What kind of tortoise is this little one?

Marionlerbo

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ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1505039060.000777.jpg

Hope someone can help me, as my sister bought this tortoise and was told it was a Greek tortoise. After we had bought it we sent the breeder an e mail to ask for his birthday and realised that he is actually over a year old and still only 5-6 cm long. Can anyone here help us identify the correct species? We are so scared of not giving him the right care!

Thank you so much!
 

GBtortoises

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It's a Hermann's tortoise, looks to be a Western Hermann's, Testudo hermanni hermanni however a photo of the plastron (bottom) of the tortoise would be needed to tell for certain. In Europe Hermann's tortoises are referred to as Greek tortoises by some.
 

Marionlerbo

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Thank you so much for the help. Is it normal for them to still be that small after a year?ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1505042983.359618.jpg
 

Gillian M

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A warm welcome to the forum @Marionlerbo !

A cute little tort. GOD bless. I would have said a Greek tort, but I'm no expert, so please wait till the experts here answer you.

@Yvonne G
@wellington
@Tom

would you please be kind enough to identify this tort, thank you all.
 

HermanniChris

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Looks like you've got a possible hybrid here. The carapace and subocular spot are classic western Hermann's but the plastron morphology and markings are way more reminiscent of the eastern subspecies. So is the very dark colored skin. This is not surprising since so many people cross them. Also, most who have actual western Hermann's know what they have and would never mistaken one as a Greek tortoise so this also points in the possible direction of a hybrid. In either case, it is absolutely not a Greek tortoise. I have a posted hatchling identification thread in each of these Mediterranean tortoise forums to help with confusion. In nature, this size would be normal for a yearling. Is its shell firm or overly pliable?
 
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