Please can anyone tell me for definite, what breed this poor little orphan is? 

I have looked in books, at thousands of different photo's on the net, asked the vets and actually seen one like him in the local pet shop. So far it is a toss up between a Yellow Foot or a Horsefields, as both breeds need different husbandry I am desparate to find if I am doing all the right things by him.  The only thing I am sure of is that he is a he!! 

Luckily he has been able to be out in the garden, but due to the weather he is now indoors, he loves all of the usual weeds, which I grow indoors too, flat lettuce, spring greens, occasional grated carrot or squash, also we have seen him eat snails in the garden.

We have a couple of Hermans and this little one is quite yellow in colour compared to them.  We were told Horsefields have only four toes, but so do our Hermans, so that ID was out.  He is so cute and always busy, and has a face which looks as though he is smiling all the while.  It is coming up to the time that my Hermans hibernate and I am not sure what to do with him as I have read that Yellow Foot torts don't hiberante hence the worry............

Thankyou in aticipation of a definite ID.   

Tina

Hi Tina,

He/she is definately a horsfield, if you click on 'The Tortoise' on the left hand side of this page, you will find 'care sheets', please feel free to download the horsfield care sheet for this species.

Absolutely definately not a Yellowfoot !!

Jo

Just to add...............on closer inspection (and putting my glasses on!), you would appear to have a boy

Jo

Thanks Jo, that was so quick, I don't know why I didn't try this forum before.

So as he is definitely a Horsefields, hibernating should be OK.  (Just another little one to worry about during the winter months!!!)  Although I have never had any problems I still have to get my partner to look in the Spring to make sure nothing has happened to them...............they are all part of the family and worry is my nature!!!!

Thanks again         Tina

Hi Tina,

Congratulations on your horsfield -- he's lovely! How did he happen to adopt you as a keeper (you referred to him as an orphan)? Do be sure to keep him separately from your hermanns, as you can't mix species.

The main thing you need to know about horsfields is that they are great diggers, and will dig tunnels several feet long in no time at all. Because of this, if you are fridge hibernating (and do check out our hibernation sheets, in the section called The Tortoise in the left-hand column), don't put him in a cardboard box (use a plastic box with holes in it). I took my horsfield to the vet when I first got him, and it was about a 30 minute drive, and when I got there he'd dug is way through the cardboard box I'd put him in (that gave me quite a fright).

Cheers,
Nina

Hi Nina

thanks for your reply.......as to your question about how we were adopted, it was a friend of a friend of my mothers who died and left this little one in need of a new home.  As we had other torts she thought we would be the best new family.  Unfortunately they had no idea what breed he was, so I have asked them to keep an eye out for any papers when they clear the ladies house.  But now I know for definite what breed he is I can relax a bit.

He is fine and healthy anyway, and loved digging through our rockery in the garden so I knew he could become a little escape artist!!!

Thanks for the tip with the plastic box when hibernating, I hadn't thought of that.

Tina

Hi Tina,

Well, isn't he lucky to have found a home with you! You probably won't find any papers when they clear the ladies house, as Horsfields are not required to have Article 10 certificates, in the way that Hermanns and several other species are.

The other thing about horsfields is that they are not only great diggers -- they are great climbers too (you wouldn't think that with that body shape they would be good climbers, would you -- but they are. One thing I read once, is that they reason their bodies are much more round in shape than the oval shape of other species, is that it enables them to dig a narrow tunnel, and then turn around easily at the end of it to come back out again.

Cheers,

Nina