Greek Tortoises: An Introdcution to the Subspecies!

#greektortoise #tortoise #tortoisecare
Greek tortoises (Testudo graeca), are some of the most familiar and beloved tortoises in the world! They are beautiful, charismatic and no two are the same. But, did you know that only one type of Greek tortoise is found in portions of Greece? It’s true and these animals actually got their name from the Greek mosaic-like pattern on their and not from the location in which they’re found! I’m reality, these tortoises come from places like Southeast Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. Learn about a few distinct Greek tortoise subspecies along with some interesting facts in this fun introduction!
Greek tortoise care guide: tortoiseforum.org/threads/gre...
Want to support Garden State Tortoise? Become a patron today by joining our PATREON: / gardenstatetortoise
Subscribe to our channel: / gardenstatetortoise
Follow us on Instagram: / garden_state_tortoise
Follow us on TikTok: / gardenstatetortoise
Follow us on Facebook: / gardenstatetortoise
Visit our website: www.gardenstatetortoise.com
Follow our Diamondback terrapin conservation work on Instagram: / terrapinconservationin...
Who is Garden State Tortoise?
However you made it here, thank you and welcome to Garden State Tortoise. Garden State Tortoise is home to hundreds of animals from all around the world. We are a family dedicated to adventure, conservation of wildlife, and all things nature. We are a reptile rescue and breeding facility for more than ten years, offering refuge to those who need it, and working everyday to protect the beautiful world of reptiles in any way we can. Here on our KZbin channel you will be able to join us on our animal adventures while learning how to care for, protect, properly identify, feed and even breed many species of turtle, tortoise, snake and lizard. We even work with frogs and salamanders! We hope you enjoy our videos and help us share them with the world so we can continue to educate people of all ages about herpetology.
Chris and Casey Leone

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Hello, hello! We hope you all enjoyed this little introduction to the amazing Greek tortoises! If you’d like to read an in-depth care guide I wrote about them, click this link: tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-care-guide.174622/ Chris

[@keldaMouse]

thanks for all the gorgeous animal videos. Love em!

[@user-pw1qm1oj1c]

You are my favourite to watch and learn about these tortoises. Thanks so much for all these videos. They are so helpful

[@TheIntelligentElephant71133]

I love tortoises and turtles, along with sea turtles and box turtles and I especially love the ones from greece 🇬🇷 🐢

[@GardenStateTortoise]

😌❤️🐢

[@Bulldog2108]

Id love an eastern hermanns video!!!!!!! But my favourite videos are long form educational types! So the longer the better about ecology, natural history, plus captive husbandry! Honwstly may favourite channels and as ive said many times, you are made for this!

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Thank you! Long form all the way! Death to the shorts 💀

[@turtletime4256]

I absolutely love the Mediterranean tortoises. Do you have any European pond turtles in your collection? If so, would be great to see them.

[@GardenStateTortoise]

We do! We’ll have to show them soon.

[@Elon_11]

i own a greek tortoise and i think ill edopt what i watched here thank you so much

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Thank you for watching!

[@mollyseaton8107]

Thanks for the amazing video 😊 My partner and I regularly consume your videos and we were excited to see this one! We’re proud owners of a baby Greek as well as a 10yo Mississippi map turtle. Thanks to you and all your much needed information you put out into the world ❤️

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Thank you so much for the support!

[@sues4039]

great video! I love my Ibera I got from you quite a few years ago! Gus is really a character and what a personality.

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Glad to hear it!

[@spingirl4855]

This was a great video Chris!

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Thank you!

[@bkm2797]

Great class Chris, always learning something new about tortoises from you. Thank you!

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Thanks for watching!

[@Breathlless]

I’ve recently become obsessed with tortoises because of your channel. ❤

[@v.ulrich5699]

Love this video, thank you Chris ❤! I would like to see advanced care tips for greek tortoises. Information about healthy behaviour, proper winter handling for non-dvelling subspecies would be perfect!

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Sounds good and thanks for watching!

[@Iris_Germany]

Excellent how you introduced the 4 types, thank you 😊👍🏻 Love and greetings from Germany 💕🐢

[@MamaJ1997]

Excellent video Chris and Casey! I love learning about our shelled friends. How many in total do you have- minus hatchlings? A video I would like to see is what GST looked like at the beginning to present. I’d love to see how you’ve evolved!

[@GardenStateTortoise]

That’s a great idea!

