Species Identification

[Totman]

Hello everyone! I am new to this forum.

I got this beautiful girl one year ago, her shell was 3" when I got her. Unfortunately, the store I got her from didn't know what species she was. I want to buy another tortoise for her so she doesn't have to be alone, I've been told against keeping different species so I don't want to make any mistakes that can harm her.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings, Welcome and Marhaba to you in Doha!

Most folks would recommend to NOT add another tortoise in with your little guy. They don’t need a buddy or companionship, and one might end up bullying the other day and night. So, one is good!

Take a look here - https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/which-baby-tortoise-do-i-have-a-pictorial-guide.115330/

Good look and happy Tortoise Keeping

 

[TortoiseRacket]

That’s a hermanns tortoise!

 

[SweetGreekTorts]

That’s a hermanns tortoise!

Actually not a Hermann's tortoise. The Hermann's tortoise has two black stripes on its plastron.

This tortoise has random black spotting on it's plastron, which makes it a Testudo graeca (Greek tortoise).

 

[TortoiseRacket]

Actually not a Hermann's tortoise. The Hermann's tortoise has two black stripes on its plastron.

This tortoise has random black spotting on it's plastron, which makes it a Testudo graeca (Greek tortoise).

Oops! I guess I saw the pattern on the carapace and thought it was a hermanns. Thanks for correcting me. I am always learning!

 

[Tom]

Hello everyone! I am new to this forum.
I got this beautiful girl one year ago, her shell was 3" when I got her. Unfortunately, the store I got her from didn't know what species she was. I want to buy another tortoise for her so she doesn't have to be alone, I've been told against keeping different species so I don't want to make any mistakes that can harm her.

Hello and welcome.

Tortoises should never be kept in pairs. Alone as the sole king or queen of their castle is their favorite way to be. Other tortoises are not seen as friends or companions. They are seen as competitors or combatants. Something to fight or drive away. They don't want other tortoises around.

If you want another tortoise, set it up in its own separate enclosure, but your tortoise doesn't want another tortoise around.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi
Dogs and cats do great in pairs but reptiles do better in trios .

 

[chemprentice]

Definitely a Greek. Possibly Greek Ibera? He looks very similar to our Greek Ibera, but older.

 

[Totman]

Thank you for being welcoming and kind!!

I understand, so I will wait few years before getting a new tortoise because she has taken 6ft of space already, another 6ft would be troubling

That's a cute ibera! I am still confused though I look at other greeks and they all look the same in one way or another.

 

[SweetGreekTorts]

Thank you for being welcoming and kind!!

I understand, so I will wait few years before getting a new tortoise because she has taken 6ft of space already, another 6ft would be troubling [emoji14]

That's a cute ibera! I am still confused though I look at other greeks and they all look the same in one way or another.

There are actually numerous subspecies and locales of Greeks:

Testudo graeca ibera (Northern Turkey, Ankara Turkey, Southern Turkey, Dalaman Coast, East Anatolian). Testudo graeca terrestris (Jordan, Syria, Gaza, Lebanon).
Testudo graeca marokkensis (Northern Moroccan). Testudo graeca soussensis (Southern Moroccan). Testudo graeca nabeulensis (Tunisia).
Testudo graeca cyrenaica (Libya).
Testudo graeca graeca (Moorish/North Africa).
Testudo graeca anamurensis (Anamur).
Testudo graeca buxtoni (Buxton/Zagros Mountain, Caspian Sea).
Testudo graeca graeca/whitei (Algeria).
Testudo graeca zarudnyi (Iran, Azerbaijan) *(incredibly rare).
Testudo graeca armeniaca (Armenia).
Testudo graeca graeca/sarda (Sardinia).
...to name a few [emoji4]

Granted the different locales of the same subspecies do have similarities, but each subspecies looks completely different from the others.

You can learn more about them on my website www.sweetgreektorts.com, or Chris' website www.hermannihaven.com

 

[Gijoux]

It looks like your Tortoise is a male. Of course I could be wrong.

 

[GordonP]

I have a 40 year old spur thighed mediteranean tortoise and she looks the same as yours.
You can tell the sex by looking underneath, females have a flat shell and males have a concave shell. It makes mating easier !
At first glance yours looks like a female.