DESCRIPTION
This is the largest of the European tortoises, adult males reaching a SCL of up to 30cms. The females reaching between 22-28cms in length. The average weight for adults is between 2kgs and 3kgs. They have a somewhat longer appearance than the rest of the European tortoises; with strongly flared rear marginals giving rise to the common name. Males have narrower waists than the females and longer thicker tails. Their marginals are usually more flared.

Babies are in contrast, quite rounded but can still be distinguished from other species by the dark pairs of triangular markings found on the plastron of adults and babies alike. Babies are usually tan and black, with the colour diffusing and becoming darker as they get older.

ORIGIN AND HABITAT
Marginated tortoises are the true Greek tortoises. The main population does not reach mainland Europe, being concentrated in southern Greece with small-introduced populations on Sardinia and Tuscany.
They are largely found in dry scrubland and rocky hills, especially along the coastline. They bury themselves, or inhabit disused tunnels, to escape extreme heat or cold.

KEEPING IN CAPTIVITY.
The Marginated tortoise is a highly adaptable animal and quite hardy in captivity. They can provide years of enjoyment, and when treated correctly they can outlive their owner. The most important thing to remember when keeping these animals is that a good routine should be established right from the start. It is probably more accurate to say you need two routines, one daily and one yearly. Your daily routine will need to include feeding, changing water, tidying up, cleaning up any mess and a visual check of your animal. It may also include moving your animal from indoors to outdoors and vice versa depending on the weather. Weeds are much healthier for your animals than most other foods so, unless you grow your own, collecting suitable plant material will also be a daily task.

Your yearly routine is pretty much ruled by the weather. In late autumn you prepare the tortoise for hibernation, in winter you must monitor its temperature and weight while it is hibernating, in early spring some heat and shelter will be needed while the weather is still changeable and in hot weather shade must be provided.

If you are breeding your animals a nest site must also be provided. Then in the autumn you start the cycle all over again. It isn't actually as much work as it sounds as most things only take minutes to perform.

ACCOMODATION
I use indoor vivaria for young tortoises as this makes it easier to provide a basking light and uv lighting. I can also monitor how much food is being eaten and whether the water is being drunk or if it is being spilled. This is very important because if water or food intake change drastically then it may indicate a problem. When the weather is nice, the young tortoises are moved into their outdoor pens to soak up some natural sunlight and to eat natural greens (weeds)

Basic shelter is also provided, as are a few rocks to climb on. I use wire mesh over the top of these small pens to prevent predation from cats, dogs and even magpies.

Adult tortoises can be kept in tortoise enclosures or, if you prefer, given complete run of the garden. Make sure that you "tortoise proof" your garden as a tortoise with escape on its mind can be quite resourceful and can climb steps and even trellis. Remember that they can also dig tunnels under fences.

A hutch or kennel should be provided for shelter from the elements, or better still provide access to a shed or a greenhouse by means of a ramp. All my tortoises are allowed to sunbathe whenever possible even in winter when on dry milder days i put a basking lamp on and allow them to stay outside for a little while.

FEEDING
As stated earlier, wild foods and weeds are much better for your tortoises than shop bought vegetables. Weeds generally have higher calcium to phosphorus ratio than most vegetables and salads. Marginated tortoises cannot tolerate a lot of protein in their diet as this quickly causes deformities in their bones and shells. It is a good idea to have several places that you know are safe to pick weeds from, not too close to roads or near to fields that get chemically treated. Things to look out for include plantain, dandelions, clover, sow thistle and red and white dead nettles. Remember they like the flowers as well as the leaves. All these things are readily accepted by tortoises and can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Weeds should make up at least 60 percent of the diet but on top of these you can also feed cauliflower (including the outer leaves), sprout leaves and tops, kale, cress, green cabbage, water cress, parsley, Cos lettuce, carrot leaves and a small amount of fruit i.e apples, tomatoes, melon but not bananas as these can upset them.

