Identifying Tortoise

[Senna82]

Hello,

I've just joined the forum and was wondering if anyone would be able to help me identify the type of tortoise we've had in the family for about 60 years. My mother had her from when my mother was born (1950) but there isn't a trace on where she came from before.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Many thanks,

Senna82

 

[Tom]

Where are you?

Looks like another case for @HermanniChris ...

 

[Senna82]

Where are you?

Looks like another case for @HermanniChris ...

Hi, we're based in England.

Thanks.

 

[HermanniChris]

That is without a single doubt a gorgeous ad impressive female Marginated tortoise (T. marginata). Awesome animal.

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum! Very cute tort, GOD bless.

 

[Senna82]

That is without a single doubt a gorgeous ad impressive female Marginated tortoise (T. marginata). Awesome animal.

Thanks so much for your quick reply and letting us know what type she is! That's really good to know and it's much appreciated

We've been trying to find a rough age for her but understandably that's hard. Having checked it would appear we've had her since about 1958 when my mum was 8 years old. She was given to my mother's parents as a stray then.

Are there any useful places to look online regarding identifying the age of a tortoise? I'd heard that rings could still form at 90 years old but whether that's true I don't know. It would be wonderful to try and get a ballpark age.

Incidentally she's 13.5 inches long and as spritely as ever!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

You can count rings to age a tree because they only grow one ring a year, however, tortoises might have two or three growth spurts during a year, and again they may have none. So that's not a good way to know a tortoise's age. There is no way to know unless you know when they hatched.

 

[Tim84]

Welcome! Looks like you've joined with a similar story to me, I'm certainly feeling the responsibility having an inherited tortoise!

 

[Senna82]

Thanks for all the comments and feedback ladies and gents, it's much appreciated

 

[bouaboua]

Hello and Welcome. You have a awesome tortoise there. What a beauty! ! ! !

 

[4jean]

Hello, what a special tortoise you have! I love that it has been in your family for so long! Does she have a name?

 

[Gillian M]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

You can count rings to age a tree because they only grow one ring a year, however, tortoises might have two or three growth spurts during a year, and again they may have none. So that's not a good way to know a tortoise's age. There is no way to know unless you know when they hatched.

When I began to take my Greek tort out for 'walks' in the sun, children used to surround me and begin to ask all sorts of questions. Now when one little boy asked me about my tort's age I said: 'I don't know.' 'I'll tell you,' he said, and he began to count the rings! 'Ok, you counted 15 rings. Are they days, weeks, months, years, what?' 'I think years' he answered, confirming that this is INCORRECT.

 

[tglazie]

That is one impressive lady marginated. Here's to another fifty years!

T.G.

 

[Vishnu2]

She is gorgeous! Congrats!!