How old are the greek tortoises when Petsmart gets them from their breeders

[TinaRayburn]

Last week we got a baby greek tortoise from Petsmart in McCalla Alabama. The said they've had him for 2 months. He's about 4 inches around & about 2 inches tall. I was wondering how old they are before the breeder sends them to the store.

 

[Jacqui]

I think you will find most of then being sold are adults. As for when a breeder will let tem leave, some will do it as soon as they ae out of the egg. It's much better to keep them a few weeks, to be sure they are eating well and just overall doing fine and have a bit more hardiness then a newly hatched one.

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

Some of the experts have said that these tortoises are wild caught, mostly from Jordan and brokered by way of Egypt, and can be anywhere from 5 years on up. Adults most of them, so far. I got two last year. Love them! But because they are wild caught you need to really keep an eye on them to be sure they do not get sick from the stress of their journey to the USA. If you google - princess alia foundation 563 tortoises - you will see a truck with tortoises being confiscated and returned to the wild. Some make it out of the middle east, like ours, some do not. They get put back into the wild. They are considered endangered in their home land so we are lucky to get these treasures, I feel. Make sure you give your tortoise time to adjust/acclimate. Some alone time so that it gets a sense that it is safe now and not about to be preyed up. Do not hover too much above it so it does not think it will be eaten. Because of the wild caught part, they are not sure who we are. In time, your tortoise will know that you are the food god! Yay! Warm water with baby food soaks would be good too in case it is dehydrated from the journey to the broker and the wait to get to the store and then being at the store waiting to be bought by you. Tortoises stress when their lives are disrupted. Greek tortoises show it with what is called "runny nose syndrome". You can read more about that on other TFO threads. They need stability and routine to thrive. Make sure you read-read-read all the information people share on TFO especially the Greek section. This forum is the best for educating us to be better keepers. Love.

Welcome to TFO and all the best with your new little Greek tortoise. They are not found in Greece by the way. They are called Greek because their shells reminded some scientist of ancient Greek tile mosaics. I think they should be called mosaic tortoises since they are found in so many places in the middle east. Wait until you read about the many subspecies. It will make your head spin! All in all, they are a cool pet! I feel lucky to have my two. : )

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Tina, and welcome to the Forum!

The way we measure tortoises is in a straight line (not over the curve of the shell) from front to back. If your little tortoise is 2" in a straight line from front to back, then he's probably a hatchling, or under a year of age. If he's 4" in a straight line, he is more than likely about 4 or 5 years of age. No one can tell you for sure unless you know the hatch date. But if you post his picture, we can give you a good guess.

 

[Tom]

Its wild caught, not from a breeder, and its likely to be somewhere between 4 and 40 years old.

 

[FLINTUS]

Its wild caught, not from a breeder, and its likely to be somewhere between 4 and 40 years old.

Well not sure 40 years at 4 inches lol. As said though, most likely WC in the US-banned here as there are so many of them- and a juvenile-sub-adult depending on species of Greek.

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Welcome to TFO and all the best with your new little Greek tortoise. They are not found in Greece by the way. They are called Greek because their shells reminded some scientist of ancient Greek tile mosaics. I think they should be called mosaic tortoises since they are found in so many places in the middle east. Wait until you read about the many subspecies. It will make your head spin! All in all, they are a cool pet! I feel lucky to have my two. : )

Not entirely true. There is a population of t.graeca in Greece, along with Marginateds and Hermann's. Not only are they found in Europe-some of the best data has come from the Tortoise Trust's studies of wild t. graeca graeca in Spain- but as you said the Middle East and North Africa. I had no idea why they're called Greeks for you guys in the US though so the mosaic thing is interesting. Over here, we just call them Spur Thigh's usually. Yes, subspecies is a very interesting subject which is constantly changing. What you will also likely find is crosses between the subspecies as you discover more.[/i]

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

Welcome to TFO and all the best with your new little Greek tortoise. They are not found in Greece by the way. They are called Greek because their shells remind some scientist of ancient Greek tile mosaics. I think they should be called mosaic tortoises since they are found in so many places in the middle east. Wait until you read about the many subspecies. It will make your head spin! All in all, they are a cool pet! I feel lucky to have my two. : )

Not entirely true. There is a population of t.graeca in Greece, along with Marginateds and Hermann's. Not only are they found in Europe-some of the best data has come from the Tortoise Trust's studies of wild t. graeca graeca in Spain- but as you said the Middle East and North Africa. I had no idea why they're called Greeks for you guys in the US though so the mosaic thing is interesting. Over here, we just call them Spur Thigh's usually. Yes, subspecies is a very interesting subject which is constantly changing. What you will also likely find is crosses between the subspecies as you discover more.[/i]

Thank you for the correction. I thought I had read from an expert that none in Greece ... or so I thought I read. Education is always much appreciated. Love them Spur Thigh cuties. Confusing as all get out though, as far as who and what, and the crossovers and the mixie matchie. I just know I love the two I keep, whatevers (sic) they are. : )

 

[FLINTUS]

No, as far as I know there are some. Yes, the subspecies are very confusing. To make it even worse, a lot of organisations such as the TT are classifying some subspecies such as ibera as full species.

 

[sibi]

Hi and welcome. Nice Greek....make sure your kids learn all they can on their new pet