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Breeders

Many of our breeders have been purchased from other facilities throughout the United States and the world. Our practice is to protect the large variety of species and breed them in our protected facilities. Then, the offspring are donated to A.Z.A accredited zoos, hence defining our main purpose to help zoo and other facilities repopulate their offspring in captivity. This, in turn, makes it possible to reintroduce captive born offspring into the wild.

Many people think replacing captive animals into the wild has no benefit, and they will not be able to survive. With much research and the simple monitoring of our species, we believe otherwise. Tortoises seem to have a strong ability to survive, if immune, of course, to human influences, typically through development within their natural habitats. If given the opportunity, tortoises will find proper foods to eat, water to drink and they know how to protect themselves from danger.

At The Tortoise Shack, we have many adult species of tortoises, but most are not yet sexually mature; therefore, we do not produce more than 60 offspring annually. Within 2 years, most of our sub-adults will be mature and will produce over 300 offspring of endangered and threatened species that can be given to zoos throughout the United States.

We continue to sustain our goal of striking all tortoises off the endangered species list.

Our Current Tortoises

Pancake Tortoise

This is our pancake tortoise breeders pancakes are very unique tortoises. They are found in Africa they live in between rocks in dried savanna regions. Pancake tortoises are very rare in the wild they are banned from export and import because of there rarity in the wild. We gladly breed this species of tortoise for preservation and hope to allow the population to increase.

Egyptian Tortoise

This is our trio of adult Egyptian tortoises. Egyptian tortoises are one of the smallest tortoises in the world and one of the rarest. Egyptian tortoises are found along the coastal regions of Northern Libya, Egypt, and Israel in the Middle East. The Egyptian tortoise is very rare in the wild and keeps decreasing in number due to pet trade in those countries they keep disappearing.

Hermann Tortoise

Hermann tortoises are fun tortoises they are very outgoing and easy to care for they are found in eastern European nations and are fairly common in captivity but have some trouble in the wild. Hermann tortoises are an excellent tortoise for beginners or any collectors experience level. The Hermann tortoises has a very unique personality, they will become lazy one day and extremely active the next. They are very personal little tortoises that can withstand somewhat extreme temperatures.

Red foot Tortoise (Guyana)

These red foot tortoises are from Guyana and they present a very great diverse color scheme to the red foot tortoise species. They have yellowish orange heads and slight red orange legs and a light black carapace color. These tortoises are very friendly and one of the best tortoises for a beginner.

Red Foot Tortoise (Venezuela)

These red foot tortoises are from Venezuela and they are gorgeous tortoises. Venezuela has lots of deforesting sites in there country so it is assumed that there population in the wild is decreasing but not at a rate considerable to the pancake, radiated, or Egyptian tortoises. These tortoises are very exceptional in color they resemble brighter red than Brazilian on there legs but not the head.

Red Foot Tortoise (Suriname)

This is our Trio of Suriname Red Foot tortoises. Suriname red foots are a common tortoise in pet trade and have some deforestation but the main concern is over importation of these animals. Suriname Exports a large amount of reptiles yearly including red foots. They luckily have a very high survival rate when they are imported so it justifies there population in captivity, but decreases it in the wild. We saved our male from a terrible pet store not treating in properly feeding him dog food, and using standard Fluorescent light bulbs and not UVB He had Hypovitamintosis A, Hypovitamintosis D, and Hypovitamintosis C, He was about to die. We estimate his age around 27 years old he is one of the biggest Suriname red foots ever seen in a captive population.

Red Foot Trinidad & Tobago

Very seldom seen in the wild in Trinidad these tortoises get very small considering the size of many other red foots in South America. They have similar appearance to the Suriname red foot but have orange heads and legs with mixed yellowish as the Suriname have yellow heads and red feet. They are much closer to the Guyana red foot which gets very orange all over there heads and legs, but have a much different shape to them. Guyana red foots get very watermelon like very smooth shells that slope or curve making them almost rounded off at the caudal carapace. The Trinidad red foots get semi wider than the Guyana red foot but have the same slope or curve towards the back of there shell making them a fat water melon. Very interesting species care is same as all other red foots these tend to like water a lot more than all my other species, given they are from a peninsula/island.

Asia Minor Spur-Thigh Tortoise

This tortoise is extremely unique in the aspects that they are very difficult to acquire in the United States or in Europe. The countries they are found in Banned there export in the early 1970's not allowing very many people to breed them in captivity, since the export ban there has been very limited bloodline availability of these rare Greek tortoises. This particular sub-species gets very large in consideration to Greaca Ibera these will reach a max size of 12 inches in plastron length. We are proud to have this rarity in our possession and are eagerly looking for a mate for her, to keep diverse bloodline of these. The Asia Minor Spur-Thigh is found in eastern parts of Turkey, Georgia, Ukraine, Nepal, Some parts of far western China.

