New owner needing advice

[rustyspurs]

Hi
i have found your forum while researching a 10 year old tortoise that i have just adopted. I believe my turt is a Spur-Thighed Tortoise or Testudo Graeca Ibera but will add pics, so if you folks can identify it for me that would be great.

i have done some research but without a definite identification i cant be sure that my set-up will suit my turts needs.
i have converted my shed into an enclosure and plan on designing a nice run in my garden, so far i have added playsand and soil as a substrate in the shed along with a few pieces of wood as hides.
I live in northern ireland and need any advice on keeping my species of turt in this colder climate.
Sorry to start with so many questions but im trying to give 'slow-mo' the best set-up i can,
thanks Paul

 

[bobbymoore]

not sure but welcome

 

[wellington]

I'm not sure either. But WELCOME Someone will be along soon to help

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[rustyspurs]

thanks for the welcome guys

 

[rustyspurs]

can anyone confirm the species for me?
thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

I've sent this thread's link in a PM to one of our more knowledgable Mediterranean species members. In the meantime, please show pictures of the tortoise's underside.

 

[rustyspurs]

thanks very much, ill just go grab a pic

 

[rustyspurs]

heres the pic of slow-mo's underside,
thanks

 

[GBtortoises]

can anyone confirm the species for me?
thanks

Definitely a classic Testudo (gracea) ibera!

 

[rustyspurs]

thanks, i really wasn't sure.
i have him set up in my shed and can now properly research what ill need to keep him in the Irish climate.
thanks again

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome from the other side of the Irish Sea

I suggest you start by reading Tom's Beginner Mistakes thread which has so much useful information.

Do you soak Slow-Mo and does he have access to water? (My soaking tips)

His diet should be leafy greens. He cannot digest sugar properly so fruit, including tomatoes and peppers should only be part of his diet very occasionally to stop him getting ill. Carrots are also high in sugars and have to count as a fruit in tortoise terms!

You can look up plants that you can buy in the supermarket or garden centre or ones that you find in your garden in the Tortoise Table Plant database to see if they are good to feed. This Plant Booklet is an excellent pictorial guide you can print off or have on your smart phone, if you have one, as a reference.

Your shed sounds good. Tortoises do need UVB light to help them create Vitamin D which in turn helps them to digest Calcium to give them a healthy shell. Try to get Slow-Mo outside every day for at least an hour or so. I have a heat lamp in a dog-kennel for Joe (He's TGG, but care is very similar) which is on a timer. It's on between 7 and 10am every morning... the temperature underneath is 35C. Joe usually takes 2 hours to get going in the mornings. He then has free access to the garden and picks his own basking spots.

Basking helps a tortoise to digest food and is essential. I also have a cold frame in the sunniest spot in the garden and Joe frequently basks in there.

 

[rustyspurs]

Thanks Joesmum this advice is exactly what i have been looking for.
I haven't got slowmo to eat yet as the guy who owned him previously had feed him mostly fruit, grapes, apples and things like that.
He ( i say he, im not sure) is 10.5 inches scl and 8 inches wide and was brought into the country as a baby 10 years ago, should he be this size at this age or does this suggest overfeeding?
The previous owner knew very little about their care so i doubt that soaking occured regularly if at all, so ill get onto that right away.
Do you let Joe roam around even on rainy days after his morning routine for most of the year or what is the weather limits?
Also what months do you hibernate Joe in our cilmate?
sorry for all the questions, i have kept terrapins before so i know the importance of heat and uv but i know next to nothing about tortoises. I have been reading non-stop for the last day or so but its really hard to get answers to specific questions from knowledgable uk keepers.
thanks again
paul

 

[Jacqui]

Hi Paul and welcome! Your from the one country I have always wanted to visit. I think that is probally anybody who is Irish at all. Had you been planning on getting a tortoise or did this one just sorta come along?

 

[Tom]

Just want to say hello and welcome. I don't know your species very well or your climate, but joes mum does and shes very helpful.

 

[JoesMum]

Joe goes out in all weathers. It's cold that's a problem, not wet.

At this time of year he's his own boss. In the spring and autumn when it's cold, the lamp is on for longer and used more.

Joe is big (3.2kg) and fully heat charged can last an hour or more on the cold days. He hibernates in winter, but I wouldn't put him out if the temperature is close to freezing.

Last winter, for the first time ever due to illness he didn't hibernate. We had him in a 'tort table' inside and it's fair to say he hated it. On the vet's advice, he went out pretty much every day for a short time to let off steam. As soon as he ground to a halt from cooling down, I brought him in again.

 

[rustyspurs]

Hi Paul and welcome! Your from the one country I have always wanted to visit. I think that is probally anybody who is Irish at all. Had you been planning on getting a tortoise or did this one just sorta come along?

Hi,
I first saw slow-mo a few weeks ago when i was picking up a few tropical fish off a fellow fish keeper, i actually thought he was an ornament at first and after questioning the owner it turns out that they had taken slow-mo in as his wifes father was to ill to look after him, and admitted they didnt really want him or know what to do with him.
Ive kept terrapins before and always liked the idea of keeping a tortoise so I told him i would take him and give him a proper home.
So two days ago i got an email saying they would be happy for me to take him and ive been researching and converting the shed and panicking ever since
And you should visit Ireland as its a great country though looking outside right now you would swear it is october, wind rain and all that jazz..

---

Thanks for the welcome tom,
Thanks joesmum your advice has put my mind at ease,
i kept slowmo in today as i thought it was too wet, so he will get a good run round the garden tomorrow.
thanks again

 

[JoesMum]

Warm and wet here too. Joe loved it. He especially enjoyed yesterday's thunderstorm!

Ireland's good for a drop of rain... I went to uni in Lancaster and that's not much drier! Kent is positively arid by comparison... though not this year!

I don't soak Joe as often at this time of year. I make sure his food is wet so he ingests water by accident, but he usually drinks when he gets up anyway.

 

[TORTOISEMAN1]

Hello and Welcome!

 

[pam]

Welcome