[@danielbrown1724]

I absolutely love these little (and big) guys, thanks GST for another wonderful post, always appreciate your time. I notice tortoises seem like they're always grimacing. I guess I would be a bit cranky too if it took me 30 minutes to walk a few feet as well :)

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Haha yup! Thanks for watching!

[@dawnmaclellan7831]

They are all so blasted cute 😂😆😁

[@GardenStateTortoise]

😊

[@mattiaspersson9094]

I would like to see a long video about testudo marginata. There isn’t much on youtube about them. I’m always watch your content. Keep it coming. /Mattias

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Great idea 👍🏻

[@jenpink4298]

They are all so gorgeous! Thank you for this great information!❤

[@William_Does_Coasters2255]

Little Turbo who is 3 is from North Africa

[@GardenStateTortoise]

👍🏻👍🏻🐢

[@user-pw1qm1oj1c]

I just recently got a Greek. He/she is about 10 weeks old. I would love to hear everything there is to know about them. This video was really helpful. I’m from Canada. It gets humid in Montreal in the summer but winter is cold. Any tips for keeping it as humid as he needs would be helpful 😊

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Glad you liked it! Here’s a link to a care guide I wrote that’ll help until we can get a fuller video out: tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-care-guide.174622/

[@loriw2661]

Watching videos like this just makes me even more in awe of Evolution By Natural Selection. It makes so much sense and is absolutely intriguing and again, awe inspiring!🐢❤️🐢

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Thank you Lori!

[@michaelnancyamsden7410]

Great video. Love these tortoises.

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@gargolario]

Your videos are so informative and entertaining! Congrats on your vids and on keeping those wonderful creatures so well! 😊

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻

[@angelavalero6337]

Awesome and great information of this program.

[@elkalejuice]

I just realized you made a video on greeks! I've requested this months ago haha thank you

[@tortoise_nerd3431]

I just love the way you explain everything with detail! Please do make a long video!!! Maybe showing what their natural habitat looks like?

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Thank you! Would love to show that, just need to generate some footage.

[@andremoreno8696]

Super description.

[@nightwolfnordberg9476]

I have seven two hatch on monday we thought it will never hatch so we leave the egg burried so i just found on a day we was not prebared

[@GardenStateTortoise]

👍🏻👍🏻🐢

[@ignacio_Adidas007]

Loved this ❤

[@AvengerII]

The difference between a Greek tortoise and Otis -- the Greek will ask for a dolma or nice olive but Otis always demands your nose!

[@GardenStateTortoise]

🤣🤣

[@federicoboaretto9242]

Wow, your videos are just awesome. It would be cool to get to know even the other types of tortoises. Like an encyclopedic video about the testudo species and subspecies. Would definitely be in my podcast

[@neon6828]

I used to have so many tortoises around my house in a rural area of a big city in Northern Greece. I think they were Anatolian. They lived close by a natural water stream which later was converted to a underground pipe and the old waterway became a road. As the access to water ended, sadly the entire population of tortoises dissappeared. They are beautiful species.

[@peggydetmers6911]

Chris, you are such a great presenter! We plan to add an adult Ibera tortoise to our family, which reminds me of the Sonoran Desert Tortoise I had fostered when I lived in Tucson. We will contact you to help us source a legal, healthy one once we are ready. On to more of your vids!

[@d.l.hemmingway3758]

Do Greek Tortoises eat Greek Salads?

[@GardenStateTortoise]

The feta might wreck their stomachs 🤣

[@kirstysmith2903]

Everything. I want to know as much as I possibly can 😊

[@jens1856]

Love all kinds of turtles tortoises Etc!! Love your videos very educational. I couldn't say those big names rather just use the layman terms lol. ☺️☺️❤️❤️💜💜

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Thank you!

[@alastairmillen591]

Thanks for another great and informative video. I have a testudo graeca graeca, so very personable and loves to explore, and will rather try and climb over something rather than walk round. Bob is full of character ❤ T graeca graeca A greek tortoise I think world be a great one to include in a video

[@Roukos_Rks]

yay greece testudo graeca!!🇬🇷🐢

[@RobertKirkpatrick84]

Big tortoises in a small package!!!

[@GardenStateTortoise]

💯

[@koncialtv634]

Hello i'm from the Philippines. This is a very informative video. Cause there is little info about greek tortoise to be found on the internet.

