numerous soaks weekly to keep him hydrated! A happy tort is a hydrated one!

 

[Mr. RussianTortoise]

Welcome to the forum! I used to have aspen shavings and it was a terrible choice of substrate. It couldn't hold humidity very well.

 

[TammyJ]

He looks more Hermann than Greek to me but I am not an expert with either.

 

[CassieAnne]

Welcome to the forum! I used to have aspen shavings and it was a terrible choice of substrate. It couldn't hold humidity very well.

For your Greek tortoise?

 

[CassieAnne]

FB and YT offer TERRIBLE tortoise advice and almost everything you find there will be the usual wrong info. They all repeat the same wrong info learned for all the same wrong sources. All of this is explained in the thread I left for you.

Thank you. I read through the thread several times and am taking notes.

 

[CassieAnne]

I wanted to share this incredibly valuable care sheet resource. It is by far the most comprehensive and detailed I have found yet. https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-care-guide.174622/