INTRODUCTION Rearing a baby tortoise does require a degree of commitment to its welfare and will need some time and care and a little initial expense to create the right conditions. To help give you a picture of what this entails I have put together the following notes. The first part describes the tortoises' wild lifestyle, the second describes ways of simulating this in captivity for babies and the third describes the care of adult tortoises. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PART 1: TORTOISES IN THE WILD To rear baby tortoises successfully in captivity we need to know something about their natural lifestyle in the wild. Mediterranean tortoises have evolved to thrive in hot, dry places where vegetation is often sparse particularly in summer. Typically they live on south-facing hillsides, sleeping at night under rocks and thorny bushes. In the morning they emerge to bask in the sun until they are warm enough to become active then they trundle off for their morning forage, snipping off flowers and leaves as they go. By late morning the sun is high in the sky and they return to their scrapes to pass the hot part of the day in siesta mode, often emerging again in the late afternoon for an evening feed, and so on throughout the spring and early summer months, their peak feeding period. By midsummer it is very hot and there is little to eat and they may dig themselves in for a period of aestivation. In the late summer and autumn they begin to wind down, eating less and finally stopping altogether. They remain awake with some activity until they have emptied their guts over a period of weeks then dig themselves underground for hibernation through the cold months, typically late November/December through to mid March. The first warm days of spring bring them up again, emerging from the ground like so many mud-pies to bask and take their first feed of the year. Adults soon begin mating and the hills resound with the sound of clashing shells. The females dig their nests and lay their eggs in May and June. The summer sun incubates the eggs and the babies emerge from the ground around September. Many eggs and hatchlings are predated by foxes, hedgehogs and birds, but those which do survive live an identical lifestyle to the adults, totally independently, though very secretively, within a day or so of hatching. Typically around 10 or 12 years old they become sexually active, mating and producing fertile eggs for the next generation. They can live for many years, at least 90, probably a good few more. This 'scraping a living' from the land seems a hard lifestyle to us but evolution has 'designed' them to fit this niche. Any attempt to 'improve' on this is likely to result in unnaturally rapid growth with consequent health problems. By its nature an English garden existence is a false improvement on the wild environment in that it is much 'cushier', food is lusher and more plentiful, they don't have to walk about to search for it, and feeding activity can last throughout the day as it is not always hot enough to warrant a long siesta. Hence more food + less exercise = unhealthy overgrowth. At the same time, our season is short and often broken up by dull and cool weather which is all very unnatural for a creature from Mediterranean climes - and the keeper's instinct is to compensate by even more feeding. In an adult tortoise this won't really hurt providing the diet is a correct one of a variety of wild and cultivated plants of the type eaten in the wild. However in a baby tortoise, overfeeding will give rise to over-rapid growth causing peaking of the scutes and weakening of the underlying bone. Therefore we must improve on the captive environment in a different way by lengthening the season at either end and imitating the sunny and sparse conditions of the wild, whilst providing shelter from the sun, cold and predators and a correct diet in terms of both content and quantity together with a natural and varied environment. Given these basic requirements and provided the babies are not subjected to stress in the form of careless handling by children, or attention from cats and dogs, there is no reason why they should not grow healthily and live a long and happy life. So how do you do it? The key to the successful husbandry of any animal is to apply a combination of knowledge of its wild lifestyle and a degree of ingenuity! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PART 2: NATURAL REARING OF TORTOISES Whilst baby tortoises have identical requirements in terms of environment and diet to adult tortoises, because of their small size and relative vulnerability, they must be contained and protected a little more. Accommodation The aim should be to imitate as closely as possible the wild environment whilst enhancing our poor season and protecting from predators. Tortoise rearers have devised various methods including units on workbenches with planted seed trays, brick-built raised beds and enclosed garden runs with access to part of a greenhouse, conservatory or cold frame. The precise construction and location or yours depends on the layout and aspect of your garden - a really sunny and safe spot is needed. Barriers should be opaque or they will try to get through them and netting should be avoided as tortoises use it like a ladder! Access to the outside is absolutely essential. The babies should be outside whenever it is warm enough even if not sunny as they need UV light to properly metabolise their food. Remember UV does not pass through glass or plastic. They can cope with rainy days too, if part of their area is glass or plastic covered and the ambient temperature is warm enough though they will only behave