[@charliethetortoisebrzeczkowski]

Again, @CharlietheTortoiseBrzeczkowski and I loooove watching your videos. He sat the entire time. I tell him these are cousins twice removed😊

[@GardenStateTortoise]

What a good boy! Thank you 🙏🏻

[@charliethetortoisebrzeczkowski]

@@GardenStateTortoise 🥰

[@SweetNaz78]

Thank you so much for this video, we have a "Golden" Greek tortoise. I wish i could share a picture of our little one, we believe we have a female. Would love to know more about feeding and inside care. Unfortunately we have "clay dirt" and it's tough for us to dig into, plus having a lot of raccoons, opossums and skunks that we'd have to worry about. How big do the "Golden" Greeks get? Do they have a hinged plastron too?

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Thanks for watching it! Here’s a link to a care sheet that really details the care of them: tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-care-guide.174622/

[@turtletime4256]

How do you know your particular tortoise Local For example the ones from Italy or south of France I'm worried about accidentally creating hybrids can veterinaries help with this identification..

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Use our website HermanniHaven.com We point out a lot of differences on there but I do plan to do a video on localities as well when time allows for it. It’ll be very lengthy.

[@cindyharalson8134]

Thanks for this video! I have a greek tortoise that I have been trying to figure out the subspecies she is. I got her as a hatchling, she is now almost 6 years old. Now I am not sure if she is a crossbreed or not. She looks like a Morocco greek in your video, with a bit of flaring. The thing is she doesn’t have a hinged plastron. Anyone have ideas?

[@GardenStateTortoise]

It’s possible the hinge just hasn’t developed yet but yes, there are hybrids out there.

[@QuadMochaMatti]

@2:55 - So in other words, a Goth tortoise! 🐢 🌑 ❣️ 💕

[@atalanteward7248]

Hello! First of all, your videos are great and thks one was no exeption. I have two tortoises and I was told they were greek tortoises. They are respectively 3.5 and 2.5 years old. I think I can see the spurs on the bigger one, and both lack the flexible plastron. Is this something they develop later in life or did I go wrong somewhere? Once again, great video, maybe you cojld do another one where you introduce even more subspecies, that would be awesome. Thank youu

[@rememberpupu]

너무 사랑스럽고 귀여운 동물

[@kevinpoe8137]

2:20, this one looks like a poor man’s Galapagos/Albadabra tortoise 😂

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Hahaha 🤣

[@kerissaiatonna7784]

Would love to see outdoor house for winter months and indoor enclosures for the tortoise that require to be indoor in the winter. Also what predators do you have to worry about. Hawks or racoons?

[@Tartara917]

I am greek and have a tortoise which i found in the yard. It is a female, very sweet and curious.

[@GardenStateTortoise]

❤️🐢

[@danieladkins7697]

Can we have more information on the North African species in habitat and in captivity, including the Nabeul tortoise please.

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Here’s a care guide I wrote in the meantime while we work on a future, more in-depth video: tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-care-guide.174622/

[@rajanikumari3672]

Is that mint growing in the pen towards the end of the video when you're discussing ground cover? Is mint safe for tortoise & do they like it?

[@GardenStateTortoise]

It sure is, it’s 100% safe but they usually don’t like it which enables it to grow well.

[@jonmeek3879]

Do you have any of the large desert variety found in California??

[@joenaylor6994]

Can we have one of these on Russians? Could be really useful as there's so limited information on them and their sub species!

[@GardenStateTortoise]

We did a Russian video several months back actually. If you search the species specific playlist on our channel you should see it.

[@joenaylor6994]

@@GardenStateTortoise oh sweet! I must've missed that one

[@azariacba]

Get yourself a guy/girl who’s as crazy about you as Chris is about turtles and tortoises. In this video I especially liked the Mesopotamian Greek tortoise. Beyond the color scheme there’s just something pleasant about the way it looks and the way it moves.

[@warrenbuzzpriemann3482]

I was wondering how to keep my Greek tortoise active during cold Chicago winter months. During the summer he is outside during the day and travels alot, so he keeps strong. What do I do for winter? He has a large tortoise table, but doesn't move around in there like he does outside.

[@simajayaredevil]

Hi Chris, is Greek or Hermann better for cold harsh winter weather?

[@Me6KG]

😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮 my brain hurts

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Sorry! 😬

[@Me6KG]

​@@GardenStateTortoisekeep on going with videos like these and those educationals..well every videos are educational and helpful.. I like how it hurts my brain 🙃

[@myhandlehasbeenmishandled]

I can't find a link to Greek care website/page in the description. There's only link to home page of garden state tortoise.

