Mediterranean Tortoise Care Sheet

Mediterranean Tortoise Care Sheet

Suitable for.

• Spur Thighed, Testudo Graeca,
• Hermann, Testudo Hermanni
• Marginated Tortoises, Testudo Marginata

They all need relatively the same care and husbandry requirements. Not all Mediterranean tortoises hibernate, so it is important you know which species of tortoise you have so you can ensure your tortoise has the correct care needed. It is very important that you do not mix these species together as there is a risk of disease spreading between species. These tortoises can live between 60 and 100 years so will be a lifelong commitment.

Origins and History

The Mediterranean tortoise is a species which lives only on the continent of Europe.

Tortoises are the oldest group of reptiles. The first known species dates from the Triassic Period, more than two million years ago. Their principal characteristic is that they are covered with a shell, which, in the case of the Mediterranean tortoise, is made up of 52 horny plates covered by a very thin corneal layer. The black and yellow colouring differentiates it from the subspecies of the east. The underside is called the plastron, and this has two black parallel stripes.

Diet and Needs

When feeding your tortoise please ensure they are not eating the substrate as these can cause blockages within the tortoise’s digestive system. The enclosure should be cleaned out regularly to stop the spread of any disease or infection.

All these species are strict herbivores and must predominantly feed on fibrous fresh plant material which is low in protein and high in calcium. Your tortoise’s diet should largely consist of weeds and plants. These weeds and plants should be 100% pesticide or fertilizer free. You may offer your tortoise a varied salad selection, but this must only be done if the weeds and plants are unavailable. Always provide your tortoise with fresh clean water daily alongside their food. You can also provide your tortoise with a pellet food which will contain all the vitamins and calcium needed to provide your tortoise with everything they need. Feed this alongside the weeds as this will give them all the nutrients they need.

Tortoises need a supplement of vitamins and calcium (Vetark Nutrobal). Add this to their weeds and pellets to ensure they are receiving enough through their diet. You can also provide cuttlefish or chalk, but these won’t supply enough of the vitamins and calcium needed. Tortoises should be fed at least once per day.

Main Dietary Items

Dandelion

Watercress

Bindweed

Timothy Hay

Coriander

Doc Leaves

Lawn Grass (not clippings)

Grapevine

Groundsel

Clover

Sage

Chickweed

Sow Thistle

Sedum

Honey Suckle

Milk Thistle

Parsley

Hawkweed

Fine in Moderation

Spring Greens

Carrot Tops

Spinach

Hibiscus

Broccoli

Brussel Sprouts

Nasturtium

Cauliflower

Peas

Rocket

Cabbage

Mange Tout

Green Beans

Pumpkin

Special Treats Only

Tomato

Strawberries

Sweet Peppers

Cucumber

Courgette

Apple

Housing

Tortoises do not do well in Vivarium set ups. The ideal set up for your tortoise would be an open floor pen or tortoise table. This should have solid sides measuring at least 1 foot high. You can make or buy theses and they are commonly made of wood or plastic. Please provide as larger space as you possibly can. These tables/pens must have a basking area that is able to be expanded as your tortoise grows. For small tortoises an ideal size set up would be 90cm long x 30cm wide. This then ensures a thermal gradient to be created along the length of the table/pen, causing a hot and cool area. Your pen/table needs to be well ventilated with additional ventilation holes being created if needed. You can add hides for extra security and artificial plants and logs to create a more natural environment. Natural substrates are available, and these come mainly in soil like substances. These substrates allow the tortoise to express natural behaviour such as digging.

Equipment Needed for Tortoise Table/Pen

Tortoises are a cold-blooded animal which means we must provide a heat source for them. Here is a list of the equipment you will need to include in your tortoise set up:

- 150W Basking Bulb with a light unit that can take the high wattage bulbs.

- A Dimming Thermostat to control the temperature of the bulb and keep at a constant temperature.

- A fluorescent 10% UBV T5 tube and light unit.

- Thermometer to regulate the temperature.

- Small heat mat to provide heat to the area your tortoise sleeps. Use a thermostat to regulate.

Please provide your tortoise with basking temperatures of around 35-40 Degrees C, and heat for around 10-12 hours a day using your dimming thermostat. The cooler end of your tortoise table/pen should be kept around 25 degrees C. Use a small heat mat to provide background heat for your tortoise at night. This should be kept on the side of your table or pen and not underneath the substrate. You should set this on a thermostat to control the overnight temperature, so it doesn’t drop or increase rapidly.

Maintenance

During the winter months ensure you are checking your temperatures correctly to ensure your tortoise is being kept in the right environment to remain healthy.

