Mediterranean turtle. Mediterranean tortoise (Testudo graeca)

The fact is that only a professional can provide optimal conditions for hibernation for an animal. If the outcome is bad, the pet may not wake up. If you notice that a turtle sits in a corner for a long time and tries to dig into the ground, then you can assume that it is going to hibernate. Then you should feed her well and read special literature to ensure best conditions for pet.

Land turtles are pretty cute creatures with whom it is nice to share part of your life. Be sure to remember that we are responsible for any creature that we take into our home, which means that we are obliged to create comfortable conditions for him to live. Keep your pets right!

Mediterranean tortoises are perhaps one of the most popular pets. Yet most reptile enthusiasts know surprisingly little about them.

Maintenance and care of Mediterranean tortoises

Nutrition

In nature, reptiles consume flowers, stems, and greens. They rarely eat fruit and are never exposed to canned dog food, ice cream, bread, pizza, cheese, cakes, or some of the other fancy "treats" that some people offer to pets.

Most turtles fed on inappropriate diets become seriously ill. Many are dying. If you become the owner of a turtle addicted to such food, immediately rid the reptile of addiction. Resist the temptation to give food from the table. Let the turtle get hungry enough to resume eating a normal, healthy-looking diet. This will take some time, during which time offer safe and healthy food.

In captivity, a diet high in fiber, low in protein and calcium will ensure good functioning. digestive tract and reptile shell growth. Mediterranean tortoises fed on cat or dog food or other foods with high level proteins, such as peas or beans, die from kidney failure or from urate stones in the bladder.

Unfortunately, advice not to give water to reptiles has appeared in books on caring for Mediterranean tortoises. They drink water like wild nature, and in captivity. Drinking is not a sign of ill health (although a sudden change in drinking habits indicates a problem). Most turtles prefer to drink from a shallow dish. And they are encouraged to drink by sprinkling lightly with a garden hose in fine weather.

Too much water...

Drowning. Yes, there are cases every year. If there is a pond, make sure it is completely safe and 100% turtle proof. Mediterranean tortoises do not swim, and any outdoor pool or pond poses a serious danger to their lives.

Predators

Hedgehogs, raccoons, badgers, rats, dogs and even large ones attack and kill turtles, especially young ones. Make sure the reptile enclosures are 100% safe. If in doubt about the strength of the shelter, move the turtles to the house for the night.

Behavior

Male turtles tend to be territorial animals. Two males can fight quite viciously over a range, sometimes resulting in serious injury. Keep these males separately. In a confined terrarium, males cause severe stress to the opposite sex and injure females.

Enclosures should be large enough for the female to escape and hide from unwanted attention. In no case do not overcrowd with Mediterranean turtles too small a vivarium. This is a sure recipe for trouble. Placing older females with young, active males is also extremely risky.

Human efforts and investments are required to create conditions for the life of Mediterranean tortoises.

Mediterranean tortoise - video

Testudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758

Description: A medium-sized turtle with a high, more or less jagged in the back shell, up to 290 mm long along the upper edge. Forelegs with 5 claws. There is one distinct horny tubercle on the posterior side of the thigh. The dorsal coloration is yellow or brownish-olive with dark, sometimes almost black spots, clearly defined in young individuals and gradually blurring and increasing in size in adults. Underside plain or with irregular shape dark spots.

Spreading: The Black Sea subspecies T. g. nikolskii, described from the Sochi region, back in the 30s-40s. was widespread in Black Sea coast Caucasus, from Anapa to the north. to Sukhumi in the south. At present, the range has been significantly reduced and is divided into a number of isolated, more or less extensive populations. The tortoise has almost completely disappeared along the stretch of coast from Tuapse to Adler. On the sowing range in the triangle between Anapa, Nizhnebakansky and Gelendzhik, where until relatively recently the turtle was common, its numbers also fell sharply. Finds in the Khostinsky yew-boxwood grove of the Caucasian Reserve have not been confirmed for a long time. Outside of Russia, the species is found in Georgia, sowing. Africa, in the south Spain, in the east. parts of the Balkan Peninsula, in Asia Minor, Syria, Iran and Iraq. Transcaucasian subspecies T. g. ibera is found in the foothills Caspian lowland southeast Dagestan, where sowing. Its range has not been precisely defined.

