SpeciesGreek tortoise
Greek tortoise
Testudo graeca
Similar to Hermann’s tortoise and just as dependent on an outdoor enclosure, sunshine and hibernation. CITES paperwork is mandatory.
- Group
- Tortoise or turtle
- Level
- Intermediate
- Origin
- The Mediterranean, North Africa and western Asia
Where the species comes from
- World region
- The Mediterranean, North Africa and western Asia
- Countries
- Southern Europe, North Africa, Turkey, the Caucasus and parts of the Near East
- Habitat
- Dry steppe, scrubland, open woodland and semi-desert
The natural habitat is the yardstick for how you furnish an enclosure. Knowing where an animal comes from is knowing why it needs heat zones, hides and a particular humidity.
Husbandry at a glance
The same details appear in the animal’s profile inside the app.
- Enclosure
- Outdoor enclosure from 8 m² with a cold frame. As with all European tortoises, outdoor keeping is the rule.
- Temperature
- Basking spot at 35–40 °C, shade essential. Overwintering at 4–6 °C.
- Humidity
- Outdoor climate; prefers it somewhat warmer and drier than the Hermann's tortoise.
- Lighting
- Natural sunlight; indoors, strong UV-B.
- Substrate
- Soil-sand mix with turf.
- Furnishings
- Stone piles, shrubs, roots, an escape-proof border.
- Water
- Shallow dish, refreshed daily.
- Feeding
- Wild herbs only. No fruit, no prepared food.
- Behaviour
- Diurnal, basks at length, digs.
- Handling
- Only for checks and weighing.
- Cohabitation
- Alone or several females. If a male harasses the females constantly — persistent mounting, biting, no way to get away — castration is, from an animal welfare point of view, a better solution than separation in a confined space. The procedure belongs in the hands of a vet experienced with reptiles; it takes away the pressure to breed, not the animal's character. This recommendation comes from Zürcher Tierschutz.
- Health
- More sensitive to cold and wet than the Hermann's tortoise: Take the subspecies' origin into account, the requirements differ considerably.
- Seasonal cycle
- Hibernation at 4–6 °C is mandatory, not optional. Its length depends on the subspecies: North African and southern Spanish forms often rest only eight to twelve weeks, animals from Turkey and the Caucasus four to five months like the Hermann's tortoise. Clarify the origin before hibernating. Stop feeding two to three weeks beforehand so the gut is empty.
- Safety
- No keeping permit required, but proof of origin (Art. 10 BGCITES). Switzerland has no general marking requirement.
Legal position in Switzerland
No permit foreseen
No permit required. The species does not belong to any of the groups listed in Art. 89 of the Swiss Animal Welfare Ordinance
No certificate of competence foreseen
No proof of competence required. It is only demanded for the animals named in Art. 89 of the Ordinance
Species protection applies
CITES Appendix II (Washington Convention). In Switzerland you need papers for every animal that prove its origin and lawful acquisition. They go with the animal when you pass it on (Art. 10 BGCITES). Anyone offering the animal publicly states the CITES appendix, the scientific name and whether it comes from captive breeding or the wild (Art. 7a VCITES). Switzerland has no general marking requirement. The often-cited microchip requirement applies in the EU, which lists the species in Annex A
Minimum enclosure dimensions
Annex 2, table 5 of the Animal Welfare Ordinance does not prescribe centimetres but multiples of body length. For this species, item 4 (European tortoises): floor area 8 × 4 body lengths. The floor area applies to at most two animals; each further animal requires an additional 2 × 2 body lengths.
For this group, body length means the carapace length, measured in a straight line from the front to the rear edge of the shell, not over the curve. The largest animal in the enclosure is what counts. The enclosure may not be smaller even if fewer animals live in it than the table names.
| Carapace length | At least |
|---|---|
| 15 cm | 120 × 60 cm |
| 20 cm | 160 × 80 cm |
| 25 cm | 200 × 100 cm |
Animals may temporarily be kept in smaller enclosures: for quarantine, for the treatment of illness and injury, for acclimatisation, for breeding and rearing, and for winter or cold dormancy or aestivation (preliminary remark D on reptiles).
This is the legal lower limit, not a recommendation. An enclosure that meets exactly these dimensions is permitted, but not good for that reason. The details under “Husbandry at a glance” describe how the enclosure should be furnished, not how small it may be.
What the enclosure must provide
Husbandry requirements must be determined from the exact species and Annex 2, Table 5. For tortoises in particular, suitable outdoor housing, sun and UV provision, structuring and species-appropriate hibernation must be taken into account.
Paperwork
Keep the purchase contract and an unbroken proof of origin. Before buying, selling, importing or exporting, check the CITES status using the scientific name and obtain the necessary documents before crossing any border.
These details are a guide, not legal advice. Binding information comes from the cantonal veterinary office; the text of the ordinance is what counts. More on the legal position
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