really naturally on sunny days. It is vital to keep stress to a minimum; the less interference there is with their daily lives, the happier and healthier they will be. To achieve this you need to prepare a secure sided outdoor unit or area chosen for its sunny position (all day if possible) with rocks, gravel and soil, planted with food plants (see list) and shelter shrubs, with a small sleeping cave (protected from wet) and a shallow, wadable water pot. A light open mesh should be placed over the unit to protect against dogs, cats, foxes or large birds but try to keep shadow to a minimum, though of course some shade is absolutely essential. Points to bear in mind: Bigger is better, grass is a nuisance and they enjoy clambering. They are also very good escapers - take special care with corners which they use as rock climbers use 'chimneys'! A raised up unit will be more secure, easier to tend and catch the sun for more hours. The tortoises can certainly be left outside at night in summer in a wooden house or stone cave but do protect from foxes, hedgehogs, etc. An outdoor Workbench Unit for hatchlings Materials • Cheap, ready to assemble, wooden workbench (from DIY store). • 4 lengths of wood for the sides, 10" deep (avoid toxic wood preservatives) • 5 large plastic seed trays with holes (These are quite expensive but convenient for planting and replacing. Alternatively make an inner wooden wall where the edges of the trays would be and plant directly onto the bench.) • Clear twin wall polycarbonate sheeting, 6" deep, to slot between the trays and the sides • White plastic covered mesh panels or clematis support for the top. • Glass or plastic sheet or small double-glazing panel. • Rocks, soil, gravel, food plants, shelter plants, sleeping cave and water dish. Indoor accommodation All the methods I have described are for the outside; but some form of indoor unit is needed too, particularly during the spring and autumn months to extend our short summer at either end, as only about 11 weeks hibernation is advisable for youngsters. When they are bigger various good solutions can be devised combining a greenhouse or conservatory with access to the outside so they can choose to either go out when it is warm enough, or bask inside when cool. Whilst they are young though they will need an indoor unit with Full Spectrum strip such as 'Reptisun 5' by Zoomed, basking light and a thermostat to control the temperature. The best substrate I have found is a towel stretched over the base - they can grip it with their claws to right themselves if they capsize and it can be washed in the machine (without detergent). It is a good idea to provide a flat stone or slate to keep claws from overgrowing. If the tortoises' food is placed on this, it will also ensure that their beaks are kept naturally trimmed, as when grazing outside. Whilst well able to tolerate low humidity conditions in the wild, they do appreciate an occasional lukewarm shower with a fine rose watering can when out in the sun and should be 'misted' about twice a day when in indoor units to prevent over-drying and so avoid eye and respiratory problems. Clean water should always be available. Constructing an indoor unit Many people assume that a glass fish tank will make an ideal vivarium for young tortoises, but in my experience these are unsuitable and should be avoided. Something which is more open and airy provides a healthier atmosphere and is easier to keep clean. Making a Tortoise table A simple and effective indoor unit can be made on a tabletop (a school desk about 4' x 2' makes a good base) with low twin-wall polycarbonate or clear plastic walls fixed at the comers, and a towel stretched over the base to give firm footing. Add another towel for climbing on and hiding under plus a heavy water pot. Make a half-lid on which to fix a full-spectrum strip light suitable for reptiles (e.g. 'Reptisun' by Zoomed) and a starter unit for it which can rest on top. This light should not be further than 8" above the tortoises to be effective. For basking heat, provide an ordinary clip on spotlight (40 or 60 watt) firmly fixed to the edge so that the bulb is not much more than 12" above them and always set at an angle. Arrange the two lights so that they shine on the same area. Use a probed thermometer (as described for monitoring hibernation) and a thermostat to control the temperature (unless you will be there to monitor it regularly) and a time switch to control day length. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Diet and healthy growth Resist the temptation to overfeed; feed the right diet (see wild plants list) but not too much of it! Tortoises have evolved to thrive in subsistence conditions in hot, dry places where vegetation is often very sparse. They eat morning and evening, sleeping during the hot part of the day; in the wild they are not constantly woken up and offered heaps of succulent food! They have to walk and scramble as they search for food plants, biting off flowers and leaves as they travel, hence they use energy and develop muscle. The growth rings on a wild tortoise are even and flush with the curve of the shell and the scutes form one smooth overall dome shape without 'bumps'. If overfed, even on a good wild diet, the growth will be too rapid, growth rings will be raised and the shell become peaky (known as pyramiding). Much worse, on an incorrect diet including such unnatural items as dog and cat food, cheese, bread, cornflakes, etc., (never encountered in the wild!) a tortoise will be a very sorry animal; soft shelled, deformed and weak and with potentially fatal kidney and liver problems. Metabolic bone disease (MBD) is a common cause of captive