NEWS108
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JuvenileSpur-ThighedTortoise,
Testudograeca.
All photos:FrankSchäfer
Theseason for tortoises ishereonceagain.Thepet trade is fullof thecharming littleyoungsters thathatched from
their eggsduring the summer.Anyonecankeep these tortoises successfully.But onlya few other animal species
are subject toasmany incorrectprejudicesas tortoises.
Theproperway tokeepyoung
tortoises
byChristophFritz,www.reptilia24.com
ence it is absolutely essential to re-
search these animals before buying
them.This articlewill provide a number of
hints,but even soagoodhandbookon the
rearingandmaintenanceofEuropeantortoi-
sesshouldfigureonthebookshelvesofevery
serioustortoise-keeper !
Wheretobuy-breederorpet-shop?
Essentially there isnodifferenceatall,aswit-
houtexceptionallbabytortoises inthetrade
arecaptive-bred.Therehasbeenabanonta-
kingthemfromthewildforthepast 30years.
Henceeven the specimens seen in thepet
tradeoriginateeither fromGermanbreeders
or from farms insouthernEurope.On the In-
ternet they should, essentially, be bought
from reputablevendors. Thesearebest re-
cognizedbytheirofferingaproperservice in
associationwith thepurchase. At the same
time the cheapest are not necessarily the
best choice. A little researchon thevendor
candonoharm.Oryoucanbuyyourtortoises
H
Tortoises
somewhere where you can select them at
your leisure,andwhere ideally you canalso
seethemaintenanceconditions.
Adult pair ofHermann'sTortoises,
Testudohermann
i boettgeri.Themale (the individual on the left)was
incorrectly fedandkept inover-dryconditionswhenyoung, resulting inhishumpedcarapace.
Whichspecies?
In thecaseof thebeginner,only threespecies
ofEuropeantortoisescomeintoconsideration:
