id and questions

[ChrissyLake]

Hi Everyone,
So, i was at work the other day, I work at a pet store, and this family was asking if I knew how to find a home for tortoises. I asked a bunch of questions. By the end of the day I had two new free Tortoises.

I have many pets but these are my first tortoises. I want them to get the best care possible.
I browsed around the site already so I think I get the basics. But I have a few questions.

First, I think these are Anamur Greek and maybe Golden Greek? Is that right?


Also, I live in Ojai, California. It's about 30 minutes inland from the ocean in a little valley. Spring and fall it's pretty warm out side (upper 70's). In the summer it's in the 90's and occasionally 100. In the winter it's in the 60's in day and 40's at night with somtimes ice on the car when I come out.
Can they live outside? And what times of the year are safe? I figure they'll need indoor enclosures for winter. In summer do they still need to come in at night? Or just always bring them in at night?

I know they need their own enclosures and about proper lighting for when they will need to be inside. I just don't know how much indoor time they should have.

I have about 2 acres of land full of weeds like clover and dandelion. But would it be best for me to also provide fruits and veggies? Or should those be a treat like once or twice a week? Or should the veggies and fruit be the main diet and the weeds just for grazing?

Sorry for such a long post. I just want to make sure I care for them properly because they have a long life ahead of them and I want them to be healthy from the start. I would hate to make a mistake that could have been easily avoided.

Also, is there anything that is common in homes/gardens but is super toxic for tortoises that I should know about? (Aside from the obvious, pesticides and cleaners). I'm thinking plants or anything like that.

Thank you for any responses!

 

[ChrissyLake]

I just took some more pictures to hopefully help confirm id


Anamur Greek? Male?



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Golden Greek? Female?

 

[Markw84]

Saw your post yesterday, and since you haven't got an answer, and are out of my area of expertise, let's put a call out to @HermanniChris

 

[ChrissyLake]

Saw your post yesterday, and since you haven't got an answer, and are out of my area of expertise, let's put a call out to @HermanniChris

Thanks!

 

[HermanniChris]

Both appear to be crosses for sure. For starters, anamurensis are not always black and are quite rare in the USA. The second one appears to definitely have terrestris (Golden, but proper term is Mesopotamian) and the first appears to have a lot of ibera influence.

 

[ChrissyLake]

Both appear to be crosses for sure. For starters, anamurensis are not always black and are quite rare in the USA. The second one appears to definitely have terrestris (Golden, but proper term is Mesopotamian) and the first appears to have a lot of ibera influence.

Okay that's a great start! So if they're crosses of Greeks, can I just go off the Greek tortoise care sheet on this forum?
And what about the indoor/outdoor thing? Should they just live outside except for winter or should I bring them in every night and keep them in for winter?
Thank you so much for your help!

 

[Nanchantress]

Hi Chrissy! I have had my Greek for about 4 years and he lives 24/7 outside in Albuquerque, NM. He hibernates for 5 months each winter under a bush in the backyard. If you look at some of my past posts you can see pics of him and my yard. He does not stay in an enclosure, which is a risk that not everyone chooses to take .

Every summer I plant clover, dandelions, petunias (his favorite), a sedum, pansies, nasturtiums, etc. I also give him hibiscus leaves and grape leaves. He munches on a spineless cactus thing i have out there also. I also supplement with baked butternut squash and bell peppers and zucchini. I never give any fruit.

Welcome to the world of tortoises!

 

[ChrissyLake]

Hi Chrissy! I have had my Greek for about 4 years and he lives 24/7 outside in Albuquerque, NM. He hibernates for 5 months each winter under a bush in the backyard. If you look at some of my past posts you can see pics of him and my yard. He does not stay in an enclosure, which is a risk that not everyone chooses to take .

Every summer I plant clover, dandelions, petunias (his favorite), a sedum, pansies, nasturtiums, etc. I also give him hibiscus leaves and grape leaves. He munches on a spineless cactus thing i have out there also. I also supplement with baked butternut squash and bell peppers and zucchini. I never give any fruit.

Welcome to the world of tortoises!

Thank you so much for your response! That was very helpful info! I have to make enclosures as I have too many would-be predators in my area. I think once they get bigger I'll try letting them sleep in their out door enclosures over night and see how they do.
If you don't mind, how cold does it get at night where you live? Especially in the winter?

 

[Yvonne G]

No one addressed the male/female issue, so I'm going to give it a go. The tails are both the same size/length, which leads me to believe they are the same sex. However, they may be still a bit on the 'too young' side to really tell for sure. Right now they look female, but as they reach sexual maturity they may fool us and change to look and be male.

It's hard to tell, but it looks like the top tortoise has a star-shaped cloaca. That would mean female. The other tortoise's cloaca is slit-shaped and that would mean male.

Clear as mud,huh? And you're no better off than you were before you asked the question - sorry.