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Whoops I forgot the link. Here it is: tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-care-guide.174622/

[@myhandlehasbeenmishandled]

@@GardenStateTortoise wow, that's a lot of info. Thank you. And thank you for responding.

[@royfields2750]

are Tortoises and turtles afraid of heights ? haha

[@mirrorsu_animation]

I have a greek tortie that looks very much like a hermann tortie, I really want to know what subspecies is it!! 🙏🥹

[@ericcradle644]

Can you do a video on Chinese tortoises?

[@GardenStateTortoise]

I think you mean Chinese box turtles and we already did one, just have to look back.

[@jo_icecream]

I got mine at a reptile show, I forgot to ask how old mine is. Is there a way to tell the age of a baby Greek Tortoise? Mine is about 2"

[@georgenist8697]

Hi, I’d like to know where you are located in southern New Jersey I am from Northern New Jersey. I’d also like to know or any of your tortoises for sale or where can I buy them? Thank you.

[@Aerorepublic]

Can someone tell me some shrubs/grass safe for a Greek tortoise? Ty

[@dewanasamuel6536]

How’s Otis ??

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Doin’ great!

[@peggypetterson5585]

Do they all have names? Like we have?

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Not all, a few have been named though. 😌

[@alexanderkhitev]

🐢🐢🐢

[@autogeek7258]

I belive these are commonly sold at petsmart. By any chance do you know how hardy the Greeks are compared to the Russian tortoise. I live in New York. Would the ibra Greeks be able to stay out doors year round?

[@mouaadhadila4541]

Plz How can i contact u ?

[@safranpollen]

If I am travelling aeound the meditereanean sea, I always combine it with turtle searching and watching. At Morocco `s south i hve found a testudo species in a garden of a friend, that is presenting a behavior similair like sporn turtles kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2S2coSrfK9pnKc

[@GardenStateTortoise]

That was seriously awesome. Thank you for sharing!

[@celebrianceleborniel151]

You have cyrenaica!

[@nightbotassist8598]

Should one throughout a single birth, like a tortoise keep in his five senses, the fruit of it will prove a safe-guard to him throughout the seven-fold births

[@jocelynharris-fx8ho]

Interesting how both the Greek and Russian tortoises don't actually come from the countries that they are named after.🐢

[@YochevedDesigns]

I live in Israel, and they are native here. Sadly, we cannot legally own them. They are highly protected.

[@SotasExotics]

You’re a tortoise

[@GardenStateTortoise]

In a past life, for sure.

[@jonahs92]

Considering that T. g. terrestris is found only in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, it makes no sense to call them Mesopotamian tortoises. Most people I know call them Levantine tortoises.

[@GardenStateTortoise]

Levantine is a brand new common name released in the most recent paper concerning the Testudo graeca complex and since newly discovered populations that fall in line with T. g. terrestris outside of those ranges such as Turkey are more than apparent, none of these common names may hold any water, really.

[@chezmoi42]

@@GardenStateTortoise Interesting that you have the same situation with them as we have with fungi and plants: common names are rubbish if you want to be accurate about what you have in your hand. Add to that the fact that I'm an American in France, so the Latin is a relief after the lists of US, UK, and French regional nicknames. Now if only they could settle on the Latin names. * sigh * It's lovely that they are refining the taxonomy with DNA etc, but lordy, I'm getting too old to learn a new list of updates every year. I saw my friends the tortoise parents last weekend, and mentioned the channel to her. She was already subbed!

[@GardenStateTortoise]

@@chezmoi42 I’m with you on that! Seems like if we don’t come up with our own names based on our own knowledge of the animals, their ecology and geographical locations, we’ll never be able to keep up with the ridiculous changes.

[@blankinfinitystudios]

No, please. use taxonomy to identify species in your videos. I'm from Spain and over here we use different common names than over there.

[@GardenStateTortoise]

We clearly used their taxonomic classifications in this video and we even wrote them out on the screen. Thanks.

[@blankinfinitystudios]

@@GardenStateTortoise In this one yes (that's where the comment comes from) but most of the times I end up in google looking for the species name. Thanks for the reply

[@PeregrinePilgrimage]

Please dont encourage people to plant non-native plant species. You can't claim to care about environmentalism on one hand while encouraging people to be destructive to their ecosystem on the other.