Inherited tortoise - Advise and ID

[NigelT]

Seems this is a common theme.

I've inherited my Grandads tortoise as he has sadly passed. We are looking to give him a nice home, hes atleast 70, its a long story, but my Grandad got him as a full grown adult when he was just 14 and had him for 60 years so we arent sure of his age or breed.

Hes lived a simple life, wondering the garden during the warmer months in the UK then in a box with straw to hibernate for the colder months. He has Iceberg lettuce (he wont eat any other lettuce), cucumbers, the odd strawberries and if hes a lucky boy some dandelions, oh, and the odd nibble of my toes when I was a little boy. Though whilst hes walking about during the day at the moment hes not interested in food just yet.

My plan is to build him a wee house, and much like with my Grandparents have done give him free range of the garden.

At this point Im looking to ID him and get him some Cuttlefish to see what he makes of that.

Advise is greatly appreciated.

 

[TammyJ]

Hi and welcome! Calling some experts here to help you @wellington @Yvonne G . I can tell you that he is beautiful, and that his diet will need some changes to keep him healthy.

 

[wellington]

So sorry about your grandad.
I'm no expert, but I believe it's a Hermann's or Greek. Take a look in the Mediterranean tortoises section for care info. It's pretty much the same for both.
Others will be able to hopefully give a 100% ID.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!

Your new Greek tortoise will be happy living in your garden, and will eat whatever plants that are growing there that are edible. You won't have to feed him too much from the grocery store, and especially not iceburg lettuce, as it has very few nutrients. Since he seems to have thrived under Grand dad's care, try to imitate that care. Try to identify the plants that were growing there and duplicate them in your garden. Same as shelter. Whatever your Grand Dad did for shelter, try to do the same.

Good luck with your new tortoise. I'm sorry to hear about Grand Dad, but the tortoise is pretty lucky you've taken him in.

 

[NigelT]

Hi, and welcome!

Your new Greek tortoise will be happy living in your garden, and will eat whatever plants that are growing there that are edible. You won't have to feed him too much from the grocery store, and especially not iceburg lettuce, as it has very few nutrients. Since he seems to have thrived under Grand dad's care, try to imitate that care. Try to identify the plants that were growing there and duplicate them in your garden. Same as shelter. Whatever your Grand Dad did for shelter, try to do the same.

Good luck with your new tortoise. I'm sorry to hear about Grand Dad, but the tortoise is pretty lucky you've taken him in.

Thank you, so Fred's a Greek, that's great to know. A quick perusal on that ID and he's of the larger varients of the Greek variety, he's at a guess around a foot long but I'll measure him tomorrow, he's a had a big day today moving across to ours and bedded back down in his straw.

Thanks for all your replies and I'll be sure to peruse the the Mediterranean threads as pointed out.

Kind regards,
Nigel

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
Sorry about the loss of your Grandad.
This is a caresheet that will help you improve the tort's diet and make sure you are doing the best for him.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

This is also a good read to help you avoid common mistakes

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

This was written by the owner of a Greek tort in Kent which is also helpful

Outdoor Accommodation in a Colder (UK) Climate

Background We live in the UK and have had our Greek, Joe, a male Testudo Graeca Graeca (TGG), since 1970. He is full grown, weighing in at around 3.2kg (7lb) and measures just over 26cm (10”) Straight Carapace Length (SCL) He would have been wild caught, so was not a baby when he joined the...

tortoiseforum.org

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is also a good guide to tort foods.

 

[jeff kushner]

I have all respect but i see the upside too! What an excellent gift! While nothing replaces grandpa, how cool is it to see his "older than dirt" tort everyday......if it were my fam, we'd start calling the tort.....yup, we would....gramps....how cool.

That you guys took him in and you are leading the efforts, is a statement about you and your family, congratulations!

 

[NigelT]

Its been a minute. Thanks for all the advice. We are now pretty certain He is a she and that she is indeed a Greek.

She wasnt eating a lot last week as it was cooler, so we've only been putting a little bit out each day but as it was warmer yesterday she was out and about and ate a little too. We now have her on Kale, lettuce, Spinach, Carrots and the odd bit of fruit here and there and shes enjoying it. I built her a wee house and in a few weeks of us popping her in there every night she would make her own way in 9/10 to sleep, occasioanly burrowing into the stones etc instead.

Alas she seems happy, just need to get in with building her an insulated box for hibernation.

On that note, is holes at the bottom for ventilation a concern? Im concerned about CO2 building up in there as she breaths, being denser than oxygen youd think this is a concern but all the ready make kits dont seem to have holes at the bottom?

 

[TammyJ]

Just a warning - don't give her chunks of hard vegetables like carrots, she can choke on them, it' a real danger.
Grater the carrot, or the pumpkin or other hard veggies.
She's adorable.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

She seems to be settled down and look really happy.. Great tortoise!
About hibernation (or brumation as I've learned from the forum), probably ventilation holes is not a concern (as some keepers brumate their tortoises in fridges). There is a thread on this forum about this if you haven't found it already: https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/toms-brumation-thread.201823/ (and maybe you can get some insight from there).

 

[NigelT]

She seems to be settled down and look really happy.. Great tortoise!
About hibernation (or brumation as I've learned from the forum), probably ventilation holes is not a concern (as some keepers brumate their tortoises in fridges). There is a thread on this forum about this if you haven't found it already: https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/toms-brumation-thread.201823/ (and maybe you can get some insight from there).

I decided to go the fridge method and have just ordered a beer fridge with temp control and a wireless thermometer, thanks for the advice. Was just chatting with another keeper on discord and decided this was the best route:

Just a warning - don't give her chunks of hard vegetables like carrots, she can choke on them, it' a real danger.
Grater the carrot, or the pumpkin or other hard veggies.
She's adorable.

Thanks foir double checking, the wife does grate the carrot for her. And yeah, shes settle in a treat it seems x

 

[Tom]

I decided to go the fridge method and have just ordered a beer fridge with temp control and a wireless thermometer, thanks for the advice. Was just chatting with another keeper on discord and decided this was the best route:

View attachment 362303

Thanks foir double checking, the wife does grate the carrot for her. And yeah, shes settle in a treat it seems x

I think you've made a wise choice. Many times they figure out how to survive for years in a way where they often wouldn't because of some barely noticeable detail or two. When they get moved, if that minor detail or two are missed, you find a dead tortoise. That would be a terrible shame. Grandpa got away with it for decades, but that doesn't mean you will in a new place. Better to do things the right way to ensure success.

 

[Jennpaints]

Hello! Fred is a handsome fella.

 

[Cathie G]

Hello and welcome. What a wonderful grand you are.🤗. That's exactly what I want for my little Russian.