 

[Nanchantress]

If you don't mind, how cold does it get at night where you live? Especially in the winter?

Overnight lows below freezing for long stretches and a few nights even reach the teens in the dead of winter. We are at 5000 ft elevation. It lightly snows once or sometimes twice during the winter but only stays for a day since the sun usually comes out later. Even with the sun, winter daytime temps range from 30s to 50s. I know where he generally digs in so I pile a 8-12 inches of fallen leaves over the area once he's down. Our winter is quite dry other than the one snow. If the ground stayed soggy I wouldn't leave him outside. It is dry as a bone usually though.

When overnight lows are mid 40s for a week or two and daytime temps reach the mid 60s (often in late March), he wakes up and suns himself for a few hours a day but doesn't eat much until daytime temps reach the 70s.

Summer daytime highs are in the high 80s to 90s with overnight lows in the high 50s to 60s.

He goes down in October and wakes up in March usually.

HermaniChris thinks mine is an Ibera Greek which I think can handle cooler temps better than some of the other Greeks.

 

[ChrissyLake]

No one addressed the male/female issue, so I'm going to give it a go. The tails are both the same size/length, which leads me to believe they are the same sex. However, they may be still a bit on the 'too young' side to really tell for sure. Right now they look female, but as they reach sexual maturity they may fool us and change to look and be male.

It's hard to tell, but it looks like the top tortoise has a star-shaped cloaca. That would mean female. The other tortoise's cloaca is slit-shaped and that would mean male.

Clear as mud,huh? And you're no better off than you were before you asked the question - sorry.

Thank you for your help. Yeah it's ok that they're too young to tell. I'll just post updated pictures at some point and see what it looks like then. I suppose either way they still need their own enclosures right? So it's more just for knowing for myself anyway.

 

[ChrissyLake]

Overnight lows below freezing for long stretches and a few nights even reach the teens in the dead of winter. We are at 5000 ft elevation. It lightly snows once or sometimes twice during the winter but only stays for a day since the sun usually comes out later. Even with the sun, winter daytime temps range from 30s to 50s. I know where he generally digs in so I pile a 8-12 inches of fallen leaves over the area once he's down. Our winter is quite dry other than the one snow. If the ground stayed soggy I wouldn't leave him outside. It is dry as a bone usually though.

When overnight lows are mid 40s for a week or two and daytime temps reach the mid 60s (often in late March), he wakes up and suns himself for a few hours a day but doesn't eat much until daytime temps reach the 70s.

Summer daytime highs are in the high 80s to 90s with overnight lows in the high 50s to 60s.

He goes down in October and wakes up in March usually.

HermaniChris thinks mine is an Ibera Greek which I think can handle cooler temps better than some of the other Greeks.

Oh wow! Ok. And I was concerned the mid 40's might be too cold!
The smallest of my two is 4.5" from front to back (only measuring the shell). The bigger one is only bigger by maybe and inch. Are they big/old enough to sleep outside now? Assuming they have "caves". I feel like an over protective mother ❤️ Maybe the right question isn't "can" they but "should" they sleep outside. I want them to have as close to nature as possible but I also want them safe, healthy and comfortable.

 

[Nanchantress]

Whether or not to hibernate, outside or in a refrigerator, is a controversial topic on this forum. Do a search here and you'll see how strongly people feel on both sides of the issue. I just wanted to let you know what my Ibera Greek has done. I'll give you some more data though: In the fall of 2013 he was 4" and weighed 524 grams. In 2014 he was 600g. In 2015 he was714g, and last fall he was 6" and 753g. He hibernated outside on his own each year.

Just read all you can, and consult with people who live in your exact area and climate, because that is a major factor in deciding what to do. Maybe contact a turtle/tortoise club in your area and see what they say.

Hope this helps a little

 

[ChrissyLake]

Whether or not to hibernate, outside or in a refrigerator, is a controversial topic on this forum. Do a search here and you'll see how strongly people feel on both sides of the issue. I just wanted to let you know what my Ibera Greek has done. I'll give you some more data though: In the fall of 2013 he was 4" and weighed 524 grams. In 2014 he was 600g. In 2015 he was714g, and last fall he was 6" and 753g. He hibernated outside on his own each year.

Just read all you can, and consult with people who live in your exact area and climate, because that is a major factor in deciding what to do. Maybe contact a turtle/tortoise club in your area and see what they say.

Hope this helps a little

Thank you so much for your help!
I will do more research for sure. For now I will continue to put them in their outdoor enclosures for sunny days and bring them in at night. I think for hibernation I may just bring them in for the winter as I don't want them to dig out of their enclosures and become vulnerable to predators. But still winter is a long ways off so I have plenty of time to gather more info on that.

Again, thank you to every one for your advice! I consider my pets part of the family and I will continue to research and find out what is best for my new babies ❤️