reptile fatalities and is caused by insufficient Calcium being laid down in the bones (see section on Calcium and Vitamin D3). The diet should be vegetarian, adequate in moisture, high-fibre, vitamin and mineral rich, low-fat and low-protein - so even high protein vegetables should be avoided (e.g. peas, sweet corn, bean sprouts) to achieve a gradual, even shell growth. Many of the plants on the following Food Plant List are relatively high in calcium, vital for forming shell and bone and this should be supplemented with cuttlefish bone which they will bite at if they need it and a daily dusting of a suitable vitamin and mineral supplement such as Vionate, Nutrobal, Reptavite or Repcal. Growth rate The rate of growth can vary a lot between individuals, even within the same clutch, but a rough, 'handy' size guide is:- Don't try to grow them faster! Aim for a slow, even growth like the wild ones. If they have a good variety of wild food plants to graze on there is no need to add any extra, if not, feed them in the morning when they have basked in the sun and become active, and again in the mid to late afternoon after their siesta. It is useful to weigh the growing youngsters regularly to build up a record of growth patterns and alert you to unusual weight fluctuations which could signal poor feeding or dehydration. Don't panic though - a poo and a pee can make a big difference to a juvenile's weight! Food Plant List This is based on my observations of plants eaten by tortoises both in the wild and in English gardens. It includes plants from a variety of botanic families to ensure a good balance of nutrients, vitamins and minerals and to avoid 'dependence' on a single food. Dandelion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Taraxacum officinalis White/Dutch clover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trifolium repens Common/Smooth sow thistle. . . . . . . . .Sonchus oleraceus Plantains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Plantago major, media & lanceotata Mallows . . . . . . . . . .Malva sylvestris, neglecta & moschata Chicory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chichonum intybus Nipplewort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lapsana communis Hawkbits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Leontodon spp Cat's-ears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Hypochoehs spp Hawk's-beards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Crepis spp Hairy bittercress . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Cardamine muralis Shepherd's purse . . . . . . . . . . . .Capsella bursa-pastoris Bindweeds . . . . . . . . . . . . ... Convolvulus & calystegia spp Bush vetch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vicia sepium Common vetch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Vicia sativa Common sorrel . . . . . . . . . .Rumex acetosa (in moderation) Salad burnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sanguisorba minor Rocket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eruca sativa Hedge mustard . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sysymbrium officinate Stonecrops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sedum spp Honeysuckle . . . . . . . . . . .(Flowers & berries, not leaves) Many of these can be planted in outdoor 'baby units' and many will be growing in your garden already with any luck. A Wild Flower book will be useful for identification and you will find that most of these are familiar 'weeds'. Small sedums can be very easily propagated to fill seed trays for additional feeding and dandelion and sow thistle seedlings can be grown from the 'clocks' or transplanted from the garden into pots. Clover and hairy bittercress also grow well in trays and can be harvested every few days. Edible wild plant mixtures are available from some of the organic seed companies. You will discover by trial other garden and rockery plants which they will eat. The occasional addition of lettuce and cucumber will not hurt if nothing else is available and can provide valuable moisture in dry weather, but these should never form the staple diet owing to their extremely low nutritional value. Fruit such as tomatoes, apple, plums, peaches and melon can be given as a treat but only occasionally as the sweet, wet conditions created by these foods often cause certain gut flora to 'bloom' resulting in gut irritation signaled by rather wet droppings often containing undigested food. This is both unpleasant and detrimental to your tortoise's health. Notes on Feeding and Nutrition Try to feed picked food as fresh as possible to retain the vitamin content, preferably morning (after basking) and mid to late afternoon (when they emerge from siesta) though it can be kept quite well in a plastic bag in the fridge for a couple of days. For very small tortoises chop the leaves to a manageable size with scissors just before feeding. It is important to provide the opportunity for the youngsters to graze naturally on food plants growing in their areas. This way they will develop muscle and keep down their beaks and claws. This of course means planting and nurturing some of the very 'weeds' you have previously tried to eradicate from your garden - you will learn to love them! Food picked from outside your garden should be thoroughly washed to remove any chemical residues from spraying and traffic and of course you must avoid any use of toxic chemicals in your garden, e.g. slug killer, ant killer, pesticides, herbicides - none of these is safe. Avoid toxic plants (they will avoid them but you may inadvertently mix them in with other leaves) such as daffodil, ragwort, spurge, columbine, hellebore - if