Please help me identify my new tortoise!!

[Sylve333]

Hello All!
We currently live in Cairo, Egypt and my husband brought a tortoise home from some corner pet shop. I arbitrarily decided that she's a female and her name is Margot.
I have no idea what kind of tortoise she is, so I don't know how to set up her aquarium.
I don't know much about her other than that she likes to eat lettuce and occasionally enjoys sitting in a plate of water. One of her eyes is closed, and her shell is about 3" from front to back. Whenever she goes back into her aquarium, she immediately buries herself under the sawdust.

Thanks in advance for any help!!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

It's what we would call a "GREEK" tortoise.
(I think))
He or she has some healing injuries and may have been roughed up by an animal at one point, such as a dog.
Look at our Greek tortoise link for correct food and housing requirements and welcome to the forum!

 

[JoesMum]

Needs @HermanniChris for the detailed ID, but Testudo Kleinmanni is native to Egypt and looks pretty similar.

 

[JoesMum]

Needs @HermanniChris for the detailed ID, but Testudo Kleinmanni is native to Egypt and looks pretty similar.

I don't see a Greek's spurs

 

[ZEROPILOT]

They are very similar!
They central black dot on each scute is what I thought I recognized.
Better wait for a better I.D.?

 

[Sylve333]

I spent at least an hour yesterday looking at pictures of tortoises online, and got down to Leopard, Greek, or Sulcata before becoming hopelessly confused, giving up, and joining this forum. Haha

 

[ZEROPILOT]

It's not a Leopard or a Sulcata.
We've narrowed it down a bit.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Is it a Egyption tort ?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Dunno.
We haven't been "schooled" by an expert yet.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Ive tried tortoise ID-ing once & was also wrong but it was a good shot. I dont know which tortoise it is either so I wont try. but welcome! Is that one eye thats closed closed all the time? Or for just the picture? I would minimize handling her for now until shes settled down. Just so shes not too stressed

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I assumed that the eye was damaged. There seems to be a nasty scar below it, too.

 

[JoesMum]

Hello Is it a Egyptian tort ? View attachment 170427

That's what I thought. Testudo Kleinmanni. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable is about

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

That's what I thought. Testudo Kleinmanni. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable is about

Don't tell my wife that a female agrees with my . She would scream !

 

[Sylve333]

Yes, her eye is damaged, it doesn't open. And there are scars on her shell.
The pet store she came from is almost literally a hole in the wall. She came with this extensive list of instructions:
1. It eats vegetables.

Egypt is not known for caring about animals, and there are hardly any pet supplies to be found anywhere other than basic dog and cat toys.

Margot [thats what I named the tortoise] seems very content to sit on my son's chest and munch lettuce while he watches youtube. But I'll tell him not to take her out 50 billion times a day @Linhdan Nguyen !

 

[KatyshaB]

Yes, her eye is damaged, it doesn't open. And there are scars on her shell.
The pet store she came from is almost literally a hole in the wall. She came with this extensive list of instructions:
1. It eats vegetables.

Egypt is not known for caring about animals, and there are hardly any pet supplies to be found anywhere other than basic dog and cat toys.

Margot [thats what I named the tortoise] seems very content to sit on my son's chest and munch lettuce while he watches youtube. But I'll tell him not to take her out 50 billion times a day @Linhdan Nguyen !

Here is everything you need to take care of a tortoise. http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Turtles-Tortoises/Greek-Tortoise/
I would not recommend buying ANYTHING from that pet store EVER again, buy everything you need for a tortoise online. That place clearly does not know the first thing about taking care of a tortoise, yes they do eat lettuce, but you NEED to give them a varied diet of greens, also, it would be give them a cuttlebone. I will try to give you a list of things to get for your tortoise, (warning, it's more than you would expect). And also, welcome to the Forum!
1. A daily supply of greens (cucumber, lettuce, kell, dandelion cacti)
2. At least a forty gallon enclosure (outside or inside, it can be as simple as a box)
3. A heat lamp.
4. A gauge thermometer, you need to take VERY CAREFUL temperature of the four temps (Basking Spot, Cool Spot, Hide Spot, and Night)
5. Some type of substance to put in the cage for them to burrow and dig, hay is NOT an option.
6. Some place where they can tuck in and hide under.
7. A water dish, NOT any from the pet store, make is shallow, I will send you some pics of my enclosure, and maybe tell you more stuff your gonna need.