Habitat: In the Black Sea region, it lives in dry shrubbery, juniper sparse forests and forests on adjacent slopes. Penetrates cultivated land, vineyards, orchards and tea plantations. In the foothills of Dagestan, it inhabits, in addition, preserved areas of virgin semi-deserts on the foothill slopes and in some places penetrates the coastal dunes. It feeds on succulent herbaceous vegetation, in particular, legumes and Compositae, also eating berries and fruits. It can bite the foliage from the lower branches of the hold-tree and jasmine. Rarely eats mollusks, worms and other invertebrates. After wintering, which it often spends, digging into old burrows of badgers or foxes, it appears in March or early April. Immediately upon awakening, mating occurs. Approximately from the end of May, throughout the summer, females, usually three times per season, lay 2-8 eggs, burying them in a hole dug in the ground. Eggs are spherical in shape, 32-36 mm in diameter, weighing up to 23 g. The incubation period is about 3 months. Young turtles, up to 45 mm long, hatch in nesting chambers and usually winter here, appearing on the surface only next spring. Sexual maturity occurs at the age of 11-13 years. They are active during the daytime, hiding from overheating in bushes and under the forest canopy.

Number: All in. part of the range in the region between Anapa, Nizhnebakansky and Gelendzhik, according to estimates in 1987, 6-8 thousand individuals lived on an area of ​​​​2 thousand m2. The total number of turtles in the Black Sea region probably does not exceed 10-15 thousand individuals and continues to decline. The main factors of population decline are intensive recreational use territory within the range, almost entirely located in the resort area. The uncontrolled catching of animals by tourists and holidaymakers and mechanical tillage, in which masonry is destroyed, have a negative effect. The modern range of the subspecies has broken up into genetically isolated populations, within which, due to small numbers inbreeding occurs. Many sexually mature females remain unfertilized due to disturbed sex ratios. Within Dagestan, where the subspecies T. g. penetrating here from Transcaucasia lives. ibera, the situation with its abundance is more stable, however, its reduction is also observed here, especially in the delta of the river. Samur and in the coastal lowland of the Caspian Sea.

Security: Listed on the IUCN-96 Red List, Appendix 2 of CITES. It is protected in Caucasian Reserve(yew-boxwood grove) and the Pitsundo-Myussersky Reserve, where its numbers are extremely small. The only radical means for the conservation of the Black Sea subspecies of the tortoise, as well as the entire complex of vulnerable species of reptiles and other animals living in its range, is the creation in the region of the National natural park area up to 250 km2. As a first step, the creation of the Novorossiysk nature reserve in the area from Cape Utrish to the Dzhubga region in the south could be. The Mediterranean tortoise breeds relatively easily in captivity, in particular, it is successfully bred in the Moscow Zoo. Reintroduction into the nature of young animals obtained in captivity is possible.

The Mediterranean (Greek, Caucasian) tortoise is a small reptile of the Land Turtle family. The length of the shell does not exceed thirty centimeters. Males are slightly smaller. Their carapace can only reach twenty-three centimeters. The body of turtles is painted in sandy color, there are spots of brown shades. The belly is also light. The shell is almost black, decorated with yellow spots. Paws are short. Fingers can be seen on the forelimbs.

The habitat of Mediterranean tortoises is expanding in North Africa, Southern Europe, Asia. You can see an animal of this breed in the steppe zones, near the foot of the mountains, in sparse forests. Caucasian turtles do not tolerate heat, so activity is observed in the evening, early in the morning. The reptile prefers to rest, hiding under some small plant. Most often she can be seen between the stones, under the bushes. The body of the turtle reacts negatively to a sharp drop in temperature, so the animals sleep all winter. At the beginning of spring they wake up. At this time, young couples can give offspring. You can tell a male from a female by the shape of the shell. In males, it is more voluminous.

Recently, Greek tortoises have been taken as pets. This decision is explained by the fact that this breed of reptiles is quite hardy. At proper care the pet lives up to thirty years. Before buying a turtle, take care of housing. Ideal for terrarium and aquarium. In it, the animal should be spacious, so you should decide on the breed of turtle in advance. Cover the bottom of the "shelter" with a thick layer of a special substrate (sand, peat). At the bottom, you can plant small plants (oats, millet, other crops). Sprouts will serve as additional food for your pet. It is not recommended to plant two males at once in one terrarium. Sometimes they can provoke conflicts that will negatively affect the health of one of the animals. Where is the best place to buy a pair? Individuals of different sexes get along well together. Later they can give birth. Some time after mating, future mom starts laying eggs. The female digs them shallow into the soil. It is recommended to immediately move the eggs to a special container. This will protect the embryos from injury, premature hatching. In the incubator, the eggs are kept under special ultraviolet paws for four months. Newborn babies (about five centimeters in length) are born completely unprotected. At first, they perceive the environment poorly.

Adult turtles eat almost everything. You can safely give fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, boiled egg. Dairy products are also good for growing reptiles. You can buy special food at the pet store. Nutritional supplements, vitamins. Change the water in the drinkers daily. Remember that turtles are used to light. So take them outside regularly. The sun's rays are very beneficial for the animal.