All tortoises need some sort of vitamin supplement. I prefer to use "Nutrobal" but there are plenty of supplements to choose from. My babies are given some daily with their meals, whilst sub-adults and adults are supplemented weekly. In the breeding season, when females need extra calcium, they are given Nutrobal twice weekly and also have a separate calcium powder. My tortoises always have access to cuttlefish bone and lumps of chalk, which not only gives extra calcium if needed but also helps to trim their beaks.

A large shallow dish is offered daily they quite often bathe in it rather than drink from it they also like to drag it about and make a general mess!!!

GENERAL UPKEEP
In addition to their soaks in the bowl I also give my animals additional bathes every other week or so. During these bathes I use an old nailbrush to gently clean their shells. This is a good time to check the shells for any damage and to check the animals all over for any other problems.

Claws and beaks should only be clipped by experienced people as they bleed easily if cut too much. If you provide rocks to climb on and cuttlefish bones to chew than this keeps the need for clipping to a minimum anyway. If you ever notice discharge from the eyes nose or tail then you should contact your vet immediately and isolate the animal from any others.

BREEDING
Mating should take place shortly after the tortoises emerge from hibernation and can get quite violent, with shell butting and biting from the male. When he finally mounts her, he will open his mouth and make barking sounds this is quite common for tortoises so don't panic! Mating usually occurs several times before egg laying, so make sure a suitable nest is always available in order to prevent egg binding. A clutch of eight to ten eggs will be laid in the nest and then covered over by the female. These should be moved to an incubator immediately and incubated artificially.

The eggs should start hatching in eight to twelve weeks. The sex of a tortoise depends largely on what temperature its egg is incubated at, so if you incubate at 31 degrees Celsius you should get a mixed batch, at 27 degrees you will get mostly males and at 33 degrees most will be females. It is possible for a female to produce two or more clutches in a season. This is most likely to happen if she has constant access to a heat source or if we have a particularly long, warm summer.

HIBERNATION
There are several methods of hibernating these tortoises, the most popular being the " box inside another box" method demonstrated every year on "blue peter" you must ensure that news paper or clean dry straw is packed quite tightly between the two boxes for insulation and that there is sufficient packing material in with the tortoise to bury deeper into if the weather gets colder. You must make sure there are air holes in both boxes to enable him to breathe.

A more natural method is to let him bury himself in the garden, but watch where he goes then if there is any danger of flooding or predation you can move him.

You should stop feeding you tortoises two to three weeks before hibernation; this allows any food in the gut to be digested. If possible tape a thermometer probe to his shell to keep an eye on the temperature. Five degrees Celsius is what you should be aiming for, any colder than this then there is a danger that his eyes will freeze and he will be blinded. It is always a good idea to weigh your tortoise before, during and after hibernation and this will give you an indication as to whether he needs to be woken up early. If this happens then keep him warm indoors until the weather warms up.

After hibernation water is the first priority. You should bathe him in warm water and clean the eyes and nose, which will also encourage him to take a drink to flush out his system. The next important job is to offer him food. It may take him up to a week to regain his appetite but if he continues to fast for much longer than that, veterinary advice should be sought. Only hibernate your tortoises if they are fit and healthy. Any that are underweight or ill should be kept warm all winter.

MICROCHIPS

It is important to remember that Marginated tortoises are now considered an endangered species and are, thus, protected by C.I.T.E.S. never buy a tortoise that doesn't have the correct paperwork and microchip if applicable. All Marginated tortoises should come with a certificate and any over 100mm in length should have a microchip implanted. You can check if your tortoise has an implant by having it scanned by a vet. These rules change almost every year at the moment so check the current criteria before making your purchase.

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Things can go wrong with tortoises, so some degree of research should be undertaken before making your initial purchase. Sufficient numbers are now being bred in captivity to make them readily available as babies, so try to avoid buying wild caught animals if possible. If you buy from a breeder you may get some history with the animal and this is certainly beneficial.

It is always worth knowing where your nearest herp vet is located, even if you only ever use them for routine treatment like worming etc.

It is never a good idea to intermix species in captivity, as this can quickly spread disease because something that may cause only a minor upset in one species can be potentially fatal in others.

REFERENCES
Keeping and breeding tortoises and freshwater turtles by A.C Highfield.

The feeding manual by the tortoise trust.