What species is my tortoise and it is a girl or a boy?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Cyprus Lady

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 25, 2013
Messages
35
All hail tortoise experts of the world! I know you have been asked many times to do this I'm sure but could you take a moment to look at my new tortoise and tell me what species it and whether its a boy or a girl. I'm thinking female Greek ...ImageUploadedByTortForum1369683126.717942.jpg about 20cm long (I've leant how to measure now but that's a rough idea) ImageUploadedByTortForum1369683175.419205.jpg short stumpy tail ... ImageUploadedByTortForum1369683205.580433.jpg...ImageUploadedByTortForum1369683230.639427.jpgImageUploadedByTortForum1369683254.525276.jpga slight dip but nothing very distinct.
ImageUploadedByTortForum1369683286.191361.jpggood looking tortoise isn't 'she'?
 
Last edited by a moderator:

kimber_lee_314

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
2,628
Location (City and/or State)
So Cal
Definitely a female greek - not sure of the subspecies though. Pretty girl! :)
 

Cyprus Lady

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 25, 2013
Messages
35
Thanks Kimber_Lee. She was found wandering along the road in a village in Cyprus. No-one could find her owner so I happily stepped up to adopt her.


ImageUploadedByTortForum1369684619.048370.jpg and she has an interesting green circle on her head (sorry rubbish picture but she's quite active!) do you think it's just her markings?
 
Last edited by a moderator:

kimber_lee_314

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
2,628
Location (City and/or State)
So Cal
That's just her markings - it's pretty! She might be graeca graeca but I'm terrible with greek subspecies so hopefully someone else who is more knowledgeable will chime in.
 

james1974

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2013
Messages
253
Location (City and/or State)
Illinois
Definitely greek female,you can tell by the first vertebrate scute it's a Ibera Greek the vertebrate scute is straight on the side's almost a square look.In Graeca Graeca Greek Tortoise the vertebrate scute is more rounded on the side's plus Graeca Graeca is a smaller tortoise compared to Ibera greeks,she will get a few inches bigger then she is now.That's the only way I can tell.Someone else may have a easier way to tell but that's how I was told to tell them from other greeks.Iberas are bigger darker in color and the first vertebrate scute is square looking.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using TortForum mobile app
 

Cyprus Lady

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 25, 2013
Messages
35
Thanks James! I'm thinking of calling her Pollyanna - not sure why... It popped into my head when I was looking at her.
 

james1974

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2013
Messages
253
Location (City and/or State)
Illinois
Re: RE: What species is my tortoise and it is a girl or a boy?

Cyprus Lady said:
Thanks James! I'm thinking of calling her Pollyanna - not sure why... It popped into my head when I was looking at her.

Pollyanna sounds good.I bet that's the first for a tortoise.She's a great looking tortoise.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using TortForum mobile app
 

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
I agree with Ibera above, but need to quash the small Graeca myth... I have a 10.5 inch, 7lb MALE Graeca... they are not all small! Some of the TGG subspecies are pretty large!
 

Cyprus Lady

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 25, 2013
Messages
35
Well Miss Polly, as she seems to be called, certainly has a good appetite and tucks into everything offered - prickly pear, spinach, lambs foot salad, caper flowers, hibiscus flowers, cucumber, apricot, strawberries, figs,(I only give one little piece of fruit each meal) and spinach. So far the only thing she's ignored was the grape vine leaves! So I'm expecting her to grow! Any comments on her diet are appreciated. I drive around armed with secateurs and jump out of my car to raid bushes and shrubs!!
 

Vitality

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 6, 2013
Messages
70
maybe a piece of fruit once a week or even once a month of its a large piece.


my little buddy needs a date to his prom. ImageUploadedByTortForum1370154196.141213.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
Greeks, in common with all the other Testudo Mediterranean torts, cannot process the sugars in their diet properly and this can lead to serious health problems with the gut.

Fruit should be fed only occasionally; much as they have a sweet tooth (beak) fruit is not good for them to eat every day.

Leafy greens and weeds are the way to go. They can have their sweet kick more healthily from dandelion and clover flowers.
 

Cyprus Lady

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 25, 2013
Messages
35
I can't buy dandelion or clover in cyprus and at this time of year the weeds are all dead! I'm trying to identify the salad greens that are for sale in Cypriot grocers but they only know the Greek name for the leaf! My husband is building her an enclosure as we speak and then I will grow stuff in there for her


Thanks for the advice on fruit :)
 

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
In your case Hibiscus flowers are fine... I forgot you were in Cyprus :D

Most supermarket greens are fine for your tort. The secret is to vary them so that your tort doesn't have too much of one thing. Leave out the iceberg lettuce which has little nutritional value.

If you have strawberries for yourself, pull out the hulls (the green leaf and stalk bit) and give those to your tort. There will only be a tiny amount of fruit on it... enough to taste and for your tort to love, but not enough to cause harm. You get all the yummy red fruit :)

You can buy seeds of plants good for your tort from Shelled Warriors Shop which I am pretty sure will ship to Cyprus... you can then grow them on in pots or your garden for your tort to eat :)
 

Cyprus Lady

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 25, 2013
Messages
35
Thanks Joe's mum! I've already been giving her a couple of the strawberry tops which she likes and she likes prickly pear (pad and flower but she didn't eat the fruit). I've found a prickly pear that seems to have soft spines so I don't end up spending so long picking spines out of my fingers with tweezers!
 

BeeBee*BeeLeaves

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
2,312
Location (City and/or State)
Orange County, So Cal
For prickly pear spine removal run a knife over the pad in the sink with running water. Easier. I also hear some folks burn them off over the stove but have never done that one. Knife and water seems easier. Of course, the prickly pear fruit they go nuts over, especially red ones. But as noted by JoesMum, not a lot of fruit for Greeks. To be .afe,
 

Cyprus Lady

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 25, 2013
Messages
35
Thanks BeeBee. Prickly pears are in plentiful supply in Cyprus growing everywhere so its easy to feed her that. 1 pad seems to last ages in the fridge. She likes the flowers too.
 

james1974

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2013
Messages
253
Location (City and/or State)
Illinois
Re: RE: What species is my tortoise and it is a girl or a boy?

JoesMum said:
I agree with Ibera above, but need to quash the small Graeca myth... I have a 10.5 inch, 7lb MALE Graeca... they are not all small! Some of the TGG subspecies are pretty large!

A 10.5 inch male humm testudo Graeca Graeca iv never heard or even seen a female that big let alone a male.It must be a world record male.Are you sure of what you got I need to see pictures of it top to bottom tail views and side views.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using TortForum mobile app
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top