Changing Tort Behaviours KEEPING MEDITERRANEAN TORTOISES`

HERE ARE THE DO’S

DO feed your tortoise a natural diet comprising mostly weeds and flowers.

DO provide calcium carbonate to tortoises, plus, ideally, Nutrobal vitamin supplement, especially for babies, breeding females and the elderly.

DO give your tortoise access to a dry light shelter during cold or wet weather and allow access to outdoors, natural sunlight or UVB combo heat lamps

DO allow females access to nesting mounds and keep aggressive males and female separate to avoid stress to animals.

DO create an interesting indoor and outdoor environment with lots of space for a tortoise to exercise and explore. (Review and extend setup as tortoise grows).

DO make sure your tortoise enclosures are secure and photo ID your tortoise.

DO give your tortoise access to bathing and drinking water (1520 minutes) bath in warm water and should be able to put its head under the water to drink.

DO make sure a tortoise visits a vet at least once per year for a general health check and worming (Please ask for recommended vets.)

DO check your tortoise thoroughly for signs of damage injury or disease once a week and weigh your tortoise in grams at least once a month. Keep a record of date and weight.

DO hibernate all healthy Mediterranean tortoises for a short time and check regularly. 12-14 weeks for adults/6 - 8 weeks babies/very elderly.(note: shorter for some species). Sick or underweight tortoises should be kept awake throughout winter. (If unsure always consult a vet when you go for a prehibernation check-up) and basking lamp is the way to go. T5’s have a great UVB output over a larger area which is essential for D3.”

Even the most novice of keepers understands we should be keeping reptiles warm. While tortoises should be provided with a source of heat that warms their core rather than their environment, this can lead beginner keepers to have some animosity about putting their animals outside. In the UK, our temperatures can be much lower than the Mediterranean and West Asia where the popular Hermanns and Horsfield tortoises come from. After putting a tortoise outside they can appear lethargic and this can be a scary prospect for a devoted pet owner.

Eleanor explains: “Tortoises, like a plant, can sometimes need time to adjust in a change of environment. If a tortoise has been used to warmer temperatures indoors then it can sometimes help to wait until a lamp or warm bath has helped raise the animals core temperature before offering a few hours in a secure outdoor enclosure. Although nighttime temperatures can be a normal house temperature, tortoises benefit from a basking area of 30°C and this should be from a white lamp, not a ceramic or a red light. Repeat the process of outdoor introduction daily and you should find that the tortoise’s ability to stay active outdoors improves as time goes on. The same principle can be applied to switching a tortoise to a more varied diet with regular vitamin supplementation”

Walking on eggshells

Keeping tortoises requires a good understanding of how and why issues can occur. As with all exotic animals, if there is a health defect arising from an otherwise quarantined and healthy animal, there is a high chance of a husbandry issue. Whether this is a result of diet balance, enclosure elements or another tortoise, understanding the natural conditions an animal would be exposed to is a great way to counteract any potential issues.

Eleanor continued: “One common problem is concerns about egg retention and spaying. Just because a tortoise is pregnant doesn’t necessarily mean it’s sick. Ensuring good access to vitamins and natural high fibre diet can help tortoises naturally lay eggs. Like chickens, this can still occur without the presence of a male. Just by providing deep substrate in a sunny area will give them the option to lay.”

“The one common mistake you can make with indoor enclosures is not providing enough substrate. The best substrates are the ones that are mixed. Dedicated products make this easier, but people can also mix their own. It also provides enrichment as it offers a great media for a tortoise to burrow in and sleep. This is particularly important for young growing tortoises who need good humidity to help them grow smooth and preventing breathing and eye issues. Sand can be labelled to use with caution as it can cause eye irritation especially with horsfields, but if this is monitored and environment is not allowed to become to dry and dusty this is a not a high-risk situation. People often report issues of compaction, believing it is due to their substrate. This can be avoided with good husbandry by providing very regular calcium supplementation and access to D3 lighting and powder supplement. For peace of mind, keepers can also feed their tortoises on solid plate or food dish. Tortoises can sometimes try to eat substrate and stones if they are deficient in vitamins and trace elements. Offering cuttlefish bone and chalk lump will also help prevent this potential issue. You want a good 3 -4 inches of substrate which can be difficult to provide in a vivarium.”

