PLEASE NOTE
The information on the BambooZoo site is as much as 10 years old and in the hobby much has been learned. Though, I believe there is merit in keeping the site open. There are many controversial issues presented in these pages. Please view BambooZoo as a starting point in your research.
These beings are as complicated as we are and deserve more than a basic 5 paragraph care sheet to maintain their health and well being.
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The Testudo Tortoises- Guide
Written by: Douglas Dix
http://www.deerfernfarms.com/
http://www.deerfernfarms.com/
Tortoises Breeding Pens
Most the species of tortoises we work with belong to the genus "Testudo".
The following is a very basic care sheet for the Testudo species that we breed in house (currently Russians, Libyans, and Golden Greeks) to give our customers the basics as to their care. Please take the time to read it before purchasing your tortoise. While we've kept tortoises for many years, we have not put a concerted emphasis into breeding them until fairly recently. So much of the following information is geared towards their basic needs rather than specific breeding information. Some additional information can also be found in the Golden Greek article I published in the Reptiles Magazine special "All Tortoise" issue for July, 2009. I'll also try to include more detailed breeding information here as time permits. Please note the following care sheet is only applicable for Russian, Libyan, and Golden Greek tortoises. Other species may have significantly different needs so use this information accordingly.
Good sites to read for more detailed information on tortoises in general include "The World Chelonian Trust" (http://www.chelonia.org/), "The Tortoise Trust" "http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/articles.html")) and "Chelonians UK" (http://www.cheloniauk.com/). Please read those sites' care sheets for their opinions and use what makes sense for your situation.
The following is a very basic care sheet for the Testudo species that we breed in house (currently Russians, Libyans, and Golden Greeks) to give our customers the basics as to their care. Please take the time to read it before purchasing your tortoise. While we've kept tortoises for many years, we have not put a concerted emphasis into breeding them until fairly recently. So much of the following information is geared towards their basic needs rather than specific breeding information. Some additional information can also be found in the Golden Greek article I published in the Reptiles Magazine special "All Tortoise" issue for July, 2009. I'll also try to include more detailed breeding information here as time permits. Please note the following care sheet is only applicable for Russian, Libyan, and Golden Greek tortoises. Other species may have significantly different needs so use this information accordingly.
Good sites to read for more detailed information on tortoises in general include "The World Chelonian Trust" (http://www.chelonia.org/), "The Tortoise Trust" "http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/articles.html")) and "Chelonians UK" (http://www.cheloniauk.com/). Please read those sites' care sheets for their opinions and use what makes sense for your situation.
General Husbandry
General Temperament/Pet Qualities:
Testudo tortoises in general have very engaging personalities and many species become quite tame. They clearly react to their caretakers’ presence and often follow them around the yard or house when let out to exercise. Most are non-aggressive towards humans and other non-tortoise pets, easily fitting into domestic life. While some species get quite large or have exacting environmental requirements, the Testudo species we work with (Russians, Libyans, Golden Greeks and Marginateds) are moderate sized and relatively easy to accommodate. They mature to less than 10” and their environmental and feeding needs can be reasonably met by the typical pet owner. They are enthusiastic eaters of a wide range of vegetarian foods, making them easy to feed and less odiferous to house indoor verses many other pets. They generally do not need daily access to a water bowl in the cage (see "Watering" section below) instead taking weekly or alternate-weekly soaks) to met theirwater needs. Most also are well adapted to skipping multiple days between meals (hatchlings being an exception). Thus they can occasionally be safely left unattended for a weekend when you need to be away. Just set your lights on timers and go. They are calm by nature and when given the proper care are very long-lived (50 years plus), making them an endearing, low maintenance addition to your family.
