A 3-byfoot unit made of ply wood will suffice for a single adult and up to a pair of adults. This way they will learn their boundaries and it will lessen their attempts to escape.
If you have the space, always make the tortoise pen as large as you can. This allows for a more natural behavior cycle and reduces stress, especially from territorial or aggressive specimens. Housing males together may pose a problem with them fighting relentlessly, especially when females are present. As always, natural sunlight should be utilized whenever possible and the tortoises fully benefit in many ways from being exposed to it. When housing them inside, proper lighting is essential for keeping them healthy.
Many options are available, such as daylight spot bulbs, infrared heat bulbs and fluorescent tube lighting. A to watt mercury vapor bulb installed above one end of the indoor tortoise enclosure creates a perfect basking area. It also lights up the enclosure nicely. The opposite end should remain cool. You can also use a regular incandescent spot light for the basking area, so long as it reaches a temperature of 95 to degrees Fahrenheit.
In this case, a fluorescent UVB-emitting bulb will need to be installed as well. The ambient room temperature where your indoor tortoise enclosure is located should remain between 75 and 85 degrees. When raising hatchlings, a humidity level of between 65 and 70 percent is appropriate. This can be achieved by spraying down the enclosure every other day with warm water. A water dish in combination with a substrate that retains humidity see following substrate section will do the trick, as well.
By keeping baby Greek tortoises well hydrated and at a sufficient humidity level, they will grow smoothly and retain a good weight. When using aspen it is very important to make sure the tortoises stay hydrated because it tends to be very dry. Rabbit pellets are OK, but they do not retain humidity well and mold will grow quickly in soiled areas.
Cedar and pine beddings absolutely must be avoided, as they are toxic to tortoises. Hatchling Greek tortoises that are kept well-hydrated and maintained at the proper humidity levels should grow into healthy adults. Greek tortoises spend much of their time gazing on edible landscape. When these items are not available often during the winter months , they can be replaced by dried, bagged organic herbs. These can be found online. Store-bought greens such as collard, mustard, kale and turnip can be offered sparingly.
Commercial diets such as Mazuri Tortoise Diet are excellent for helping Greek tortoises to maintain good weight, but again, should be offered only in moderation. Calcium supplements in the form of cuttlebone are wonderful additions to their diet; the tortoises will gladly nibble on them. Many Greek tortoises originate from extremely arid habitats while others are found in more temperate locations.
Tortoises don't need the height tanks offer, only the floor space. Make sure you remove uneaten food and other visible waste from the enclosure daily, and scrub all surfaces of the enclosure with a reptile-safe cleaner weekly. If the temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer, allow your tortoise some outdoor time. However, it is crucial you never leave your tortoise alone when it is outside.
Plus, predators such as raccoons and hawks can scoop them up. Also, bury the pen walls around 6 inches deep to prevent your tortoise from digging under them and escaping. Make sure the pen has sunny and shady sections. And never put your tortoise outside in a glass tank, as the glass and sunlight can create oven-like conditions. At night, the enclosure temperature can be between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If kept outside, these tortoises can handle night temperatures that drop to around 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the wild, they usually hibernate through cooler winter temperatures. In addition to a heat lamp for the basking area, the tortoise also needs UVB-emitting lighting for around 12 hours per day. This light promotes vitamin D production in the tortoise, which helps to metabolize calcium and strengthen bones. Without a UVB lamp or sufficient natural sunlight, your tortoise might develop bone abnormalities.
Maintain humidity by misting the tortoise every other day or as often as needed. Plus, keeping your tortoise's water dish filled at all times will add humidity. Reptile-safe mulch, aspen wood shavings, and dirt mixtures are good substrate or bedding options for Greek tortoises. Just make sure the food they eat is offered on a plate or other surface, so they don't accidentally ingest their bedding.
A variety of dark, leafy greens and other vegetables should be the majority of your tortoise's diet: collard greens, endive, fresh parsley, dandelion greens, zucchini, broccoli, and shredded carrots.
Feed your tortoise a few different choices of veggies each day. Timothy hay that is chopped up should be added to keep your tortoise's beak trimmed and for the additional fiber. They can eat small amounts of fruits, such as chopped raspberries, strawberries, or apples. But this should not make up more than 10 percent of the diet. Also, regular dusting of the produce with a calcium powder is often recommended to make sure your tortoise is getting enough calcium.
A water dish should be large enough and accessible for your tortoise to walk into and drink or defecate when needed. Another symptom is discharged from the nose, which indicates that this needs medical treatment right away. Symptoms like diarrhea and weight loss may be due to intestinal parasites. Roundworms are most common in turtles, and to avoid complications; this should be treated right away. Take your turtle to the vet at once.