“You also need a drastic temperature difference between the hot end and the cool end, which can be difficult to achieve in smaller vivs. However, the real game changer is using greenhouse enclosures, especially when a tortoise is reaching adulthood and requiring more space than a viv or table can provide. Setting it up in a sunny location, ensuring it’s secure and the tortoise is away from dogs or ponds etc, that’s perfect for them. Many keepers get their head around the indoor enclosure but get so scared by the outdoor enclosure that they just don’t do it and that’s really missing the best opportunities for the tortoise. It can actually be really exciting to create a well planted enclosure with lots of aggregate, enrichment, climbing opportunities etc. If you bring them in at night and do it slowly it is easier than you think.”

Changing Tort Behaviours

No good, dry again

Whether indoors or outdoors, providing some level of humidity is key to keeping a healthy tortoise. Without that humidity, an issue known as ‘pyramiding’ can occur. This causes the shell to grow bumpy and can lead to serious health defects.

Eleanor explains: “Hydration is SO important. In indoor enclosures, it’s so common to see tortoises with bladder stones, impacted gut, dry skin and bumpy shells and a big factor in this problem is tortoises are being kept too dry. Make sure you mix spaghnum moss and actually pour pints of water into the substrate. Spraying usually isn’t enough! If your substrate is dusty or a bit clayey, buy a coco brick to actually make it a little crumblier and help it retain the moisture. Tortoises can’t cough as they have solid chests, so it’s really important we don’t keep them in dry enclosures.”

People also often bathe their tortoise. In the wild, tortoises would get the majority of their water from their diet but sometimes encounter puddles to drink from. As they come from arid environments, this prompts them to pass the water they are retaining immediately. “Bathing a tortoise is something you can do which costs nothing but helps keep them healthy. This flushes things out and helps their kidneys keep healthy” explained Eleanor. “You should aim to soak a healthy tortoise once or twice a week for 20 minutes. Frequency should be increased during periods of stress or illness as a general guide. Tip: Be prepared for a tortoise to sometimes drink for several minutes without lifting it’s head to take breath. This is normal and shouldn’t be a reason to end bath time early. The tortoise should be deep enough for the tortoise to submerge its head. It’s too deep if the tortoise is bobbing like a cork!”

Changing Tort Behaviours

The good stuff

Vitamin and calcium supplements have been commonplace in the reptile keeping industry since the early days. Although these have developed over the years to encompass other elements, natural ingredients and in some cases become more palatable, they are often entirely necessary for the conventional means of reptile care in the UK.

Eleanor continued: “You can’t overdose calcium but you can overdose vitamin D3. But people are so worried about overdosing their tortoise that they often under supplement or don’t bother at all. In extreme cases tortoises can lose the use of their back legs because they haven’t absorbed enough D3 for healthy bones. In the UK, even with the best natural diet, you will not be able to give them enough vitamins, calcium, trace elements and D3 without using a supplement. Nutrobal is my favourite but they don’t like the taste of it so you will need to hide it. Applying it to a small piece of cucumber as a treat is the lesser of the evils that they actually really enjoy the taste of. Tortoises are like children. They are really fussy, but with patience they always come round eventually.”

“There are lots of junk foods out there too. Cucumber, rocket, baby gem lettuce, they’re all just basically water so they should be avoided unless they’re used as a means to give vitamins. However things like fruit and vegetables should be avoided full stop. Even though they love it, it can bind to the urea and create awful bladder stones. Because tortoises are so dependent on their natural environment, they don’t like change. So, if you need to provide a healthy diet, don’t give up. Always try to chop up dried flowers and healthier foods and mix it in with the more palatable salads. This can take a whole summer! But I guarantee if you persevere, they will come around.”

Changing Tort Behaviours

Providing a healthy diet

One of the great things about keeping Mediterranean tortoises is the opportunity to learn and grow natural forage. Although it is likely to prove a daunting task at first, perseverance to learn seasonal plants has huge benefits for both the tortoise and keeper. Not only are plants packed with natural vitamins and minerals, but they also offer fibre and vital enrichment to a tortoise. House, garden and wild flower plants are now available from a variety of suppliers. Mixed with a flower and leaves plant topper, grass pellets with supplement should be the target for all keepers. Pellets are a great way to add fibre and fortified vitamins, but where possible mix with fresh browse to encourage variety which is absolutely essential to keeping a tortoise healthy.