Housing:
They do best in open-topped terrariums with solid opaque sides such as large Rubbermaid containers (plastic livestock watering troughs) or home-build wooden terrariums. We suggest a minimum floor space of 3’ x 2’ for single individuals but shoot for as large a cage as your space allows. The amount of floor space is the primary consideration, not height. The main species we work with (Russians, Libyan, Golden Greeks and Marginateds) are dry heat lovers. They need access to a basking site that reaches around 95F and a background floor temperature in the mid 80'sF. This is easy to produce with a reflector type bulb shining over a large piece of flat slate or other suitable rock (note: use a lighter shade of stone, avoiding black rocks as they tend to absorb excessive heat). Just make sure the light is placed high enough to prevent the animals from reaching it and ideally have it shining down at an angle so the heated area is significantly larger than the size of your tortoise. Do NOT use hot rocks or similar "in-cage" electric underbelly heaters. These will not suffice and can cause serious injury to your animals. An under-the-tank heating pad is ok for supplemental heat, especially for night heat, but the basking light is still essential. The area farthest from the basking site should be in the upper 70's F, permitting your animals to self-regulate their body temperature. Night temps should be cooler, typical of their desert homes (mid 70's in the summer, cooler for Russians in the winter, less so for the Libyan or Golden Greeks). Along with the basking lights, we recommend installing a UVB producing bulb such as the Mega-Ray or Zoo-Med's Power Sun Mercury Vapor bulbs. These bulbs gradually loose the ability to produce UVB with use and should be replaced annually. Note overly hot or sub-optimally cool daily temperatures will cause them to retreat to their shelter and sleep (hibernate or aestivate) until conditions improve.
We give them 12 hour days with all the lights going off at night. If your cage ground temperatures are getting below 70F at night (75F for Golden Greeks), then place an under-tank heating pad under the sheltered spot of the tank to increase your night time temperatures. Overhead ceramic heat emitters are also a good choice for night heat. Avoid the red "night lights" as these are generally poorly designed for directing their heat where you really need it.
Testudo tortoises in general have very engaging personalities and many species become quite tame. They clearly react to their caretakers’ presence and often follow them around the yard or house when let out to exercise. Most are non-aggressive towards humans and other non-tortoise pets, easily fitting into domestic life. While some species get quite large or have exacting environmental requirements, the Testudo species we work with (Russians, Libyans, Golden Greeks and Marginateds) are moderate sized and relatively easy to accommodate. They mature to less than 10” and their environmental and feeding needs can be reasonably met by the typical pet owner. They are enthusiastic eaters of a wide range of vegetarian foods, making them easy to feed and less odiferous to house indoor verses many other pets. They generally do not need daily access to a water bowl in the cage (see "Watering" section below) instead taking weekly or alternate-weekly soaks) to met theirwater needs. Most also are well adapted to skipping multiple days between meals (hatchlings being an exception). Thus they can occasionally be safely left unattended for a weekend when you need to be away. Just set your lights on timers and go. They are calm by nature and when given the proper care are very long-lived (50 years plus), making them an endearing, low maintenance addition to your family.
Housing:
They do best in open-topped terrariums with solid opaque sides such as large Rubbermaid containers (plastic livestock watering troughs) or home-build wooden terrariums. We suggest a minimum floor space of 3’ x 2’ for single individuals but shoot for as large a cage as your space allows. The amount of floor space is the primary consideration, not height. The main species we work with (Russians, Libyan, Golden Greeks and Marginateds) are dry heat lovers. They need access to a basking site that reaches around 95F and a background floor temperature in the mid 80'sF. This is easy to produce with a reflector type bulb shining over a large piece of flat slate or other suitable rock (note: use a lighter shade of stone, avoiding black rocks as they tend to absorb excessive heat). Just make sure the light is placed high enough to prevent the animals from reaching it and ideally have it shining down at an angle so the heated area is significantly larger than the size of your tortoise. Do NOT use hot rocks or similar "in-cage" electric underbelly heaters. These will not suffice and can cause serious injury to your animals. An under-the-tank heating pad is ok for supplemental heat, especially for night heat, but the basking light is still essential. The area farthest from the basking site should be in the upper 70's F, permitting your animals to self-regulate their body temperature. Night temps should be cooler, typical of their desert homes (mid 70's in the summer, cooler for Russians in the winter, less so for the Libyan or Golden Greeks). Along with the basking lights, we recommend installing a UVB producing bulb such as the Mega-Ray or Zoo-Med's Power Sun Mercury Vapor bulbs. These bulbs gradually loose the ability to produce UVB with use and should be replaced annually. Note overly hot or sub-optimally cool daily temperatures will cause them to retreat to their shelter and sleep (hibernate or aestivate) until conditions improve.
We give them 12 hour days with all the lights going off at night. If your cage ground temperatures are getting below 70F at night (75F for Golden Greeks), then place an under-tank heating pad under the sheltered spot of the tank to increase your night time temperatures. Overhead ceramic heat emitters are also a good choice for night heat. Avoid the red "night lights" as these are generally poorly designed for directing their heat where you really need it.