in doubt check in a library book on toxic plants but there is no need to rip them out of your garden! Avoid high-protein plants such as peas, beansprouts, sweetcorn - being seeds they are very high in protein so in excess they can not only cause over-rapid growth but also seriously affect calcium metabolism, owing to their high phosphorus to calcium ratio, resulting in over large, soft shelled juveniles. Avoid overuse of kale and spinach...... the relatively high oxalic acid content can impair the uptake of calcium by forming calcium oxalate. Avoid high sugar foods e.g. fruit in excess. Avoid high phosphorus foods e.g. banana - also quite addictive. Avoid especially all unnatural foods, particularly high protein and high fat foods like meat-based dog and cat foods, which are without doubt highly damaging to the growth and health of tortoises. If in doubt about a particular foodstuff, ask yourself: Would the tortoise be likely to find this in the wild? If the answer is a resounding NO as in the case of dog and cat food, dairy produce, meat, fish, etc, then DON'T FEED IT! It will only cause long-term health problems and is totally unnecessary. Calcium & Vitamin D3 Tortoises, particularly growing babies and egg laying females, naturally have a high calcium requirement. Vitamin D3 is needed to render the ingested calcium available to the body. The tortoise's body has evolved a mechanism to manufacture D3 through exposure to UV light i.e. the abundant Mediterranean sun. This is why we need to ensure D3 is available both through dietary supplements and by provision of Full Spectrum Light (FSL), particularly when summer sun is in short supply or the tortoises are indoors in cool weather, if we are to avoid calcium deficiency giving rise to metabolic bone disease. With a wide variety of plant species offered, there should be no problem with providing a range of nutrients, but the best shape and healthiest growth is achieved in my experience by lightly dusting the food once daily with a specially formulated vitamin and mineral supplement such as Reptavite (by Medivet). NB As D3 is toxic in overdose, reduce the amount and frequency of supplementation when the tortoises have good exposure to summer sun, but keep supplying pieces of cuttlefish bone for calcium which they will sometimes bite at. NB Full spectrum light strips should be replaced after 6 months continuous use as transmission of the ultraviolet part of the spectrum is reduced after this time, even though the strip still lights up. Water Whilst it is true that tortoises are very efficient at extracting moisture from their food, drinking helps them to flush waste and toxins from the body and ensures good hydration of the tissues. Wild tortoises certainly drink when they get the chance and babies love to drink and wallow. Provide a shallow drinking dish e.g. a plastic plant pot saucer weighted with gravel. Babies like to bask and wade in this too. (They will probably be inspired to use it as a toilet too, so change the water frequently!) Husbandry through the year Late Summer and Autumn, preparing for hibernation It is not advisable to allow very small tortoises to hibernate for more than 11 weeks, say from mid December until early March, so it is necessary to 'stretch' the summer at both ends using your indoor unit. This normally comes into use in September when the nights start cooling off and you will need to bring in the babies at night. Whilst the days are still warm, they can go outside during the day. (Be very careful when there is danger of frost - always bring them in). Gradually they will be spending more time in the indoor unit in which you need to simulate summer using the equipment described. Try to place the unit in a bright place and where the night time temperature is not less than 12°C. Between October and December, gradually shorten the day length (full spectrum light) a little at a time from 12 hours down to 8 (manually or using a time switch) and gradually decrease the temperature (basking light) by altering the setting on the thermostat or moving the light further away. During this period they will gradually wind down their eating and activity. They are emptying their guts ready for hibernation. This is both natural and vital, and sufficient ambient heat is needed for this to take place; if not, there is danger that the tortoises will go into hibernation with a full gut, the commonest cause of hibernation fatalities. They know instinctively what to do and we should not encourage them to eat any more than they choose to at this time, rather the opposite. A few warm shallow baths during this time will help them to 'empty down' and ensure they are sufficiently hydrated. As nighttime temperature should not fall below 10° or 12°C during this period, some additional background heat may be needed if the unit is in a very cool room. Because of this gradual winding down of day length and temperature they will spend a little longer each day hiding as they sense the approach of winter until finally they cease to emerge at all and are ready to hibernate. Hibernation At this stage I put them in a cardboard box containing shredded newspaper and put this into a thick-walled polystyrene box (of the type used for transporting tropical fish) with several small ventilation holes penetrating both boxes, and more shredded paper filling the space between the outer and inner boxes. This goes first into a cool room and finally into a frost-free, unheated utility room - garages and attics can get too cold. Check regularly that the babies are not trying to climb out - normally they will dig down to the bottom to hibernate. It is vital to monitor the temperature with a max/min