Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My kid got a small (about an inch), WC Testudo Gracea ("moor turtle"?) for his birthday about a year or two ago from a friend from Tunisia. Bad idea IMHO, but since she's here, I'd like to take proper care of her.

Until now, she was kept in a tank under UV light, and fed with vegetables & vitamin supplements. Since she's getting too big for tank, we are keeping her outside, on a porch.

I have the following questions

- Since she's outside, she has more contact with humans. Somehow she discovered the taste of mozarella cheese, and she became absoultely crazy about it. She chases everyone who offers mozarella to her. I've never seen turtle running before. It's pretty funny, but I heard, that Testudo Gracea is 100% vegetarian. Should we offer mozarella to her at all? Or just for a trait? Or, as much as she wants maybe?

- Any ideas about how to keep her during winter? As I said, she's getting too big for tank.

No cheese for turtles or tortoises. Reptile digestive tracts aren't equipped to digest dairy products, they shouldn't have any at all even if they like it.
Here's a good article on feeding:
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/webdiet.htm

PHRatz

Thanxx for link.

I'm still puzzled, though. Here's what it says about Testudo graeca:

I have personally worked with all of the Mediterranean species extensively, both in the wild and in captivity. In all of my years studying these tortoises in the field, I found not once single piece of evidence that any animal protein was deliberately consumed. The nearest I ever came was a Testudo graeca in Morocco that appeared to have consumed part of a dead beetle. This may well have been entirely incidental.

Could this be the reason for our turtle's mozarella madness?

She just happens to like it for some reason. It really doesn't have to do with a craving for protein. It really isn't digestible though because they can't process dairy.

Last year I talked to herp vet who told me of a very ill turtle he had seen.
It was a red footed tortoise.
He was trying to get information about its living conditions and he asked what the keepers were feeding it.
The first response was apparently "Well, he really like Di Giorno pizza."

Needless to say this turtle is no longer with us.

>>The first response was apparently "Well, he really like Di Giorno pizza."

Needless to say this turtle is no longer with us.