New tortoise what should I do?

[GFAJ]

Hello all,
I live in Greece near Athens and about a month ago a very young wild tortoise was found in my school. The students took it in and paid attention to it for about a month and then started ignoring it. Hoping to do the right thing I took permission and took the tortoise and brought it home.
I know wild tortoises should not be pets but it is so young that leaving it on her own is a certain death sentence . We commonly find empty turtle shells around my house killed by most likely magpies.
I hope and plan to eventually get it in a wildlife center but until then how should I take care of it. Does anyone know if it is a Herman’s or a Greek tortoise?
Thanks

It is currently in a small 12lt aquarium happily devouring a piece of lettuce.
I keep aquariums and have a bit of gear but Indont know how much of it will be helpful

 

[Maro2Bear]

Welcome to the TFO. Lots of great, species specific & general tortoise info here On the Forum.

➡️ https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/which-baby-tortoise-do-i-have-a-pictorial-guide.115331/

➡️ https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-care-guide.174622/

➡️ https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/distinguishing-greek-from-hermanns.139516/

Good luck!

 

[TeamZissou]

Believe it or not, there aren't a lot of Greek tortoises (Testudo graeca) in Greece, except Asia minor tortoise (Testudo graeca ibera) in the northeast of the country. Eastern hermanns (Testudo hermanni boettgeri) are common in the south and west, as well as another species, the marginated tortoise (Testudo marginata).

This appears to me to be a marginated tortoise. You can check for sure by looking at the plastron (bottom of shell) and looking for several triangular patches. This is also shown in the "which baby do I have" thread liked by Maro2Bear.

Since it is a native species, it would be better to release it where you found it. The 30 day mark is around the time when people say not to release them back to the wild, so you may have surpassed that. I also do not know the laws in Greece regarding collection or keeping of native species. It is a bummer, but only about 1-2% of turtles and tortoises make it to adulthood.

If you decided to keep it, here's the best way to raise it. It will take some effort and you will need to be committed for the long haul. The nice thing about being within the natural range is that once it gets big enough (10 cm in length or ~2 years), it could live in your backyard in an enclosure year round.

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...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[GFAJ]

Can you not release a turtle after 30 days in captivity? Can it not live in the wild again? It’s been about a month since they first got her

 

[Tom]

Can you not release a turtle after 30 days in captivity? Can it not live in the wild again? It’s been about a month since they first got her

They can acquire diseases and pathogens in captive environments that can decimate wild populations if released.

Has it been anywhere near any other chelonians or reptiles? If yes, don't release it. If not, its a gamble.

It is unlikely that this baby will survive if you release it.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
Thanks for trying to do the right thing for this little tort.
He could do with something in the bottom of the tank so that he'll be able to move about more easily than he can on a slippery surface. The temperate species caresheet linked above will help you with that and with feeding some nutritious foods.
He may enjoy a soak in shallow, luke warm water too - water below head at all times. Terracotta plant saucers are good to use for that.
If you decide to keep him there's lots of people here to help you
Good luck!

 

[TaylorTortoise]

They can acquire diseases and pathogens in captive environments that can decimate wild populations if released.

Has it been anywhere near any other chelonians or reptiles? If yes, don't release it. If not, its a gamble.

It is unlikely that this baby will survive if you release it.

Tom, why would it not survive if you released it back out into the wild?

 

[Tom]

Tom, why would it not survive if you released it back out into the wild?

Only one out of 300-1000 survive to adulthood, according to the studies I've read.

 

[TaylorTortoise]

Only one out of 300-1000 survive to adulthood, according to the studies I've read.

Why though? Do we know whg

 

[Tom]

Why though? Do we know whg

Predation, starvation, parasites, dehydration, exposure to unsurvivable temps, disease, etc... And those are just the natural causes. Add in the man made problems and the list is endless.

 

[TaylorTortoise]

They were made to live through these type of things though. Everything you mentioned. So how could they possibly not survive?

 

[TaylorTortoise]

God created all animals to survive and adapt to their environments.

 

[dd33]

Think about how many eggs a tortoise lays each year. If every one of them survived all the things that Tom mentioned the world would be swimming in tortoises. The overwhelming majority of them die of natural or man made causes.
I think Tom is pointing out that best case scenario it has a tough road ahead of it. However the odds are even more stacked against it if it had been in captivity for a while and it may even pose a danger to wild populations due to diseases.

 

[xyhapu]

Why though? Do we know whg

Here is a 3-year study where they radio-tracked newly-hatched box turtles to see how they survived. Tortoises probably face similar conditions. It has data on all the ways in which they died:

Nest-Site Selection and Neonate Survival of Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) in Michigan’s Northern Lower Peninsula

Turtles (Order Testudines) are experiencing global declines largely due to anthropogenic influences such as habitat fragmentation, illegal collection and sales, and the threat of global climate change. Removal of individuals from the adult age-classes means there is now a greater need to...

scholarworks.gvsu.edu

Sadly, none seemed to have made it past their first year in each of the years the study was conducted (though a bunch had unknown fates). One almost made it a full year before being eaten:

We were unable to track a neonate for a full year (365 d). However we were able to successfully track a single neonate from nest emergence on 18 September 2013 to 18 August 2014 for a total of 335 days. The neonate was eventually depredated as the carcass was never recovered but the transmitter was located covered in visible bite marks. From 2013 to 2015 a total of 14 neonates (22.6%) were depredated (10 in 2013, 2 in 2014, and 2 in 2015), 19 neonates (30.6%) died due to exposure (3 in 2013, 15 in 2014, and 1 in 2015), and 2 neonates (3.2%) were found on the side of a dirt road adjacent to the Turtle Bowl study opening crushed by motor vehicles (2 in 2013, 0 in 2014, and 0 in 2015). From 2013 to 2015 a total of 27 neonates (43.6%) were censored from our study due to loss of a transmitter signal or the absence of evidence to determine whether the neonates had been depredated (12 in 2013, 1 in 2014, and 14 in 2015).

To the OP, I think you are making a good call in taking it in. Controversial opinion, but since an individual turtle/tortoise is capable of suffering, and the concept of a 'species' is not, the individual's welfare should always be prioritized over the prosperity of the species. Of course, oftentimes they suffer more, and for longer, in captivity versus a relatively quick death in nature, so please take good care of it!