The Tortoise Trust Guide to Tortoises & Turtles

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There are many tortoise and turtle societies and clubs, but The Tortoise Trust is different. We have an enviable record of pioneering original research in this field, and of developing and publishing methods and information that have quite literally changed the way people keep chelonia throughout the world. From the early 1980's onwards, The Tortoise Trust has led the way in the field of tortoise and turtle husbandry. Our work on diet and disease prevention, on taxonomy, and on captive breeding technologies have had a tremendous impact - and to this day we continue to actively research even better methods of husbandry and ways to improve welfare. Here are just a few past examples of how The Tortoise Trust has constantly advanced chelonian knowledge over the years since we began: During 2007 we released new updates of several publications and highlighted the problems caused by dealers supplying tortoises with incorrect care information and unsuitable vivarium accommodation.

within Europe without a special permit. Trade collecting, import and sale of wild tortoises of these species is prohibited totally. In 2019 we contributed the chapter on tortoise care and welfare to the prestigious professional reference book ‘Companion Animal Care and Welfare: The UFAW Companion Animal Handbook (UFAW Animal Welfare Series)’, which is used by animal care professionals all over the world. This included updated information based upon our own latest research. Over the years since we began, we have carried out extensive fieldwork and continue to develop new and improved methods to enhance the conservation and welfare of Chelonia. By subscribing to our newsletter and other publications, you help this work to continue. Thank you.In the 1980's dog food and other high protein foods were routinely advised for herbivorous tortoises. We were the very first organisation to thoroughly research this topic, and we published conclusive evidence in herpetological journals that it was highly damaging. Thank you for turning to to the Tortoise Trust searching information on the availability of tortoises as pets. As you may know, the species once most popular as pets (principally Testudo hermanni and T. graeca , although also including T. marginata ) are now on Appendix 2 of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and are also covered by additional, EU-wide, legislation which controls sale, transport and possession In November 2010 we presented breakthrough research on shell deformity 'pyramiding' in tortoises, a topic that has perplexed breeders for decades. We are confident that this new work clears the way to vastly improve the heath and welfare of all captive chelonia. At the same time we published new research into the critical role of very high fibre diets in tortoises.

The Tortoise Trust was a founding partner in efforts to save the highly endangered Egyptian Tortoise, Testudo kleinmanni, in Egypt. We provided funding and technical support to this important program.We have worked in both Egypt and Israel, and have collaborated on and funded important studies on their natural ecology and diet in collaboration with the Tisch Family Zoological Garden in Jerusalem. Our dietary and husbandry research has continued, and we have subsequently published original new material on how feeding fruit is damaging to arid habitat species, how to achieve perfect shell growth in hatchlings, and upon the importance of microclimates in captivity. The Tortoise Trust developed, tested and publicised the entire concept of the now-popular 'Tortoise Table' method of indoor husbandry. The first published descriptions of this (and the first published use of the term) appeared in the 'Practical Encyclopedia of Keeping & Breeding Tortoises & Freshwater Turtles'in 1996, based upon Tortoise Trust original research. Now, the method is used worldwide. Over the summer of 2009 we conducted the most extensive tests of vivarium systems for tortoises ever conducted and highlighted the many failings of enclosed housing. This was instrumental in getting dangerous products withdrawn from the market and in developing advice to trading standards and animal welfare officers, hopefully reducing the casualties and suffering caused to thousands of tortoises as a result of improper housing. We are particularly concerned at the growth in Internet sales of live animals, and we totally oppose this practice.within Europe. As such, they may no longer be imported, sold, offered for sale or otherwise traded in Hibernation was a hit-or-miss, life or death gamble for tens of thousands of tortoises throughout Europe annually. We published and distributed, free of charge, the world's first comprehensive guide to how to manage hibernation safely. Countless tortoises' lives have been saved as a result, and to date, over 90,000 print copies of this publication have been given away free to any owner who asks. We now make an updated version free online.