Inheriting tortoise - diet advice

[Timmy22653]

Hello!
I am inheriting a tortoise, Timmy, from my partner’s grandmother this weekend.
We have spent the last 3 months preparing for him (building enclosures, tortoise proofing the garden, researching, etc)
He is used to a “basic” diet of lettuce and a few of the same weeds.
I would like to introduce him to a lot more tortoise friendly foods and have been growing some ready for him in my greenhouse.
However, I am worried an environment change and diet change all in one day will be too much for him.
Do you have any advice on how I can make the transition period easier on him? He has lived with his grandmother for 47 years. She is no longer able to look after him due to age and health issues
Thank you

 

[wellington]

Species please?

 

[Timmy22653]

Species please?

Hello! I am currently unsure on this. I have been told possibly Greek - but I will be asking the forum this at weekend when I have pictures of his back legs - if there’s spurs there. But here’s some pictures:

Thank you

 

[Timmy22653]

Hello! I am currently unsure on this. I have been told possibly Greek - but I will be asking the forum this at weekend when I have pictures of his back legs - if there’s spurs there. But here’s some pictures:

Thank you

 

[Tom]

Hello!
I am inheriting a tortoise, Timmy, from my partner’s grandmother this weekend.
We have spent the last 3 months preparing for him (building enclosures, tortoise proofing the garden, researching, etc)
He is used to a “basic” diet of lettuce and a few of the same weeds.
I would like to introduce him to a lot more tortoise friendly foods and have been growing some ready for him in my greenhouse.
However, I am worried an environment change and diet change all in one day will be too much for him.
Do you have any advice on how I can make the transition period easier on him? He has lived with his grandmother for 47 years. She is no longer able to look after him due to age and health issues
Thank you

Start here and look for the temperate species care sheet near the bottom. There is all sorts of diet info explained in there.

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

 

[wellington]

I think you may be correct on it being a Greek. But see what others say. I'm not good at IDing Greeks and Hermann's.

 

[RosemaryDW]

Beautiful. He's in the testudo genus so whether he is a Greek or a Hermann's his needs are not going to be that different.

He's not likely to eat at all at first with an environment change; he's tiny and the world is very big and scary. Don't worry, he's not going to starve, he's not like a mammal and can go some time without eating. Setup is much more important to his health right now so stay focused on that.

Nor is he likely to want to change much up soon if he's been on the same diet for fifty years. Start with what he's used to and you can add in bits of new things over time. Being outside with some sun will be the best thing for his appetite so summer is a reasonably good time for him to be moved.

It's always good to add variety but he's fifty years old so this diet has clearly worked. There is no rush to change. Good luck with your new little guy.

 

[Moozillion]

I’ve had a Herman’s tortoise, and I support what RosemaryDW said, 100%!!!
Testudo are great tortoises!
Congratulations!!!!!