Diseases, Health and Wellness

Health and Wellness

OUTLINE

1. Softness

2. Lethargy

3. Bubbly Mouth

4. Unnatural Discolorations

5. Prolapse

6. Pyramiding

Overview

Tortoises are found almost all over the world.

Note, correlations between topography and distribution is relevant. There is usually a direct relation between topographical landform boundaries and species type. These boundaries naturally aid in the development of different colors, patterns and scalation markers between species and subspecies. Mountain formations, deserts, dunes, rivers and water formations are natural divides for Tortoises.

There are currently 49 different recognized species of tortoises. For the purposes of clarity, we will focus this document on species we keep and offer. The following list shows the geographic region and distribution of species and subspecies.

EUROPE

Testudo marginata - Italy, Turkey, Greece.
Testudo graeca ibera - S. Serbia, Greece, Romania, Iran.
Testudo graeca terrestris - Lebanon, Jordan, Syria.

Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis - S. France, Italy, Macedonia, Serbia, Romania, Greece.
MIDDLE EAST AND ASIA
Testudo horsfieldii (used to be classified as Agrionemys) - Azerbijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kabul.

Geochelone elegans - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
Manouria emys - India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo.

AFRICA

Stigmochelys pardalis babcocki - Nambia, Uganda, Somalia.

SOUTH AMERICA

Chelonoidis carbonarius - Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Eastern Brazil, Nicaragua, Argentina.
Chelonoidis denticulatus - Venezuela, Guyana, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia.

Gender Determination

The Big Question... How to tell if my tortoises is a male or a female. First, you have to know what species your tortoises is. Each species has certain male and female characteristics, which can be similar in some species. We look at size, tail length, plastron, and coloration.

1. Size

Generally speaking, females tend to get larger in overall length, size and weight. Females have to accommodate for egg laying. This means they will be bigger and heavier. It is very noticeable in certain species where being small is an environmental benefit, for example :

Russian Tortoises

Herman Tortoises

Greek Tortoises

Star Tortoises

Leopard Tortoises

These females usually max out at an SVL of 3-4 inches larger than the average male. This is not a great way to determine the gender of your tortoises, because it uses comparative measurements.

Pictured is a pair of Hermans, male left and female right.

2. Tail Length

The tail length is one of the best ways to tell the gender of your tortoise. Males will have very long tails and females will be very short in comparison. In some species, the males tail will be long and pointy, able to curve around the back end to touch the hind leg (or near touch the hind leg).

3. Plastron

The Shape of a tortoises belly (the Plastron) is noticeably different. Males will have a natural concavity to the plastron. This concavity is so the male tortoise can mount the female tortoise for breeding purposes. Young males introduced to colonies before the development of the plastron concavity have a high chance of flipping onto their back due to being unable to securely mount. For breeding groups, be aware because some males can flip onto their backs and have a difficult time flipping back over, which can lead to death under the heat.

4. Coloration

Certain species of tortoises have brighter male colorations than females. The most noticeable would be the box turtles. Adult males have bright red eyes, and the females will have drab colors.

Soft Shells

One of the most common issues we see long term in tortoises and turtles are abnormally soft shells. This can be due to a couple things. First for be Metabolic Bone Disease.

Lethargy