AWESOME!  That’s the word to describe this fantastic organization.    As you guys know I have had the priveledge of rescuing and rehoming a couple of amazing tortoises and know how hard it is to take care of these guys, heal them and then find them some loving and secure homes.  Consequently I can’t help but to be in awe of the scope of this delightful organizations dedication and hard work at rescuing and then rehoming these awesome animals!  I have made a new friend in the director of the organazation, who seems to always be busy doing good for the little guys!  Anyway there website is www.sdturtle.org and I encourage you to check it out and if its in the cards provide a loving home for some of these deserving pets!

Guys…. Leonidus is a tiny 2″ carapace greek tortoise who is amazing!  I have a backyard that my tortoises live in and leonidus has managed to escape 2 times.  The secound time over 5…. FIVE cinder block walls I set up to keep him in the yard!  If anyone has stories of escaping tortoises share them!

I have been going through an incredibly difficult time the last 2 years… full of illness, family conflict, loved ones passing, loved ones hurt, moving, losing a job and gaining 3 more, but enough about the negative!  My point is that no matter what may be messing up your day today remember that no matter what you can not control anything or anyone other than yourself.  Ultimatly your mind shapes your realitity so if you stay positive than those negative experiances will pass more quickly and you might be able to see the reason that they happened, because EVERYTHING happens for a reason!    O…… FYI ill be putting an article on my extreamly GNARLY Greek tortoise Leonidus up shortly!

So I have been super into Tortoises lately…. as if that isn’t obvious But I have had a hell of a time trying to find a decent pair of breeding tortoises. Obviously people are hesitant to separate from their money making pairs of tortoises but I am trying like crazy! I have found the best classifieds are located HERE! Well guys short blog entry but check that out and if anyone has any suggestions as to where I can find some proven Breeding Pairs of Greek Tortoises let me know!

What could a silly looking reptile that has been alive since the dinosaurs possibly need in terms of a living environment right?  Well they love to be pampered and then left alone to eat, sleep, piss and shit(a lot).  Well following my advice we can make sure that they can do all of the above in as much comfort as possible.  Being a college student my self I dont have the luxary of a back yard and consequently I had to create a tortoise paradise in my tiny apartment.  What you do is this;

• Go to Walmart
  • Get the biggest plastic bin you can affod and fit in your apartment
    • Clear is nice for you but scares the tortoises senseless
  •  Then get yourself a hut or make one for your tortoises to hide/climb
  • Most people don’t realize tortoises love to explore/burrow and climb
  • Well then get yourself a water and food dish
• Alright now you need to get to a pet store to get yourself some substrate.
  • I had previosly suggested sand because it is good for them because of the calcium, easy to clean up and looks super good!  However I have been talking to a consomate Tortoise expert who can be found HERE and he has had reports of babies being “impacted” by the sand.  I havn’t had this happen but it makes since so the next time I change the bedding im following his advice an getting some indoor/outdoor carpet.
  • Then you need to get a good UV light it should be both UV-A and UV-B so as to facilitate the digestion of their food.
  • Also you need to get a heat lamp to provide a nice basking spot.
  • The whole cage should be about 60-70 degrees with one 90-100 degree basking spot.  These are temperate tortoises so they like 60-70 so make sure the whole cage is not super hot!

  Follow this advice and your little/big guy will be in heaven.

Greek Tortoises Eat Too

Greek Tortoises are Awesome pets who are easy to take care. However they are pets just like any other and have a specific diet that should be followed for optimal health and happiness for the Reptile. With Greek Tortoises there is one easy rule to follow, if it ain’t natural don’t give it to them.

Store Bought “Pellets”

All of those “Tortoise Pellets” in Pet Stores are a joke. My question is when was the last time you ate blue, red and yellow dried lettuce and liked it? The only exceptions to his rule I have found are the Sulca Dry Mix and Mazuri’s tortoise diet. I have used Sulca with varying results some tortoises love it while some hate it but its good for them. The Mazuri was formulated exclusively for exotic zoos and just recently became available to the public. It is exceptional and loved by most tortoises. Both of these are 100% natural, high in fiber and low in protein which is essential for tortoises.

Good Old Greens

Tortoises come from all over the word and from a variety of habitats but the majority come arid to semi arid habitats and consequently they love munching on the greens. Optimum tortoise eatery is all the good stuff they would find in the wild. For example they love all those annoying weeds, crabgrass and flowers out in your yard. If you want to make their day go outside and pick them some fresh dandelions. They also love Romaine and the mixed greens at your local grocery store but stay away from spinach and ice berg lettuce as one is poisonousness and one like tortoise crack. Once you feed a tortoise ice berg lettuce (which has zero redeeming qualities for both humans and tortoises) you run the risk of the tortoise refusing to eat the healthy stuff, just like a spoiled kid except in this case it will cause severe health issues.

The best feed you can give them is fresh greens/grasses right out of the ground. One excellent seed mix can be found HERE. My sugestion is to serperate your tortoise enclosure into 3 or 4 separate parts so you will always have some grass growing while another part is getting eaten.

Supplements Are A Must

We humans want to own tortoises regardless of where we live and consequently end up keeping them indoors during the winter and such and thus we are inadvertently depriving the tortoises of some of the essential vitamins and minerals they would normally get from the sun and nature. So what you should do is either have a regimen of Phosphate Free Calcium Powder and Multi Vitamin Powder at least twice a week but not both at the same time or as I prefer purchase TNT Powder which has been awesomely convenient for me to sprinkle on their food twice a week and my tortoises love it.  Also always provide your tortoises with easy to access cuttlebone so they can regulate how much calcium they are getting.

Follow these directions and you will end up with some happy, healthy and energetic tortoises!

First of all don’t listen to all the bull shit pet store “experts” tell you.  Remember they are a business and consequently want to make a sale.  I am not saying that all Pet Store “experts” are naive but its just good to double check everything.

My name is Allan and I am a relative expert on Greek Tortoises.  At the moment I have two named Leonidus and Zeus.  This Blog  is devoted to providing accurate and proven advice about the care, handling and housing of Greek Tortoises!