As we slowly move away from the pristine, sterile environments we used to think were so important to reptiles in the 90s, it can be very difficult to have faith in collecting wild plant matter. Feeding wild foods can be off putting for many keepers, but Eleanor suggests that generally, people worry too much when it comes to sourcing a wild diet.

“The general rule is if it’s highly dangerous to a child then of course your tortoise won’t do well and should be removed from reach” explained Eleanor.

“Also, if it comes from a bulb or has waxy leaves it is probably toxic too, but people need to stop worrying so much about whether plants are toxic. The majority are absolutely fine. The main things are to avoid kale, beans, fruits and veg because they can create horrible bladder stones, deformities, and organ failure. They manage to hide being ill so well that it’s difficult to pick up on their illness until it’s too late. So, be mindful to avoid a ‘well it seems to be doing fine’ approach.”

In the wild, tortoises are very much in tune with the seasons. They will wake from hibernation in Spring before feeding on the earliest shoots of the year. These smaller shoots are chocked full of protein and fats which help the tortoise regain its energy early in the year. If the tortoise were to feed on these high-protein plants all year it would be extremely unhealthy, but as the seasons change so do the plants and the tortoise will naturally revert to a healthier diet.

Eleanor continued: “Even our weeds can be a bit rich so counteract this with dry flowers and grass based pellets. Try to avoid young shoots as they will carry too much protein but also avoid picking flowers that have gone dry, woody or strawy. Not only will the tortoise not like this, but there can be a build up of toxins in these. Pick healthy adult plants.”

A new horizon

It is no secret that the way we used to keep tortoises in the UK was often terrible. At just 50p, they were treated as commodities, left to fend entirely for themselves in our gardens rarely growing to adulthood. Now, with the help of organisations equipped with in-situ research, open discussion and veterinarian know-how we

Changing Tort Behaviours

Keeping Mediterranean Tortoises

HERE ARE THE DON’TS

can share a wealth of knowledge almost instantly. Therefore, our much-loved tortoises are finally receiving the care and respect that they deserve. Eleanor concluded “there’s loads of great communities out there. Norfolk Tortoise Club is a very supportive community. It’s about sharing that message and getting the best information out there.”

DON’T over feed your tortoise. One meal a day or access to natural grazing is enough.

DON’T feed your tortoise with cat or dog food. High protein diets are lethal to tortoises.

DON’T feed only tomatoes cucumber and lettuce, sugary fruits or vegetables, especially from cabbage or bean family IT’S JUNK FOOD!

DON’T leave your tortoise in a damp cold environment.

DON’T keep your tortoise permanently indoors. Allow access to outdoors during periods of warm weather to benefit from natural UV sunshine in secure garden.

DON’T leave your tortoise and pet dog unattended.

DON’T allow your tortoise free access to a garden pond

DON’T let your tortoise get too cold or hot in hibernation, 4c to 8c is perfect. Regularly check temp and condition. (See hibernation care sheet)

Mediterranean tortoises

When we refer to ‘Mediterranean tortoises’ we are generally referring to three species, of which there are multiple subspecies and variation between locales. These species are the Hermanns tortoise (Testudo hermanii), the Horsfield/Greek tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii) and the spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca). These species inhabit arid regions of South and Eastern Europe, into Russia and Asia and are the most prolific in hobby.

Other species that would fall under the umbrella of Mediterranean tortoises include the marginated tortoise (Testudo marginata) and the critically endangered Egyptian tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni). It is important to note that while the care of these species have multiple crossovers, there is not a ‘one size fits all’ guide for tortoise care. Equally, tortoises from outside of the Mediterranean that are popular in the hobby such as the red footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria) from the South American tropics and the leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) from East African savannahs, will naturally require very different care.

DON’T use hay or straw as a bedding material.

DON’T oil, polish or drill your tortoises shell

For further information, including free care sheets, please visit www.tortoiseclub.org