Bedding:
We prefer to use 1/4" inch particle size coconut husk mulch for the bedding. It's very absorbent, somewhat soft, non-abrasive and splinter free. Aspen shavings and cypress mulch are also commonly used beddings. We keep it only a half inch or so deep throughout most the pen but increase it to 6” deep in a sheltered corner. Some breeders use soft Bermuda or Timothy grass hay as bedding. This is excellent but use it where you will not be adding any moisture as it will mold. Likewise avoid alfalfa pellets in these situations. Sand is generally not a safe bedding, but if you wish to use sand, be sure to use natural sand (feels round and smooth between your fingers). Washed playground sand, beach sand and desert sand all fit this definition. Man-made sands are made from crushing rocks and produce sand with rough edges that can interlock in the stomach, forming impactions that will require expensive surgery to remove to safe your animals life. Likewise avoid corncob bedding, crushed walnut shell, and be leery of calci-sand and super fine desert sands that are commonly sold in pet shops for bedding. All these tend to cause health issues so they are best avoided.While we use millet and other small round seeds for bedding for our Uromastyx, these are NOT suitable for tortoises.
Testudo tortoises need a moderately deep spot somewhere in the substrate in which to partially bury themselves when at rest. They prefer to dig under some natural surface barrier such as a log, so we place a wide plastic decking board (8" x 12" x 1" thick) glued onto 6" by 4' bricks in the cooler end of the tank to serve as an overhead shelter. The goal is to produce a shelter just high enough for the tortoise to bury under without scraping the top of its shell.
Note: make sure the board or rock is glued to its legs to insure it can't crash down on top of a digging tortoise. These tortoises have poor tolerance to damp conditions so be careful to keep the cage generally dry. Still, you need to make sure there is always some sheltered area in the cage that is just slightly moist. We lightly dampen the shelter area every other week and the whole cage every other month.
The goal at that time is to make the substrate just slightly damp, not wet! We also leave one other deep spot completely dry so the tortoises have a choice of bedding options. Usually the Russians will pick the slightly damp spot, as will many of the Libyans, but the Golden Greeks like just a hint of dampness and will abandon any spot that is any wetter. Note keeping all areas in the cage bone-dry all the time will lead to shell growth problems - especially in juveniles. They all need some place that has at least some low degree of moisture to keep the shell healthy. Likewise overly damp conditions will eventually lead to shell rot or respiratory problems. Shell formation problems and respirator issues are THE biggest health issue with these tortoises. So we can't emphasize enough the importance of getting the shelter and cage moisture correct. Again, have two shelter areas - one dry and one just slightly damp, with the rest of the cage dry, and you should be fine.
Note for hatchlings, we've found that ours do consistently better if housed in smaller 20 gallon long aquariums with fine-stemmed leafy timothy or similar grass hay as the sole bedding. We make it several inches deep in all but the feeding corner which remains bare. The hatchlings shelter in the grass most of the day and come over to the feeding corner at will to feed. To aid in shell health, we very lightly wipe down the shell with BagBalm skin moisturizer once every two weeks. This serves to aid in preventing pyramiding from the scute edges overly drying out (one of the main causes of pyramiding in desert habitat tortoises).
We prefer to use 1/4" inch particle size coconut husk mulch for the bedding. It's very absorbent, somewhat soft, non-abrasive and splinter free. Aspen shavings and cypress mulch are also commonly used beddings. We keep it only a half inch or so deep throughout most the pen but increase it to 6” deep in a sheltered corner. Some breeders use soft Bermuda or Timothy grass hay as bedding. This is excellent but use it where you will not be adding any moisture as it will mold. Likewise avoid alfalfa pellets in these situations. Sand is generally not a safe bedding, but if you wish to use sand, be sure to use natural sand (feels round and smooth between your fingers). Washed playground sand, beach sand and desert sand all fit this definition. Man-made sands are made from crushing rocks and produce sand with rough edges that can interlock in the stomach, forming impactions that will require expensive surgery to remove to safe your animals life. Likewise avoid corncob bedding, crushed walnut shell, and be leery of calci-sand and super fine desert sands that are commonly sold in pet shops for bedding. All these tend to cause health issues so they are best avoided.While we use millet and other small round seeds for bedding for our Uromastyx, these are NOT suitable for tortoises.
Testudo tortoises need a moderately deep spot somewhere in the substrate in which to partially bury themselves when at rest. They prefer to dig under some natural surface barrier such as a log, so we place a wide plastic decking board (8" x 12" x 1" thick) glued onto 6" by 4' bricks in the cooler end of the tank to serve as an overhead shelter. The goal is to produce a shelter just high enough for the tortoise to bury under without scraping the top of its shell.
