4 Greek Spur Thighs and a Hermann's - UK Newby

Cityisland

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Newby here, I've been reading from the shadows as I have gone from 0-5 tortoises in the past year:

2 baby Greek Spur thigh (now approx. 10 months old) purchased for my kids/ family. Living on table with cedar chips from Amazon.

2 more mature Spur thighed (previous owner stated they are aged 3 yrs and 2 yrs having purchased them separately. Alot larger than the babies and doubt the accuracy of their ages) - rescued. Living in a vivarium with cedar chips from Amazon.

1 baby Hermann's (approx. 10 months) - adopted from workmate. Living on table with tortoise substrate from Amazon.

Looking to transform the area under our stairs into an open enclosure for the spur thighs. Any comments would be appreciated as we want to do the best we can for these guys. Lots of contradictory information about setups online so advice or guidance welcome.
 

Lyn W

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Hi and welcome.
That's quite a group you have there and this is the caresheet that applies to all of them. It's the most up to date advice you'll find anywhere and if you follow that your torts will be happy and healthy.


However all the torts you have should have their own individual enclosures or vivs- a minimum of 4 x 8 feet each for the older torts is needed because a viv will be far too small for them now. They will all need their own sources of heat uvb etc.

As well as not mixing species, torts should never be kept in pairs. They are territorial and do not like or need company. It is very stressful for them to have to share a small space and it doesn't matter what gender they are. One will become dominant and will bully the other starting with staring, following, nudging, mounting - all things that some people mistake for affection but is actually an attempt to drive the other tort away. It will eventually become more aggressive with barging, attempts to tip the other over, and biting etc, which can cause serious injury and even death. The stress alone can reduce the effectiveness of the immune system and cause illness. This can start from an early age so it is in the best interests to separate them asap.

Groups of torts work better but only if you have the right gender mix and a massive space where they can avoid each other.

There are threads about keeping torts outdoors in our climate but the babies will be too young for that.
@JoesMum is a member whose Greek lives outdoors most of the year so I've tagged her so that she can advise you.

It's great that you are trying to help the torts and I hope you are able to keep them separately - it will be in the torts' best interests, and will save you a lot of money in vets bills.

Read the caresheet and ask as many questions as you need. If you post pics of your current set up you'll get good feedback.
 

Lyn W

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This is JoesMum's thread

This will help you with finding safe plants for food
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

This is an example of some of the problems experienced by keeping pairs of torts but there are numerous other sad stories about illness and injury
 

Cityisland

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20210504_083026.jpgThis is Gimli..
 

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Cityisland

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20210504_083143.jpgThis is the home og Pettle and Terry20210504_083127.jpg20210504_083117.jpg..and the table on top is the home of Tiny and Mr Thomas Shelby..
 

Lyn W

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The vivs are big enough for one hatchling but the small space will definitely be a cause of stress for 2 sharing and there are some changes you could make.
They all look too dry - there are better substrate options to help humidity. The steep water dish can be dangerous for small torts; dishes sunk level with the substrate will make it easier for young torts to access and exit safely without being a tipping hazard which could cause drowning. terracotta plant saucers are a cheap and safe alternative.
To give the torts the best chances possible please follow the advice in the caresheet.
 

Cityisland

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Just had a stomp around, measurements and weigh in:

Pettle - 5.25inch/ 571g
Terry - 4.5inch/339g
Tommy- 2.5inch/ 68g
Tiny- 2 inch/ 36g
Gimli (Hermanns) 2.5inch/ 78g
 

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