 

[Yvonne G]

I was leaning towards Kleinmanni too (Egyptian tortoise).

 

[Sylve333]

Here is everything you need to take care of a tortoise. http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Turtles-Tortoises/Greek-Tortoise/
I would not recommend buying ANYTHING from that pet store EVER again, buy everything you need for a tortoise online. That place clearly does not know the first thing about taking care of a tortoise, yes they do eat lettuce, but you NEED to give them a varied diet of greens, also, it would be give them a cuttlebone. I will try to give you a list of things to get for your tortoise, (warning, it's more than you would expect). And also, welcome to the Forum!
1. A daily supply of greens (cucumber, lettuce, kell, dandelion cacti)
2. At least a forty gallon enclosure (outside or inside, it can be as simple as a box)
3. A heat lamp.
4. A gauge thermometer, you need to take VERY CAREFUL temperature of the four temps (Basking Spot, Cool Spot, Hide Spot, and Night)
5. Some type of substance to put in the cage for them to burrow and dig, hay is NOT an option.
6. Some place where they can tuck in and hide under.
7. A water dish, NOT any from the pet store, make is shallow, I will send you some pics of my enclosure, and maybe tell you more stuff your gonna need.

Thanks @KatyshaB
I live in Cairo, Egypt, and other than an enclosure, there's NOTHING here that I can buy for a tortoise. And online is not an option, unfortunately!
Margot, the tortoise, is currently in an aquarium that I'm guessing is 25-30 gallons. Its a nonstandard size, handmade. It's nothing more than 5 sheets of thick glass glued together. it's actually pretty funny. But it works.
Her substrate is wood shavings from a carpenters shop. She likes to bury herself in it.
I haven't figured out what to use as water dish yet, so there's just a small bowl in there, but I let her hang out in a shallow bowl of water everyday.
I'm going to check out the link you sent, thanks!!

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Yes, her eye is damaged, it doesn't open. And there are scars on her shell.
The pet store she came from is almost literally a hole in the wall. She came with this extensive list of instructions:
1. It eats vegetables.

Egypt is not known for caring about animals, and there are hardly any pet supplies to be found anywhere other than basic dog and cat toys.

Margot [thats what I named the tortoise] seems very content to sit on my son's chest and munch lettuce while he watches youtube. But I'll tell him not to take her out 50 billion times a day @Linhdan Nguyen !

That i can understand. In vietnam? They feed all their pets rice and leftovers. Or bread.
But if shes not fussy, than it sounds okay. I would just be cautious

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

I dont know where that question matk after Vietnam came from ..

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome. Margot is lucky to have found such a caring home. This is the best website for up to date information and advice from keepers worldwide. There is a great caresheet for Greeks (if that's what she definitely is) in the Species Specific section which will tell you all about diet, temps, humidity and substrate etc. The Beginners Mistakes thread (link below) will help you avoid problems encountered by others and the Enclosures thread has some great ideas for making a safe and happy home for you tort. Will you able to make a safe outdoor enclosure with shade for her so she will have plenty of space to roam and get uvb direct from the sun?
I don't now what plants you have available for Margot but www.thetortoisetable.org.uk will help you identify tort safe plants that seem to spring up around the world.

Have you soaked her in luke warm water yet? That will help keep her hydrated as they absorb water as well as drink it. Shallow terracotta plant saucers are great for water dishes if you can get hold of them. If they are big enough for her to lie in she will be able to self soak when she needs to. If you can buy cuttlefish bone that is used for bird cages then that is a good source of calcium and helps keep her beak trimmed. I hope she settles in OK,