Note: make sure the board or rock is glued to its legs to insure it can't crash down on top of a digging tortoise. These tortoises have poor tolerance to damp conditions so be careful to keep the cage generally dry. Still, you need to make sure there is always some sheltered area in the cage that is just slightly moist. We lightly dampen the shelter area every other week and the whole cage every other month.
The goal at that time is to make the substrate just slightly damp, not wet! We also leave one other deep spot completely dry so the tortoises have a choice of bedding options. Usually the Russians will pick the slightly damp spot, as will many of the Libyans, but the Golden Greeks like just a hint of dampness and will abandon any spot that is any wetter. Note keeping all areas in the cage bone-dry all the time will lead to shell growth problems - especially in juveniles. They all need some place that has at least some low degree of moisture to keep the shell healthy. Likewise overly damp conditions will eventually lead to shell rot or respiratory problems. Shell formation problems and respirator issues are THE biggest health issue with these tortoises. So we can't emphasize enough the importance of getting the shelter and cage moisture correct. Again, have two shelter areas - one dry and one just slightly damp, with the rest of the cage dry, and you should be fine.
Note for hatchlings, we've found that ours do consistently better if housed in smaller 20 gallon long aquariums with fine-stemmed leafy timothy or similar grass hay as the sole bedding. We make it several inches deep in all but the feeding corner which remains bare. The hatchlings shelter in the grass most of the day and come over to the feeding corner at will to feed. To aid in shell health, we very lightly wipe down the shell with BagBalm skin moisturizer once every two weeks. This serves to aid in preventing pyramiding from the scute edges overly drying out (one of the main causes of pyramiding in desert habitat tortoises).
___ Dandelion Greens ___
Diet:
These tortoises are strictly herbivores and most will not (or should not) consume meat or insects. Our primary diet is composed of yard weeds such as dandelion greens and blooms, clover leaves and blooms, as well as various store bought greens such as Endive, turnip greens, Bok Choy, Escarole, and Romaine (avoid head lettuces).It's best to severely limit the amount of spinach, beet greens, Swiss chard, kale or collard greens you offer. These either bind important nutrients or tend to induce metabolic problems over time.We supply edible flowers when in season including nasturtium, rose, clover, and especially hibiscus. We also offer Mazuri Tortoise pellets lightly softened by briefly pre-soaking them in warm water. Mazuri can be used as the bulk of the diet if at least some greens are supplied as well. For animals needing extra weight gain, we also offer a few frozen mixed veggies (peas, cut green beans, carrots, corn, lima beans - all thawed/warmed before feeding) to the mix - but use these VERY sparingly with tortoises. We dust the food daily with Miner-Al – (Indoor version) calcium/mineral supplement (contains vit. D3 plus various minerals) and every other day with Uromastyx Dust (a herbivore-specific vitamin supplement). Also when feeding peas etc, offer your animals a chance to soak in shallow warm water every few days to try and induce them to drink extra water.
When you’re going to be gone for a few days, try to keep some cactus pads in each cage (Opuntia sp, commercially produced as human grade food, found de-spined at larger grocery stores). These last for many days, allowing for periodic nibbling at will. The base ends of the heads of endive also work well for this purpose.These tortoises commonly go months with minimal food in the wild and in general are overfed in captivity. This is not an excuse to feed them erratically - they still should have daily feeding most days. But is merely a warning against overfeeding them. Tortoises ALWAYS act hungry! Be careful not to overindulge them. Make sure they can always pull themselves nearly completely into their shells. If not, start feeding less store-bought greens and replace them with weeds like plantain or dandelion (see our Edible Wild Plants page for alternatives wild foods). Ideally, you should obtain a gram scale and track their weight so you can be sure of how they are doing (see our Supplies page page to purchase gram scales and the mineral and vitamin supplements and Mazuri tortoise diet we recommend).
Water:In captivity, these species get the vast majority of their water needs met by feeding on the water-heavy greens commonly used for their diet. Thus we don't routinely offer water to them inside the cage. High humidity is very problematic to these particular species and open water bowls in a small enclosure can become a health issue. Still, you can not rely on the greens as the sole source of water. Thus we periodically (every other week) soak them in a tub of very shallow (maybe ½” deep), warm water (mid 80'sF), allowing them to drink their fill. Most pass on drinking at these times, or drink very little, but most will at least occasionally drink during these soaks. This also allows us to gently clean their shells and probably helps hydrate living shell tissue (excessive drying of the shell is a leading cause of pyramiding). Allow them at least 10 to 15 minutes of undisturbed soaking and then return them to their cage.
