Greek tortoise

Profile

Length

shell on average 13–18 cm in North African animals and 18–20 cm in the Greek and Turkish form, large Eastern European animals up to 35 cm; females grow larger than males

Weight

North African females average 1.3 kg, males 550 g; large Eastern European animals over 5 kg

Life span

over 80 years possible

Activity

active by day, herbivore; some forms rest in summer heat

Sources [1] [2] [3] [4]

Climate and light

Day

25–30 °C (77–86 °F)

Night

18–20 °C (64–68 °F)

Basking spot

35–45 °C (95–113 °F)

Humidity

40–60%

Light

Sunlight in the outdoor pen. Indoors and in the cold frame, 10–12 hours of UVB, with tubes no more than 30 cm above the animal and replaced every six months. Use UV-transmitting acrylic for cold frames and greenhouses. Austria requires 6–14 hours of light depending on the season and daily UV exposure.

These values apply to time in the cold frame or indoors. In the outdoor pen the weather decides, and a cold frame with a heat lamp makes up for cool and wet days. For North African forms the cold frame or greenhouse must be heatable, constant damp makes them prone to respiratory infections. Austria requires 60–80% humidity and daily misting for juveniles, and outdoors at least 15 °C (59 °F) by day and 10 °C (50 °F) at night.

Sources [5] [6] [7] [2] [8]

Enclosure

Greek tortoises belong in an outdoor pen with a cold frame or greenhouse, North African forms only in summer and with a heatable shelter. The TVT recommends at least 8 × 4 shell lengths, so 2 × 1 m for a 25 cm shell, and advises more. The Swiss BLV recommends two to three times the Swiss minimum area. Indoors only for hibernation and the transition periods, in an open floor pen rather than a glass terrarium.

Substrate

Low in nutrients, chalky and quick to dry: soil with sand and clay, at least 5 cm deep for digging, gravel in places. Offer food on a stone or slate slab.

Setup

A cold frame or shelter with a heat lamp, basking spots, shade under shrubs, hides, a shallow water bowl and a sandy, sunny slope for laying eggs. The fence is at least 40 cm high and smooth, ideally with an overhang. Protect juveniles from birds with a mesh cover.

Sources [8] [4] [3] [7] [6] [1] [5]

Minimum sizes

• GermanyGuideline

  Length 8 × shell length, width 4 × for two animals. European and western Asian forms mostly outdoors, African forms outdoors only in summer and with a heatable shelter. The African forms are considered suitable for specialists only.

  Source [8]

• AustriaLaw

  1–2 animals up to 6 cm: 0.5 m² · 6–12 cm: 1.0 m² · over 12 cm: 2.0 m². Add 0.2 / 0.4 / 0.5 m² for each additional animal. For the North African subspecies T. g. graeca, the ordinance advises against keeping it outdoors; it belongs in a conservatory or glasshouse.

  Source [5]

• SwitzerlandLaw

  For up to two animals, 8 × 4 shell lengths of floor area, add 2 × 2 shell lengths for each additional animal. Plus outdoor access while the weather allows, diggable ground, hides and a hibernation period for all ages.

  Source [9]

Feeding

• All agesfrom hatchingdaily

  Wild greens, Hay · high in fiber and low in protein, juveniles sparingly

Feed daily; in a large, planted outdoor pen the animals find part of it themselves. Suitable are wild greens such as dandelion, ribwort and broadleaf plantain, clover, chickweed and bindweed, plus good hay that is always available. Greek tortoises eat more flowers than Hermann's tortoises. Vegetables only now and then, fruit rarely and under 5% of the diet. No animal protein, complete diets with at most 10% crude protein. Always offer calcium, for example as cuttlebone. Feed juveniles sparingly: growing too fast causes pyramiding, in the Greek tortoise already at a calcium to phosphorus ratio below 1.8. Before hibernation, feed less for about four weeks and not at all in the last two weeks.

Sources [4] [10] [11] [1] [2]

Shedding

Tortoises shed too. If skin remnants stick to toes, tail or around the mouth and eyes, have a vet check them.