Enrichment

Outdoor environments are the most beneficial set ups for adult animals and the vast majority of species require a large open pen in full sun, landscaped with lots of different and interesting habitats. Include edible plants, weeds, shrubs etc. Also add upturned logs and a dry shelter to protect the animals from extremes of temperature and as a nighttime retreat. Natural sunshine is by far the best source of UVB lighting, which is so important for natural healthy growth and development. Following this link will give a greater perspective on modern uvb requirements of reptiles in captivity http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/An-In-Depth-Look-At-UV-Light-And-Its-Proper-Use-With-Reptiles/

Hibernation

Not all Mediterranean tortoises hibernate but those who do, do so because where they naturally come from the winters are too cold for natural activity. Please ensure you know the breed of your tortoise to allow the correct hibernation periods. You must ensure your tortoise has an empty gut and a full bladder before going into hibernation. You need to completely starve your tortoise prior to hibernation and the process should start 14-20 days for tortoises aged between 2-3 years and 21-28 days for tortoises older than 4 years. Daily bathing of your tortoise will help the hibernation process and will ensure your tortoise is nicely hydrated. Bathing also helps them to empty their gut. Location is key when hibernating your tortoise. Do not place anywhere where your tortoise will get too cold or to warm. A perfect consistent temperature for your hibernating tortoise is between 2-5 degrees C. the fridge method is a good method for hibernation as this will stay at a constant 5 degrees C and opening a door for a few seconds a day will ensure a good constant air flow. You can place your tortoise in a small plastic tub, Large enough for your tortoise to be able to do a 360 turn. Place in there some of their soil substrate. Then place the tub in a cardboard box containing poly chippings or shredded paper to allow for insulation. Ensure both the tub and box has plenty of ventilation and air holes.

Hibernation Time Scales: 1st Year- 3 Weeks. 2nd Year- 6 weeks. 3rd Year- 10 Weeks. 4th Year- 16 Weeks. 5 Years and over- 22 Weeks. When waking your tortoise up, allow them to acclimatise at room temperature for at least half an hour. Turn on your UVB and basking lamps on your tortoise table. Bathe your tortoise in warm water for about 10 mins to allow your tortoise to rehydrate. Place back into their own tortoise table/pen and allow a few days to awaken properly.

Cites Status

All the above species except the horse field tortoise requires an article 10 certificate and a microchip. This is usually inserted into the back left leg. The certificate is a very important document and must be placed in a safe place and not be lost.

Healthy Tortoise Food

Variety is the spice of life… a Tortoise can eat more plants than just dandelions and clover!

It is very important to feed your tortoise a variety of plants. They can eat certain wild plants and garden plants. A very well-known garden plant to a tortoise is a dandelion, these are known as a diuretic and if you feed your tortoise a lot of these especially if your tortoise is at a young age it is believed to cause bladder stones. Tortoises should be fed a natural diet with lots of variety. It is best not to feed your tortoise to many vegetables, fruits, and salads as these offer very little nutrients. When feeding your tortoise, always dust the food with calcium supplement and give the tortoise regular access to UV.

Plants That you Should NEVER Feed to Your Tortoise

As seen above, there are many varieties of tortoise safe plants to feed your pet, however, here are some that are very poisonous and should never feed to your Tortoise.

Feeding Herbivorous Tortoises and Preventing Lumpy Shell Growth

Feeding herbivorous tortoises is a vast subject which can be quite complicated to grasp. This care sheet aims to provide some useful information regarding that subject, but more research would be helpful to provide the best possible care for your tortoise.

Wild Diets versus Captive Diets

• Wild tortoises feed predominantly on green leafy plants which grow close to the ground.
• Tortoises are very fond of flowers and in plentiful seasons may consume nothing but flowers.
• These animals can see well in the UV spectrum and are very attracted to bright colours which phosphors (glows) under UV radiation.
• His adaptation allows reptiles to home in on flowering plants.
• During Drier periods tortoises will feed on dry leaves, grasses and may even browse on herbaceous plant leaves growing closer to the ground.
• Another source of food regularly eaten is dry snail shells. In hotter climates many snail’s species are killed by waves of hot weather. This is a fantastic source of calcium.
• Occasionally animal dung is eaten. Usually herbivorous animals such as camels, sheep, and goats. This nutritious food will provide part digested plant material and beneficial cellulose digesting bacteria, useful when digesting high fibre plant material.
• Wild diets are very low in protein, and fats. They are high in fibre and calcium and low in phosphorus and sugars. In fact, a wild tortoise diet is quite low in calories, and these animals are quite adapted to such a way of eating.