These tortoises are strictly herbivores and most will not (or should not) consume meat or insects. Our primary diet is composed of yard weeds such as dandelion greens and blooms, clover leaves and blooms, as well as various store bought greens such as Endive, turnip greens, Bok Choy, Escarole, and Romaine (avoid head lettuces).It's best to severely limit the amount of spinach, beet greens, Swiss chard, kale or collard greens you offer. These either bind important nutrients or tend to induce metabolic problems over time.We supply edible flowers when in season including nasturtium, rose, clover, and especially hibiscus. We also offer Mazuri Tortoise pellets lightly softened by briefly pre-soaking them in warm water. Mazuri can be used as the bulk of the diet if at least some greens are supplied as well. For animals needing extra weight gain, we also offer a few frozen mixed veggies (peas, cut green beans, carrots, corn, lima beans - all thawed/warmed before feeding) to the mix - but use these VERY sparingly with tortoises. We dust the food daily with Miner-Al – (Indoor version) calcium/mineral supplement (contains vit. D3 plus various minerals) and every other day with Uromastyx Dust (a herbivore-specific vitamin supplement). Also when feeding peas etc, offer your animals a chance to soak in shallow warm water every few days to try and induce them to drink extra water.
When you’re going to be gone for a few days, try to keep some cactus pads in each cage (Opuntia sp, commercially produced as human grade food, found de-spined at larger grocery stores). These last for many days, allowing for periodic nibbling at will. The base ends of the heads of endive also work well for this purpose.These tortoises commonly go months with minimal food in the wild and in general are overfed in captivity. This is not an excuse to feed them erratically - they still should have daily feeding most days. But is merely a warning against overfeeding them. Tortoises ALWAYS act hungry! Be careful not to overindulge them. Make sure they can always pull themselves nearly completely into their shells. If not, start feeding less store-bought greens and replace them with weeds like plantain or dandelion (see our Edible Wild Plants page for alternatives wild foods). Ideally, you should obtain a gram scale and track their weight so you can be sure of how they are doing (see our Supplies page page to purchase gram scales and the mineral and vitamin supplements and Mazuri tortoise diet we recommend).
Water:In captivity, these species get the vast majority of their water needs met by feeding on the water-heavy greens commonly used for their diet. Thus we don't routinely offer water to them inside the cage. High humidity is very problematic to these particular species and open water bowls in a small enclosure can become a health issue. Still, you can not rely on the greens as the sole source of water. Thus we periodically (every other week) soak them in a tub of very shallow (maybe ½” deep), warm water (mid 80'sF), allowing them to drink their fill. Most pass on drinking at these times, or drink very little, but most will at least occasionally drink during these soaks. This also allows us to gently clean their shells and probably helps hydrate living shell tissue (excessive drying of the shell is a leading cause of pyramiding). Allow them at least 10 to 15 minutes of undisturbed soaking and then return them to their cage.
___ Open-Ring Poultry Waterer ___
If you choose to supply constant access to a water bowl (essential for any in poor condition or on medication), the safestand most efficient method is to supply the water through the use of an open-ring "Poultry" waterer. Tortoises routinely defecate in their water, making it unsuitable for the next tortoise to drink. Also, if they get up-ended in a water dish, they can easily drown. Poultry waterers avoid these issues by only presenting a narrow ring of water to the drinking tortoise - an area just wide enough to allow the tortoise's heads into the water but nothing else. They can readily drink but can not physically get into the water to defecate or accidentally drown. The narrow ring also limits evaporation, helping to keep cage humidity low (essential for Golden Greek tortoises, less so for Russians). We usually switch to using these during the egg-laying season so that the females have extra water to help finish off their eggs. We still offer the every-other week soak to aid in shell maintenance even if they have access to the poultry waterers.
Hopefully this covers the basic's you'll need to successfully keep and enjoy your tortoise for many years to come. Enjoy!
Hopefully this covers the basic's you'll need to successfully keep and enjoy your tortoise for many years to come. Enjoy!
Bamboozoo says: Sincerest gratitude for helping us understand the needs of our pets!
Doug can be found working hard at his own site:
http://www.deerfernfarms.com/
Doug can be found working hard at his own site:
http://www.deerfernfarms.com/