Source [6]

Brumation

Animals from Europe and Turkey hibernate every year, juveniles in their first year for a shorter 6–8 weeks. Adults, depending on the source, up to about 3 months (UK animal hospitals) or 3–5 months (German Federal Chamber of Veterinarians), at a constant 4–6 °C (39–43 °F), for example in a separate fridge. Have a vet examine the tortoise and test the feces beforehand, and lower light and warmth over about three weeks. Weigh regularly: losing more than 5–10% is too much. North African and southern Turkish animals don't hibernate in the usual way, and Austria advises against it entirely for T. g. graeca. If you don't know the origin, have a vet clarify it. For the other forms, Austria gives 3–5 months at 4–6 °C (39–43 °F).

Sources [8] [12] [11] [13] [6] [4] [7] [2] [5]

Breeding

Sexual maturity

usually at 5–8 years, depending on feeding

Clutch

usually 1–7 eggs, one to three clutches a year

Incubation

55–80 days at 29–31 °C (84–88 °F)

At 31 °C (88 °F), Moroccan Greek tortoises hatched after 70 days on average. Incubation temperature decides the sex, and higher temperatures tend to give females. Females form eggs even without a male, and a sandy, sunny laying site helps prevent egg binding. Keep a male only with several females, never as a pair, and don't mix forms: different subspecies carry different germs.

Sources [4] [11] [14] [6] [15] [1] [3]

Protection status and registration

As of October 31, 2026

• EU

  CITES Appendix II and Annex A of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulation, and so strictly protected. Buying, selling and any commercial use are only allowed with an EU certificate for the individual animal.

  Sources [16] [17]

• Germany

  Report keeping, and every addition and departure, to the responsible authority in writing without delay. Every animal is marked: from 500 g optionally with a microchip, otherwise with a photo record of the upper and lower shell that you repeat as long as the animal changes. You must show origin and EU certificate on request.

  Sources [18] [19]

• Austria

  Report keeping reptiles to the authority within two weeks. Since July 1, 2026, you need a training course (at least 4 × 60 minutes) before your first reptile. Buying and selling only with an EU certificate. Marking is done with a photo record of the upper and lower shell. Show origin and photos on request.

  Sources [20] [5] [21] [22]

• Switzerland

  No permit needed. You must be able to document origin and legal acquisition and pass the documents on when you rehome the animal. The Animal Protection Ordinance requires outdoor access and a hibernation period for all ages.

  Sources [9] [23]

This is not legal advice. Rules change, so check with the responsible authority if in doubt.

Health

No substitute for a vet. If your animal seems sick, refuses food for an unusually long time or loses weight, see a vet with experience in reptiles.

• Pyramiding and bone disease

  Signs bumps on the shell, soft or rubbery shell, tremors

  What to do Check diet (high in fiber, calcium) and UVB, see a vet.

• Runny nose

  Signs nasal discharge, often after hibernation or after new animals were added

  What to do Keep warm and see a vet. Don't keep tortoises on the floor, it's drafty there.

• Herpesvirus

  Signs plaques in the mouth, nasal discharge, not eating; healthy-looking animals also spread the virus

  What to do See a vet right away and keep the tortoise apart. Have new animals blood-tested and keep them apart for months.

• Intestinal parasites

  Signs diarrhea, weight loss, mostly in crowded conditions with poor hygiene

  What to do Have a fecal sample tested, for new animals and then yearly.

• Egg binding

  Signs female keeps digging, doesn't lay or seems restless

  What to do Offer a sunny, sandy laying site; if she doesn't lay, see a vet.

• Not eating after hibernation

  Signs no eating or urinating seven days after waking, cloudy eyes

  What to do See a vet.

Sources [1] [2] [4] [6] [13]