thermometer. (The digital type with a probe is the most accurate, available from mail order companies such as Mapplin Electronics). If the temperature falls below 1°C there is serious danger of the tortoise's tissues being frozen and equally if it gets to much over 10°C, the tortoise could become active and try to climb out, so you may need to move the box occasionally. Around 5°C is ideal. NB Hibernation is an important part of your tortoise's natural cycle and should only be avoided if it is underweight or sick. Early Spring In the spring this process is reversed: around the middle of March or when the weather suggests it, get the indoor unit ready and bring the hibernation box into a warm room. After a while (maybe a day) you will hear rustling and they will come up to the top. Pop them in a really bright place (sunshine or full spectrum light strip) with a spotlight for basking heat. Give them a shallow lukewarm bath, allowing them to drink, warm up and soak, offer some young dandelion leaves and they should be up and running within a few hours. As before, use the thermostat to control the temperature (15°C at the cold end up to 28°C under the light) and the time switch to control day length. As the season warms up they can go outside on warm days (and in again at night) until it is warm enough to leave them out all the time, perhaps by late May, and another season is underway! Summer During the summer months the youngsters will come into their own as they respond to temperatures closer to their natural climate. They will develop their own routine of basking, feeding, exploring and sleeping whilst you observe them, provide good quality wild food and keep their areas tended and safe. They are tough little creatures and will do fine with the basic conditions described. Do monitor them but don't coddle them too much! Daily Care The babies will need some daytime checking; although they can look after themselves perfectly well, they do sometimes get themselves the wrong way up and can't always right themselves. This could be potentially dangerous if under a lamp or in hot sun. (Plenty of stones and plants help to deal with this in outdoor environments; toweling is the best solution in indoor units) You will need to train a friendly neighbour to cover for you if you go away. If you go away a lot or are usually out during the day you will not be around during their activity period and so will be unable to observe their feeding, behaviour and health. If this is the case you should think again about the responsibility of taking on young tortoises, animals with the potential to outlive ourselves, and even our children, given the right care. To complete the care picture, I am including the following article by a colleague. PART3: CARE OF ADULT TORTOISES (adapted with kind permission from a paper by Glenys Crane) Tortoises are reptiles and therefore 'cold-blooded'. When the weather is warm they are warm and when it is cold so are they. They have been one of the world's most successful inhabitants, perfectly evolved to suit their environment, climate and food plants. Then we expect them to live in England where:- 1. The winters are too long, meaning an extended hibernation period. 2. The summers are too short, not always giving enough time for them to eat a good variety of cultivated and natural foods to enable them to gain weight, remain healthy and enjoy themselves. 3. Our springs and autumns linger on interminably, not warm enough to induce them to eat yet not cold enough to stop activity, using up their valuable reserves and decreasing their weight. There is also the very real danger of a sudden frost causing fatalities. You will become an avid follower of the daily weather forecasts! These are the two seasons you are most likely to have to keep your tortoise indoors under a heat lamp to give him access to a 'summer' temperature of about 16°C at the cool end of his pen to a maximum under the light of about 28°C (it must be a light, not a ceramic-type heater, as they need the benefit of light stimulation). Having him wandering about the living room or kitchen is not good enough. At floor level he will be too cold and will have no appetite. And your carpets will never be the same again! This is the time your tortoise might drive you mad as they are not the tidiest of creatures, prone to scrape up all newspaper substrate and defecate over food, churning all into a very smelly 'soup' before sleeping on it! Many become very restless indoors, being independent characters who prefer the outside. There is no doubt about it, it is quite hard work to keep a tortoise healthy and happy in this country and it is quite a commitment to your time. If you are out at work all day you will hardly every see your tortoise as he will awake after you have left the house and be asleep before your return. Consequently you will have no idea how he is faring and you will not find him a very rewarding pet. Tortoises like a lot of space and the freedom of a south-facing garden, which contains a lawn with clover and dandelions on which to browse, flower beds and rocks upon which to clamber would be ideal. They love sunbathing on concrete paths at the beginning of the day, which soon become as snug as warm toast and they then become very active and agile. Drinking water should always be available in a shallow receptacle sunk into the ground such as an old plate, cat tray or plant pot saucer. They need to wade in and put their heads down to drink. You may never see them do this as they derive a lot of moisture from their plant diet but they do occasionally surprise you. If he has to be in a pen, make it large and of varied terrain, with a stony area for his claws