New Tort Mommy! Hi! Need an id on my little guy

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Perseus

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New Tort Mommy! Hi! Need an id on my little guy
Hello, hello....I'm the proud new mommy of a golden greek named Perseus. I've had him for about three months and he's doing great! Passed his recent vet check with flying colors (and is now a celebrity in the office).

Habitat: I made my own torty table out of a 2X4 dark slate colored rubbermaid crate. Substrate is mixture of 1/4 peat moss and 3/4 sand. The cooler end of the habitat has a huge pile of hay for him to burrow in.
On the opposite end, I created a 'hot spot' where I have an infrared heating bulb on at all times (it reaches about 78-80F). A piece of slate in underneath it for basking and wearing down his claws. In the opposite corner is a mercury vapor bulb for UVB needs.

Diet: I constantly on the lookout for items that were on the list I found in your handy Greek forum. I feed him once daily...basically, all he can eat in about twenty minutes or so. Food is sprinkled with a torty calicum supplement that has additional minerals. So far, this is the mixture he gets:

Bok Choy
Cactus pads
Nappa Cabbage
Endive
Escarole
Dandelion
Assorted grass (this is only when he's in the backyard...i.e "the salad bar")
Clover
Romaine

One a week I let him have a few slices of peach, pears or apples.

As far as hydration, I soak him for 10-15 minutes in a shallow bath (lukewarm water). I mist him once a day too. I do this because I do not keep a water dish in his habitat. That was the only thing I was unsure about doing since he is a desert dweller (at least I think he is...). Thoughts on that?

I'm having a hard time figuring out his exact subspecies id? Little help here? I am loading pics now...just figured it out. I placed it in the personal galleries section of the Photo Gallery under my user name. (I'm a techno idiot, forgive me). I would be most grateful!!

-Kirsten
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Kirsten:

Welcome to the forum!!

You said you need an I.D., but you didn't give us any pictures! :D
 

Perseus

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I have pics posted the "personal galleries" section of the forum Photo Gallery. Couldn't figure out an easy way to put them directly into my message. The pics are under "perseus" (the last page of the personal galleries section)

:D
 

Perseus

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Ha! I figured it out now. And now the pics....here's my boy:

2009_0820tortoise0020.jpg


2009_0820tortoise0018.jpg


2009_0820tortoise0014.jpg


2009_0820tortoise0012.jpg


http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab16/Kirsten_Lattanzio_Dobbs/2009_0820tortoise0008.jpg
 

Terry Allan Hall

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The last pic indicates that "Perseus" just might be a "Persi Ann"... :cool:

As for subspecies, I'm no expert, but it looks a bit like my Iberian.
 

CGKeith

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I am not sure on the ID either. May need a shot of direct on top and bottom.

Yes, give it a water dish. They should have clean water at all times. Keep up the misting.
 

egyptiandan

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You have a female Testudo graeca terrestris was T.g.antakyensis. I'm trying not to confuse the junior taxonomists out there to bad. :p

Danny
 

CGKeith

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What? So, they are lumped back into one?
 

egyptiandan

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Sorry Kirsten for the slight hijacking of your thread :D

When T.g.terrestris was described in 1775 by Forsskal, there was no type specimen deposited at a museum. Well a few years ago 2 guys decided to designate a type specimen (neotype). Forsskal visited 4 places that had tortoises. 2 of them were markets, so were dismissed. The other 2 places were Libya and Syria. They chose Syria to use as the neotype of T.g.terrestris. When they did that it made T.g.antakyensis (Perala 1996) a junior synonym of T.g.terrestris.
So the description of T.g.antakyensis is the description for T.g.terrestris now.

Danny
 

CGKeith

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OH, jeez that just makes my head spin. It's like who's on first. :)
 

Perseus

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Thank you Danny! Hijacking is just fine by me. The more info...the better. The plastron pic was a bit dark...sorry.

Hilarious! My vet must not be a good tortoise gender id'er...and he's a reptile vet too! I checked an SFU paper on the biogeography of desert torts and I can definitely see that my Perseus a girl (the plastron is not concave)! Hey, I learned something today. Cool beans.

Popped her water dish back into her habitat (I'm sure she'll start using it as a toliet again....stinker). Heehee

I have another question. How often should calcium powder (w/D3) be given? I'm only doing it every three days. She's already inside until spring. It gets extremely cold in Northern Wisconsin. We're moving to South Carolina soon which will allow for more time outside hopefully (except for winter).

Thank you everyone for all the info. If anyone has any other ideas or thoughts....by all means...fire away! :D

Here are some more shots of plastron and such. The little bugger gushed pee (A LOT OF PEE) all over my feet immediately afterwards. Lovely.

What a beautiful torty. I'm so proud.

2009_0821tortoise0014.jpg


2009_0821tortoise0013.jpg


2009_0821tortoise0021.jpg
 

Perseus

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This is what had me totally confused about keeping water in the habitat. This is what I read off of a care sheet about Golden Greeks:

"Water: In captivity, these species get the vast majority of their water needs met by feeding on the water-heavy greens commonly used for their diet. Thus we don't routinely offer water to them inside the cage. High humidity is very problematic to these particular species and open water bowls in a small enclosure can become a health issue. Still, you can not rely on the greens as the sole source of water. Thus we periodically (every other week) soak them in a tub of very shallow (maybe ½” deep), warm water (mid 80'sF), allowing them to drink their fill. Most pass on drinking at these times, or drink very little, but most will at least occasionally drink during these soaks. This also allows us to gently clean their shells and probably helps hydrate living shell tissue (excessive drying of the shell is a leading cause of pyramiding). Allow them at least 10 to 15 minutes"

This is the page I got it off. (they have beautiful pics by the way).

http://www.deerfernfarms.com/Tortoise_Care.htm

(See my confusion? Oy. I have a headache.) I did notice during soaks that Persy doesn't drink much...if at all. I keep on eye on the habitat (keep it tidy) so I don't see how keeping the bowl in at all times could hurt, really.

Danny...this hasn't been an issue for your torts...has it?

I noticed error with a couple pics going into my last message. The additional shots are in my gallery.
 

egyptiandan

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No never had a problem with humidity with my Syrians or Goldens. The only problem is cool temperatures. You don't want to let her night time temperature get lower than 60F. That's the only problem I've found with them.

Danny
 

Perseus

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Thank you Danny! I'll keep that in mind. I keep her habitat in the upstairs of our house (since heat rises). I've checked the temp a few nights in the cool end where she sleeps and it never goes below 70F.

Since Persi's identity crisis has been solved I will wait until next year to get her a companion....a male maybe? Haven't decided. I'll make sure the breeder I choose is concrete about this. I don't want the torts to have a "Crying Game" moment. (Though I was told that female Goldens try to mount each other to establish hierarchy).
 
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