Europe says Hi

[Cornflowerblues]

I just wanted to introduce myself, my name is Meg.
I think after over two years, I'm not exactly new to being a turtle-parent, but you never stop learning.
Me and my spur-thighed tortoise currently reside in Berlin, Germany but I have failed to find a local online community that is active and has nice people... so this will do and anyway it would be nice to exchange stories with people who take care of species we don't really have in Germany

Before I became a screenwriter a was studying to become a marine biologist and I specialized in sea-turtles... I guess we've always had history and the entire turtle-family has always fascinated me.

The one I have is called Ent (since it's so slow and will live to very long... and also because it's gender-neutral. The vet still doesn't know whether it's male or female, we'll see) and will be three years old this summer.
I haven't met anyone else who has a spur-thighed tortoise, for some reason they are not so popular where I live, people prefer the Hermann's tortoise...
So maybe I'll finally meet someone here.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Meg welcome to the TFO from AZ , USA . You live in a great looking country . And the people are so friendly . I spent a few years in Erlangon . But back to torts we like to see Picts of the torts and their enclosure . Well the TFO has tort people from all over the world to help and just talk too . Have a great tort day !


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

 

[Cornflowerblues]

Well here you go
We re-did the enclosure in April and finally made it bigger, since the old one had gotten too small. It takes up half the guest-room by now.
It has a flap so the Ent can walk around the flat and out onto the balcony when it's warm enough.

As for the country, it is nice but it's not where I'm from and not where I'll stay. I will probably be moving to London some time next year and will have to adjust some things according to climate...

 

[yillt]

View attachment 84562 View attachment 84563

Well here you go
We re-did the enclosure in April and finally made it bigger, since the old one had gotten too small. It takes up half the guest-room by now.
It has a flap so the Ent can walk around the flat and out onto the balcony when it's warm enough.

As for the country, it is nice but it's not where I'm from and not where I'll stay. I will probably be moving to London some time next year and will have to adjust some things according to climate...

Wonderful tortoise, enclosure and country. Welcome to TFO. I live in London.

 

[Cornflowerblues]

Thanks
Come the day I move, I hope I'll be able to adjust without too much complication.
It'll probably will be a bit of a set-back since the weather offers so few genuinely sunny days compared to summers in Berlin... But I get the feeling it's too hot here anyway, so it may be a good thing.
Do your turtles enjoy the outdoors on London or is it too chilly?

 

[FLINTUS]

Germany is probably the most developed nation in terms of tortoise care in the western world. There are loads of sites dedicated to tortoises in Germany, and graeca are commonly kept, if you look you'll find loads of forums, I sometimes browse them as the German care is often much more advanced than UK/US/Canada care and technology.
Generally the south of England is fine for most of the year for testudo species, as long as it doesn't drop below 10 really. Many keep them outside from about March-October, keep them inside for a month, then hibernate, then inside for a month, then outside.

 

[Cornflowerblues]

Thanks
I know, and I learned most things I know from reading German forums. There are quite a few helpful ones and I usually got all my questions answered but I've also stumbled across many forums that deeply concerned me when it comes to the way their members treated their torts...

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Meg, and welcome to the Forum!

 

[FLINTUS]

Thanks
I know, and I learned most things I know from reading German forums. There are quite a few helpful ones and I usually got all my questions answered but I've also stumbled across many forums that deeply concerned me when it comes to the way their members treated their torts...

I guess when they are more commonly kept, that increases the chance of more tortoises not being kept well sadly.

 

[Cornflowerblues]

Hey Yvonne, thanks

@FLINTUS, sadly, I guess you're right. Especially when it comes to urban tortoise-keeping people seem to struggle a lot or not inform themselves very well... :/
But, hopefully, if Germany is indeed so well-prepared, maybe I can help some if someone has questions.

 

[bouaboua]

Hello Meg and Welcome.

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome to TFO!

 

[juli11]

Hi Meg,

I'm from Germany too ( near cologne) and I don't like the German forums or the guys there too. They are so unfriendly. So this forum is a beautiful alternative. Nice guys with much experience. Testudo gracea and hermanni are the most popular tortoises here. I don't know anybody who hasn't got one gracea or Herman in his stock. I keep both species too but only 1 of each species. They aren't so interesting for me ;-)
And flintus is right Germany has really much turtle breeder. They breed every species. I heard a presentation of a guy who breeds every cuora kind. Coura is one of the rarest and most expensive turtles I'm the world. So if you search a bit you can find here every species.

 

[Cornflowerblues]

Oh hey, nice to meet you Cuoras are beautiful, I know... <3
I never had the chance to have more that one tort, I don't have the room... but it's fine, I'm very happy with the one I have, I can think about more pets once I know I won't move around too much anymore

 

[juli11]

Oh hey, nice to meet you Cuoras are beautiful, I know... <3
I never had the chance to have more that one tort, I don't have the room... but it's fine, I'm very happy with the one I have, I can think about more pets once I know I won't move around too much anymore

Some years ago I thought I haven't got the place for more than two tortoises... And now I think I have ca. 40 tortoises and turtles here. And every animal have enough place. So if you really want you find a way. I built a rack with 3 stages. Works really good

 

[Cornflowerblues]

Well sounds great.
For my part I think I wouldn't want to do any of that and then rebuild whenever I move...
Also I hate keeping my tort in its enclosure all the time, I want it to be able to move through the whole apartment and balcony if it wants to... more space

 

[juli11]

Your tortoises run in your apartment without enclosure? FREE???

 

[Cornflowerblues]

Well not the entire apartment, that would be too dangerous.
But it has a door in the enclosure that I can open when I'm home, so that it can walk through my room to the balcony and enjoy fresh air and the sun.
I only open it when the temperature is right obviously, both in-door and out-door, and when I can keep an eye on it...

 

[juli11]

No please don't do that. I know much people who holt their tortoises on the bottom. This tortoise start to get pyramiding and they don't get old. The people say: " no no the bottom is optimal to keep tortoise my one was 15 years old..."
So the bottoms is never clean and tortoise maybe eat the mud or something like that. Also on the bottom you have every time an air draft. So maybe you can make a indoor enclosure like the picture and you build another on your balcony.
When the wether is good you but him her in the outside if not he she stays inside.