and access to sun and shade throughout the day. Ensure the walls are escape-proof, tortoises are agile and persistent and can easily climb wire fences. A solid boundary also prevents him looking and fretting to where the grass is greener. Always ensure he is in a purpose-built rain proof house or stone 'cave' at night as foxes often 'play' with tortoises they discover. He may only receive teeth marks on his shell but he could lose a leg. Ensure you find a vet who deals with reptiles as their whole metabolism is so different to 'normal' warm-blooded pets that many vets have not found it necessary to study them. Some vets will honestly admit they don't know much about tortoises but beware the ones who don't wish to lose face and bodge along as best they can. Injections can prove fatal and vitamin injections should never be necessary to an animal with adequate varied diet. It's easy to overdose a cold-blooded animal whose slow metabolism may not adequately use up an administered drug. When you first acquire your tortoise he may go 'off colour' and quiet. Just because he's cold blooded doesn't mean he hasn't any feelings, he will be missing his old familiar surroundings and may take a week or two to get used to his new home and routine. If you keep more than one tortoise you will soon see they all have individual personalities, likes and dislikes. If you have males and females you must be prepared to have a separate area for the males, who quickly become over-amorous (to put it politely!) and give the females no rest, causing stress and related illnesses as well as actual bodily harm due to butting and love-biting! In the wild tortoises can spend many days without encountering each other but in the confines of even a large garden they are all unnaturally close. If your tortoise seems to prefer only a small variety of food it may be that this is all a previous owner has offered - if so do persevere to introduce new tastes. They get to like many things but easily get 'hooked' onto a favourite, to the detriment of their health. They can also get habituated to being hand fed, say after nursing through an illness and it may be quite frustrating to try and get them to feed independently again. They also seem quite seasonal in their tastes, shunning one thing at a particular time which they adore at another so keep persevering. It is an excellent idea to weigh your tortoise regularly and check him for swellings etc., (if an abscess is allowed to form, the pus, the consistency of a hard-boiled egg yolk in a tortoise, can eat into and destroy nearby bone tissue). You will soon see a picture of his annual weight fluctuations and gain a better idea of if he is thriving. If he seems at all seedy do not hesitate to seek medical advice as, with his slow metabolism, if you wait until he really looks bad it will probably be too late to treat him. He should be bright-eyed and alert, walking with his shell raised off the ground. If well fed, he can also be very indolent and spend most of the day lolling in the sun. Many people recommend de-worming at least once a year, each summer. It's easy for captive tortoises to get quite a build-up of worms, which doesn't help their general health, due to re-contaminating themselves because of a build-up of faeces in a contained environment. You should keep their areas extremely clean. If your tortoise is not heavy enough to hibernate, or shows signs of ill health you must be prepared to keep him awake all winter - a quite demanding, smelly and expensive business. If you cross your fingers and hibernate a suspected ill tortoise you will probably find either a dead or much sicker tortoise in the spring and will pay for the quiet winter with heavy vets bills and intensive nursing which could include daily stomach tubing. Hibernation itself, anyway, is not without its chores as you have to monitor the temperature of the area in which the tortoise if hibernating as a freezing temperature causes the brain tissues to freeze. If you wish to have a tortoise as a pet for a child please think again. They are certainly endearing creatures of great character but children generally soon lose interest as they are not cuddly, soft or warm and their strong legs and claws soon prise off the grip of little fingers wanting to hold them. A guinea pig or a kitten would be a much better choice and much less hard work. Tortoises are by far the most demanding animal I have ever owned out of quite a varied selection. Forget about the time when nearly every garden had a tortoise - nearly every tortoise died during hibernation then, mainly due to the ignorance of its owner and we are still learning................. Always remember, a tortoise will only function well at the temperature it was 'designed' for - not our English climate. It's up to you to ensure it is kept in an environment and temperature as much like its country of origin as possible and to this effect you will probably become a devoted follower of the weather reports. Having laid down these rather daunting facts, once you have got used to all their special requirements, you will find them rewarding individuals to know. These notes are by no means meant to be comprehensive and are only my personal thoughts and observations based on many years experience, discussion with other tortoise keepers and reading of the ever expanding literature available. Glenys Crane NB All the notes in this document apply to Mediterranean land tortoises: Testudo graeca, Testudo ibera, Testudo hermanni and Testudo marginata and should not be applied to other species such as Leopard tortoises, Red-foot tortoises, Box turtles or Terrapins. Linda King, Feb 2000 1 supplied by www.cheloniauk.com