I bought my tortoise recently and I cant know her age :)

[Omar T Soliman]

Hi Everyone,
I am Omar Soliman, I am from Alexandria, Egypt. This is my first post in this forum and I find it really interesting. I am looking forward to knowing more about tortoises and making friends here with others .
I bought a new tortoise recently from a pet store, and I named her Bolbola. In fact I dont know how old is she or even her type. So if anyone could look at the photos and help me in this it would be great and thanks in advance.
Also if anyone knew her type and knew any information about her proper living conditions please tell me.
I usually leave her im my room in tempretures ranging from 20 dgree Celsius in the morning to 7`C at night These are the usual tempretures in alexandria but sometimes it reaches 4`C in the very cold nights In winter but in summer the tempretures ranges from 33 in the morning to 22 at night but the Humidity is a little bit high in Summer. Also I sometimes leave her in the garden in summer when my family goes to the Noarth Coast in vacations.
I dont know how to take care of her properly. I feed her Lettuce, Green pepper and arugula, and I dont give her any water, So if anyone knows how should I take care of her and give her the proper care tell me please . Should I give her water, Nutritions, any other things??.
Thank you all and looking to hear from you

 

[Moozillion]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Your tortoise sure looks like an Egyptian Tortoise to me, but I'm a beginner, and could be wrong. If you do an online search for "Egyptian tortoise photo" you'll see what I mean. If you think that's what she is, you can also search "Egyptian tortoise care sheet," although you may get some contradictory information, whatever you see repeated in several care sheets is probably reliable.

If she is an Egyptian, she needs a hot, dry climate. The warm end of her enclosure should be 32-35 degrees C. She should also have areas of cooler shade that she can crawl into to regulate her body temperature. She needs ultraviolet light for healthy calcium metabolism for healthy shell and bones, but it sound like you've got her outside, which I great: the sun is the best source of UV light, as long as she also has shade if she gets too hot. Her type of tortoise needs a varied diet: lots of weeds, grasses and greens (clover, endive etc) I'm not sure how available those are in Egypt. You may want to give her some calcium supplement in her food.

A shallow dish of clean water that she can easily crawl into and out of is recommended for almost all tortoises.

You mentioned her being in your garden. It would be a really good idea to make sure she can't get out of her designated area- low walls etc so she can't get out and come to harm.

As I said, I'm a beginner, so lets see what more experienced people have to say!
And Welcome, again!

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome I don't know,your species. However, every tortoise needs water. I would give her a nice long soak in warm water for 30 minutes at least, seeing you haven't give her water. I would do this about once a week. Then like already said, have water available to her 24/7. Also, look up the tortoisetable.org for edible plants, flowers and weeds you can feed her. Get her outside in the warmer weather as much as possible. Others should be able to help more.

 

[redfoot7]

I'm no expert on the testudo Mediterranean species, but I would guess a Hermanns Tortoise or Egyptian tortoise. I could be wrong though. It would be hard to guess the age, but it looks like it has been captivity for a while. I'm basing that on the slight pyramiding and raised growth rings on the shell that is seldom present in fresh wild caught tortoises.

Either way you should give it water. At the very least let it soak in a couple inches of water for 15 minutes or so 2-3x a week. Once someone who knows exactly what it is chimes in, you can search the forum for more detailed care.

 

[Nixxy]

To me, it looks like a Hermann's.

Welcome!

 

[luvpetz27]

Hi and welcome!

 

[Moozillion]

Ok. I've changed my mind: I think it's a Hermann's. Maybe the more experienced Hermann's keepers will weigh in with an opinion soon.

 

[Zabbi0]

I thought she looks like a leopard but shows how much I know. I'll have to look up Hermann's & Egyptians.

Grats on your new baby!

 

[Pokeymeg]

I immediately thought Hermann by looking at the shell, but her (or his) head/face is so adorably speckled! I've never seen a Hermann with a spotted face like that! Very cute tortoise you have

 

[Omar T Soliman]

That's Great but does anyone know her age ?

