Please note
- The Greek tortoise is not an easy animal to care for. At 80 years of age, the animals reach an incredibly high age, which usually makes it impossible for a keeper to guarantee the care of the animals for their entire lifetime.
- Keeping them purely in terrariums is not appropriate for the animal!!! It must be possible to keep them in a sun-exposed outdoor enclosure.
- Too little sunlight or UV light leads to a lack of vitamin D3 formation, which means that calcium is not sufficiently absorbed. In young animals this leads to rickets with severe bone growth disorders and bone deformities, in adult animals osteomalacia (bone softening) with metabolic disorders, softening of the carapace and even egg loss.
- Incorrect bedding (e.g. small animal bedding) can be ingested by malnourished animals and cause severe constipation and even intestinal obstruction.
- Incorrect feeding can lead to life-threatening diarrhea.
- If the animals are permanently kept too warm, they grow quickly and irregularly, which often results in severe deformities (hump formation, bone structure damage, organ damage and fatty degeneration).
- Lifting turtles up causes them to panic (in the wild, contact with the ground is only prevented by predators).
Protection status
The Greek tortoise is a strictly protected species and is listed in Annex A of the EU Species Protection Regulation. This means that only the trade in offspring is permitted and, in accordance with the Federal Species Protection Ordinance, there is an obligation to register with the competent authority under national law. This requires identification of the animals (either by photo documentation or transponder) and proof of origin (EU certificate, proof of purchase, etc.). The authority must be notified in writing of any changes to the location or stock.
Socialization
Greek tortoises are adult solitary animals. The males can become very territorial and sexually aggressive. If more than one animal is kept, there must be a ratio of 1 male to at least 3 females. Care must be taken to ensure that the animals have enough escape and hiding places in the enclosure.
Housing facility
Greek tortoises must not be kept in a terrarium only. They must be provided with a sunny outdoor enclosure.
The size of the enclosure must be adapted to the number of animals and take into account the tortoises' desire to move around. At least 10 m² of floor space is required for a tortoise living alone. The enclosure size must be increased by 10 m2 for each additional animal.
The fence should be at least 50 cm high and buried 20 cm deep in the ground (tortoises are good at digging and climbing), and it should not be made of wire mesh but of solid material.
The structure of the enclosure should include a suitable "sun island", a shallow bathing area, hiding places (including a shelter with a sand/earth mixture or leaves/hay for burrowing), small non-toxic bushes, wild herbs (which also serve as food), digging possibilities, branches, stones and roots (for climbing and hiding). The substrate should be varied (sandy, gravelly, stony) and always slightly damp in one place. There should also be at least one shady spot. Bottlenecks in which the animals can become trapped should be avoided. A cold frame or a type of greenhouse should be integrated into the enclosure so that the tortoises can be kept outdoors even in bad weather (transitional seasons).
Requirements for climate design
The soil temperature should be 22 to 28°C, the air temperature locally 28 to 30°C. In at least one place, the soil should be heated up to 40°C locally. A temperature gradient must make it possible to change to different zones. At night, the temperature must be lowered to 17 to 20°C. The humidity must be between 50 and 70%.
Nutrition
Tortoises are vegetarians and need a high-fiber, low-nutrient diet. The best food that can be offered to them is wild plants that ideally grow wild in the enclosure. Clover, dandelion, lettuce and milk thistle, ground elder, stinging nettle, butterfly and labiate plants. This also includes the buds, flowers, seed capsules or pods and roots of many plants. Also leaves from trees and bushes such as apple, birch, pear, blackberry, hazelnut, raspberry, hibiscus, cherry, mulberry, rose, plum, gooseberry, willow, vine and many others.
Small agaves, aloe and opuntia, various stonecrops, houseleeks and stonecrop can also be fed. In the transitional season, when wild herbs are in short supply, parsley, basil, romaine lettuce, rocket, cress or endive. Rarely also carrots, lamb's lettuce or zucchinis. In addition to fresh wild herbs, also offer dried wild herbs. It is also necessary to give cuttlefish shells, home-mashed boiled hen's egg shells, mussels or snail shells to ensure the supply of calcium.
Absolutely refuse any meat, dog or cat food, as well as the commercially available ready-made food containing proteins! Protein-rich food leads to kidney damage and bone metabolism disorders. Also do not feed fruit or vegetables (except for the varieties mentioned above), as these can lead to digestive problems.
If the food is too rich or the young animals grow too quickly, they tend to develop humps on their shells. Tortoises are not able to drink from deep water bowls, so make sure that shallow water bowls are offered in which their mouths can be immersed. The animals usually drink while bathing. Water hygiene must be checked regularly (frequent water changes).
Hibernation
European tortoises must hibernate for several weeks from the age of one. Ideally, this should take place at 4 to 6°C in a stable ambient temperature. Hibernation takes place from around November to March. There are several options for hibernation:
- In an otherwise unused refrigerator in a drawer filled with beech leaves. The door should be opened once or twice a day to allow fresh air in.
- In a deep, mouse-proof pit in the outdoor enclosure, which is filled with wood chips and soil and into which the animals can dig themselves.
- In a box filled with leaves and soil, which is placed in the cellar.
Sources
Baur, Markus (1999): Die Haltung und Pflege Europäischer Landschildkröten, Vortrag gehalten am 7.8.1999 im Zoo Karlsruhe
BNA-Schulungsordner Terraristik
Clyde, V.L. (1996): Practical treatment and control of common ectoparasites in exotic pets. Veterinary Medicine 91: 632-636.
Tierärztliche Vereinigung für Tierschutz: Checkliste für die Beurteilung von Terrarienabteilungen im Zoofachhandel: Reptilien. Merkblatt Nr. 47