• In captivity tortoises’ diets can be completely different, often presenting many problems. Food is often available in large quantities in the same place daily. Food which is commercially grown for human consumption (such as lettuce or cabbage) is regularly used. Food which is commercially grown is often lower in fibre and higher in protein in sugars, the levels of phosphorus are also higher than the levels of calcium.
• These nutrients are the reverse of food found in the nature by tortoises, and this is the most likely cause of nutritional disorders.

Constituents of Food and Their Uses

Protein

• Proteins are used as building blocks for muscle tissue major organs and ceratin (horny growth covering shell)
• Proteins are essential for healthy growth and development.
• High levels in the animal’s diet causes accelerated growth, deformities in shell growth and high levels of urea in bladder. Tortoises like all other animals use their kidneys to remove urea from the blood. Excessive levels of urea (a biproduct from breaking proteins down) put a lot of pressure on the kidneys to keep the blood clean.

Fats

• Fats are a good source of energy, in tortoises adapted to low fat diets, since reptiles store fat in large cysts around the body. These cysts may become so large that they infiltrate major organs such as the liver this impairs liver function.

Carbohydrates (sugars)

• Carbohydrates are a good first source of energy; they are the most usable source of energy for tortoises. Foods that are rich in sugars such as fruits can be a problem since not all are absorbed by the tortoise and therefore remain in the gut. This provides a good food source for internal parasites such as intestinal worms and protozoon’s.

Fibre

• Fibre is the indigestible cellulose which is essential to the tortoises since it speeds up digestion and combines waste products together to be easily passed.
• Fibre also prevents internal parasites from building up into aggressive numbers, by pushing them faster through the gut.

Vitamins and minerals

• Vitamins are essential for healthy organ development and function, most are commonly available in a varied diet.
• Calcium and phosphorous are the most important minerals to be concerned with in tortoise diets, food stuffs must be higher in calcium than phosphorus by at least 2:1 although wild diets are often 10:1 or even 50:1. This is particularly important since phosphorous is easily absorbed by tortoises in higher levels it is absorbed before calcium causing chronic difficulties.
• An essential vitamin is vitamin D3. This is required by reptiles to absorb calcium from their food without D3 tortoises can’t use any calcium in their diet.
• Wild tortoises produce vitamin D3 by sunbathing; UVB light from the sun stimulates a steroid in the animal skin and with good temperatures produce vitamin D3.
• This important vitamin enables reptiles (tortoise) to absorb calcium from their diet. Without vitamin D3 tortoises can’t use any calcium they eat and quickly suffer from calcium deficiencies.
• In captivity UVB light can be provided indoors with the use of specialist bulbs. Tortoises should be allowed to sunbathe below these for 8-10 hours per day.
• Remember that temperature is important for the process so provide basking lamps when using fluorescent bulbs which give off no heat.
• Although expensive powersun spot bulbs are much better.
• Provide as much outdoor exposure as possible, weather permitting. Natural sun light is the best source of UVB light.

Supplements

• Provide calcium supplements regularly especially for juvenile tortoises and adult females.
• Only use supplements which use calcium carbonate as this will be of most benefit for raising calcium to phosphorous ratio (vetark Nutrabol)

Healthy diets in captivity

• Healthy diets for herbivorous tortoise must be low in protein, low in fats, high in fibre and have a calcium phosphorous level of 2:1 if not 10:1. This is best achieved by providing food collected rather that brought.
• Wild food such as dandelions and sow thistles when grown naturally both have protein levels below 5% and are naturally high in fibre and have calcium phosphorous levels at least 3:1. If a good quality calcium supplement is added the calcium to phosphorous level may jump to 8:1. Variety is essential so feed at lest 5 or 6 different species of plant at any one time.

Quantity in Captivity

• Wild tortoises are often only active at dawn and dusk since midday temperature are often too hat. Also, food levels vary depending on the time of year. Tortoises in the wild generally feed more heavily during the spring when food plants are most available. During the summer when hotter drier weather kills off a lot of growth.
• Tortoises in captivity should be fed one goods meal per day. It is often better to feed animals by growing food plants in their outdoor enclosure to create an environment for browsing this would encourage more natural feeding responses.

Preventing Lumpy Shells in Juveniles

• Juvenile tortoises show the greatest problems when a diet is incorrect.
• Shell deformities are very common in animals which are fed a diet high in protein, low in fibre and with poor calcium, phosphorus balance, so
• Feed only foods which are low in protein, high in fibre, with a good calcium phosphorus balance.
• Always add a good calcium carbonate-based supplement in every feed.
• Feed only once per day.
• Provide good UVB 5.0 lighting whilst indoors.
• Where possible maintain animals out of doors.
• Create interesting environments which provide varied temperatures, places of substrate to bury, places to climb and hide under.
• As larger enclosure ass possible.