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Thinking one of the many varieties of T. graeca, not a Hermann's. Likely someone'll be along to ID it more precisely, but a really clear shot of it's plaston ("tummy") will help. Once we know the species, we can more accurately "guess-timate" it's age.

In the mean time, Omar, give your new pet as large a variety of greens as possible, including chopped-up cactus pads 2-3X a week...very high in calcium!

And it needs access to water, in a shallow dish or saucer and a chance to soak at least once a week.

And welcome!

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum, Omar! Your tortoise looks to be about 4 or 5 years old.

 

[Omar T Soliman]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Your tortoise sure looks like an Egyptian Tortoise to me, but I'm a beginner, and could be wrong. If you do an online search for "Egyptian tortoise photo" you'll see what I mean. If you think that's what she is, you can also search "Egyptian tortoise care sheet," although you may get some contradictory information, whatever you see repeated in several care sheets is probably reliable.

If she is an Egyptian, she needs a hot, dry climate. The warm end of her enclosure should be 32-35 degrees C. She should also have areas of cooler shade that she can crawl into to regulate her body temperature. She needs ultraviolet light for healthy calcium metabolism for healthy shell and bones, but it sound like you've got her outside, which I great: the sun is the best source of UV light, as long as she also has shade if she gets too hot. Her type of tortoise needs a varied diet: lots of weeds, grasses and greens (clover, endive etc) I'm not sure how available those are in Egypt. You may want to give her some calcium supplement in her food.

A shallow dish of clean water that she can easily crawl into and out of is recommended for almost all tortoises.

You mentioned her being in your garden. It would be a really good idea to make sure she can't get out of her designated area- low walls etc so she can't get out and come to harm.

As I said, I'm a beginner, so lets see what more experienced people have to say!
And Welcome, again!

Thank you Moozilion alot but how can I give her calcium support and how can I provide her with ultraviolet light if I can't leave her in the garden in winter

 

[Moozillion]

There are several good nutrition supplement powders available to sprinkle on her food. Also, certain plants contain good levels of calcium. Opuntia cactus, which is easy to grow and tasty for them to eat, is popular for its calcium content, and there are spineless varieties available. Some very good websites for information about which plants are safe and have good amounts of calcium are The Tortoise Table and the Tortoise Library. There is also a section on this forum about Diet, which often includes discussions about calcium in plants.

It is generally recommended to build an indoor tortoise enclosure for animals who are brought inside for the winter. If you look in the "Enclosures" section, you'll see lots of good ideas and discussion. The enclosures don't have to be difficult at all. You can buy different kinds of light fixtures for her enclosure to use special light bulbs that will emit beneficial Ultraviolet light for your tortoise- almost as good as real sunlight. Even in winter, if you have some warm sunny days, she can go outside for a while.

All this might seem like a lot at first, but anytime we start a new adventure, there's lots to learn! If you keep reading and RESEARCHING and asking questions, you might be surprised how quickly the new ideas start to get easier!

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

There are several good nutrition supplement powders available to sprinkle on her food. Also, certain plants contain good levels of calcium. Opuntia cactus, which is easy to grow and tasty for them to eat, is popular for its calcium content, and there are spineless varieties available. Some very good websites for information about which plants are safe and have good amounts of calcium are The Tortoise Table and the Tortoise Library. There is also a section on this forum about Diet, which often includes discussions about calcium in plants.

It is generally recommended to build an indoor tortoise enclosure for animals who are brought inside for the winter. If you look in the "Enclosures" section, you'll see lots of good ideas and discussion. The enclosures don't have to be difficult at all. You can buy different kinds of light fixtures for her enclosure to use special light bulbs that will emit beneficial Ultraviolet light for your tortoise- almost as good as real sunlight. Even in winter, if you have some warm sunny days, she can go outside for a while.

All this might seem like a lot at first, but anytime we start a new adventure, there's lots to learn! If you keep reading and RESEARCHING and asking questions, you might be surprised how quickly the new ideas start to get easier!

Well said!

 

[Eweezyfosheezy]

Terry is correct in that you have a greek tortoise. You have a testudo graeca cyrenaica which is also known as the libyan greek tortoise. If you can post a plastron (bottom shell) picture we can help you sex your new tortoise.