Greek Tortoises can be prone to many kinds of accidents and may even get into fights with other male tortoises in its enclosure. This may also fall and break its shell, and as the shell breaks, it may develop serious injuries. So for any injury, take your tortoise to the vet ASAP. If there are injuries on the eyes, nose, or head and bleeding, visit the vet immediately. And if you find vomiting, loose stools, or blood in stools, take your tortoise to the vet to prevent dehydration and other metabolic problems.
If there are injuries on the skin, head, shell, or eyes, wash the wound with water and cover it with a gauze or bandage. Afterward, take it to the vet. Vitamin A deficiency happens when a diet that lacks vitamin A. Without vitamin A, countless conditions can result in skin changes, lack of appetite, swelling of the eye and the lids, swelling of the ears, respiratory problems, and lethargy. You should provide a diet rich in vitamin A or provide supplements.
Always maintain tank cleanliness. Change the water in the tank once every week and use a water filter to clean water in the tank.
Use an effective disinfectant and warm water. Change the water frequently to avoid the growth of bacteria, and as much as possible, remove any food remnants in the tank as well as poop. Be sure to take your turtle to the vet for checkups. Make vet visits often when your turtles are in their hatchling phase.
Always maintain the best temperature in the tank to prevent illness because of poor temperature and humidity. Also, monitor the temperature, humidity, and water inside the tank.
Greek tortoises are in mating mode after hibernation. Males will instantly mate with females as soon as he sees them. He will exhibit different behaviors like biting, mounting and surrounding his mate. During mating, a male can be very aggressive and may mount his mate very vigorously.
He will display his tongue and cry in loud shrieks. Females may false-mount other females to show hierarchy. The winner becomes the leader of the group, and then after it is determined, all the female turtles in pen can live harmoniously. Males may also false-mount each other to show hierarchy in pen, and afterward, they live peacefully until the next breeding time. Greek tortoises can take time to adjust to a pen before they decide to mate or even eat.
Males will continuously mate with females, and this can cause injury and nutrient depletion as she lays clutch after clutch of eggs.
To prevent this, females may sometimes exhibit their rights in their group by being very aggressive. She will mount other females and males, display her tongue and cry like a male. Experts believe that this happens so that females can peacefully lay her eggs without being disturbed. Depending on where the tortoise originated, it may hibernate or not. If your turtle takes long and frequent naps, let him be and just keep the room quiet so he can relax and recuperate.
Remember that after hibernation, your turtle may want to eat, so prepare a good mean afterward. The natural habitat of Greek tortoises are arid, rocky hillsides, forest, fields, meadows, and Mediterranean scrubs. If you want to place your tortoise outdoors, construct a naturalistic pen. During the warm times of the year, these should be placed in a spacious cage or tank.
Place edible vegetation and place a lot of room where your pet can get more natural light. If you want to keep your tortoise indoors, have a tortoise table made of plywood. Experts recommend using wood than glass or plastic as walls so that turtles can easily see their boundaries and stop escaping from the enclosure. A 3 x 6-foot tortoise table can hold one adult tortoise.
There are many types of lamps, but the best has to be an LED light. This can provide good light but will not make the tank too hot. This light is also energy efficient and will burn longer than other lamps. Lighting must be adjustable with temperature adjustments and height adjustments. Have a battery-powered lamp in case of any brownouts or outages. The pen must be well heated. A lamp and a heating pad will maintain the temperature inside the tank. You must always monitor tank temperature and humidity.
And to maintain low humidity, place a pan of water inside the tank. Use a handy mister to spray water on the walls of the pen to adjust humidity.
Always keep the tortoise enclosure simple and very clean. Choose a simple set up with soil, sand, and a few rocks where the tortoise can sit on. Use a separate tank for breeding.
Females with eggs need more loose soil inside the tank or pen so she can lay her eggs safely. You must always keep the tank clean to prevent dangerous parasites. Also, tortoises and turtles can spread Salmonella, a dangerous bacteria that can affect humans. This can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and other life-threatening symptoms. You must clean the tank regularly, especially if you have more than one tortoise inside.
Use a disinfectant to clean the tank well. Use warm water and rinse the tank. Also, make sure everything is dry before you place your Greek tortoises in the tank. Greek Tortoises are available in pet shops and pet stores locally and online. But we strongly advise not to buy one to stop illegal pet trade. Adopting a Greek Tortoise will cost nothing, plus you are supporting the cause of adopting and not buying efforts to save this creature by not supporting poachers and the illegal pet trade.
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