Sources

1. Caring for Mediterranean tortoisesLesa Longley and Mark Longley, Vet Times · July 21, 2008 · retrieved October 31, 2026Article for veterinarians that tells the North African Greek tortoise from the Greek and Turkish form.
2. Analyse der Ernährung und der Haltungsbedingungen von in Deutschland gehaltenen paläarktischen Landschildkröten (Testudo spp.)Thomas Christian Bauer, doctoral thesis, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich · 2018 · retrieved October 31, 2026With chapters of their own on the Greek and the Russian tortoise.
3. Europäische LandschildkrötenofficialBundesamt für Lebensmittelsicherheit und Veterinärwesen (BLV), Switzerland · retrieved October 21, 2026Information from the federal authority, not an ordinance.
4. Merkblatt Europäische LandschildkrötenTierärztliche Vereinigung für Tierschutz (TVT) · February 2004 · retrieved October 31, 2026An older edition that the TVT no longer offers itself. Names the Greek and the Russian tortoise explicitly.
5. 2. Tierhaltungsverordnung, § 5, § 8 und Anlage 3 (Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von Reptilien)officialRepublic of Austria, BGBl. II Nr. 486/2004, last amended by BGBl. II Nr. 144/2026 · Version of October 20, 2026 · retrieved October 20, 2026
6. Basic Information Sheet: Mediterranean TortoisesLafeberVet (Christal Pollock, DVM) · March 18, 2015 · retrieved October 21, 2026Veterinary fact sheet on the Testudo species.
7. Mediterranean Tortoise CareRVC Exotics Service, Royal Veterinary College, London · retrieved October 31, 2026Fact sheet of a university animal hospital, also covers the Russian tortoise.
8. Gutachten über Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von ReptilienofficialBundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (now BMLEH), Sachverständigengruppe tierschutzgerechte Haltung von Terrarientieren · January 10, 1997 · retrieved October 20, 2026Spells out § 2 of the German Animal Welfare Act. Not a law, but the standard veterinary offices in Germany go by.
9. Tierschutzverordnung (TSchV, SR 455.1), Art. 89 und Anhang 2 (Vorbemerkungen, Tabelle 5 Reptilien)officialSwiss Confederation · As of February 1, 2026 · retrieved October 20, 2026
10. Fütterung von Landschildkröten – Ein Informationsblatt für TierbesitzerClinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich · retrieved October 31, 2026Fact sheet of a university clinic, names the Greek tortoise explicitly.
11. Heimtier-Info LandschildkröteGeorg Thieme Verlag (vet.thieme.de) · 2020 · retrieved October 31, 2026Patient information sheet from a veterinary publisher.
12. Ein Winterbett im Kühlschrank (Presseinformation Nr. 33/2012)Bundestierärztekammer (German Federal Chamber of Veterinarians) · October 11, 2012 · retrieved October 31, 2026
13. Tortoise HibernationRVC Exotics Service, Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital, Royal Veterinary College · December 2024 · retrieved October 31, 2026
14. Clutch frequency, egg and clutch characteristics, and nesting activity of spur-thighed tortoises, Testudo graeca, in southwestern SpainDíaz-Paniagua, C., Keller, C., Andreu, A. C., Canadian Journal of Zoology 74 · 1996 · retrieved October 31, 2026Field study in southern Spain.
15. Clutch, egg and hatchling characteristics in the Souss Valley tortoises, Testudo graeca soussensis, from an arid steppe-land of west-central MoroccoHichami, N. et al., African Journal of Herpetology 65(1) · 2016 · retrieved October 31, 2026
16. Verordnung (EU) 2026/1383 zur Änderung der Anhänge der Verordnung (EG) Nr. 338/97 (CITES-Vertragsstaatenkonferenz 2025)officialEuropean Commission · June 22, 2026 · retrieved October 20, 2026
17. Verordnung (EG) Nr. 338/97 über den Schutz von Exemplaren wildlebender Tier- und Pflanzenarten durch Überwachung des HandelsofficialEuropean Union · retrieved October 20, 2026
18. Bundesartenschutzverordnung (BArtSchV), § 7, §§ 12–13 und Anlagen 5 und 6officialFederal Republic of Germany · Last amended January 21, 2013 · retrieved October 20, 2026
19. Bundesnaturschutzgesetz (BNatSchG), § 46 NachweispflichtofficialFederal Republic of Germany · retrieved October 20, 2026
20. Tierschutzgesetz (TSchG), § 13 und § 25officialRepublic of Austria · Version of October 20, 2026 · retrieved October 20, 2026
21. Artenhandelsgesetz (ArtHG), § 5 und § 6officialRepublic of Austria · Version of October 21, 2026 · retrieved October 21, 2026
22. Arten-Kennzeichnungsverordnung 2013 (ArtKV), § 3 und Anhänge I und IIofficialRepublic of Austria, BGBl. II Nr. 300/2013 · Version of October 21, 2026 · retrieved October 21, 2026
23. Bundesgesetz über den Verkehr mit Tieren und Pflanzen geschützter Arten (BGCITES, SR 453), Art. 10officialSwiss Confederation · As of September 1, 2023 · retrieved October 21, 2026

Values without a source are common experience from keeping and breeding. Every animal is different, so watch yours and adjust its care. As of October 31, 2026.