Burmese Mountain (Brown) Tortoise

This is our reverse trio of Burmese mountain tortoise, these tortoises are very outgoing when they adapt to captive environments they are like puppies they will follow you around and just stare at you for hours. These tortoises however have a problem in the wild they are caught and sold in Asian countries for food, and medicinal purposes, which these acts have steadily declined there native population to China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Burma. We strongly courage people to add these tortoises to their collection, but keep in mind these do get big. They will reach a max size of 24 and 60-90 pounds.

Radiated Tortoise

Our little radiated is far from breeding but lucky to be in our care. His name is astro and he is one of our most endangered species that we focus on here at our facility. Radiated tortoises are extremely endangered animals they are from Madagascar and there natural habitat is under extreme amounts of deforestation. The Malagasy natives eat and use radiated tortoises for natural medicines which does not help there survival. Luckily the Malagasy government is realizing that 80% of Madagascar's animal and even plant life is Endangered and threatened with extinction.

Forstens Tortoise

The Forstens tortoise is a difficult tortoise to acclimate to captivity they resemble similar adaptation techniques as Manouria Impressa they stress very easily and need very high amounts of Humidity and large spaces if kept in groups of two or more. Forstens tortoises get very territorial and are hard to keep happy unless you provide them with adequate enclosure that simulates there wild habitat. They are going through same problems as Asian species of tortoise in the wild, they are eaten, used for medicine, and pet trade has a huge loss to there wild population. Pet trade doesn't pose huge threats to animals as long as they can be housed, fed, and breed to keep there population at a stabile number. Forstens are imported and unfortunately they have a low success rate of living because people don't care for them in the correct manner.

Russian Tortoise

The Russian tortoise is a very interesting tortoise it has been next to the sulcata one of the most kept and easy husbandry of the tortoise family. The Russian tortoise is imported however leading to a decline in wild population. Imports can reach as high as 100,000 animals yearly only to the United States. These animals are packed into containers about 2 feet tall piled in each other leading to 30-50 percentile dead on arrival. These heavy importations will lead to endanger this common species as it did too many species before they were endangered. However they are a very easy going species of tortoise they can sustain extreme temperatures than that of other species. They are very hardy can do well in winter outside in southern states that get mild winters, and do fine also in southern states very hot summers. The Russian tortoise gets no larger than 10 inches in length over 9 to 15 year duration depending on UVB absorption and natural recreation of food intake and supplements. Natural sunlight cannot be mimicked in any relativity close to man made status, so it is wise to keep your tortoise outside especially if conditions are right.

Impressed Tortoise

The impressed tortoise is one of the most interesting tortoises I have collected and researched. They call the impressed tortoise because of its impressions that are on its carapace scutes. The impressed tortoise is in the same family as that of Burmese Black and Brown. They all relatively get the same physical shape and looks, but the impressed is much lighter and has impressions on there scutes. Having a range of mortality in captive enclosures as high as 80 to 90 percent gives this tortoise a very rare state of collection in the United States and the world for being in tortoise collection. Most keepers think they are of the exact care of there cousin in which they are totally a much more different care status. Impressed like it very cool ranging from 60's to high 80's eating primarily oyster mushrooms eaten off of rotten fallen trees in Vietnam, Malaysia, Burma, Siam, Cambodia, and some parts of China. They like too migrate in certain seasons from midlands to highlands as high as 3000 feet above see level. They have a dislike of high amounts of sun (8 months in natural territory monsoon seasons do not get sun). They also like bamboo shoots if given correct species determining the nature of adults or imported animal's country of origin. The impressed tortoise if found for purchase or available would not recommend for beginners but not as difficult as mentioned in most text. There are just a lot of different aspects to consider that are different from most other species of tortoise.

Common Spider Tortoise (Arachnoides Arachnoides)

This species of spider tortoise is very much like the other with the exception of Pixie Plaunicada . The spider tortoises are all located on different locations in Madagascar. They are very borderline from being listed CITES 1 Endangered species. The common spider tortoise is found on more varieties of places on the giant island of Madagascar giving it a more renown name for itself. They can take very extreme conditions as there natural habitate has many changes, from 40 degree weather too 110 degree weather, too constant rain for many months too constant heat and even mix of all weather. The common spider tortoise is very unique. They are in the star tortoise group but being one of the smallest species in that group and in the species of tortoise in the world. They have a very beautiful pattern they can have either very brilliant black with whitish and yellowish star radiations, or lots of yellow and white with some black. They eat a huge variety of plants, vegetables, and fungi.

Marginated Tortoise

The marginated tortoise is a very unique tortoise belonging to the family with Greek, Russian, Hermann, and Egyptian species of tortoise. The Marginated tortoise lives up too its name by getting extremely large flaring or marginating of there ventral scutes. There are two species of Marginated tortoises Marginata Marginata and Marginata Sardina . The Sardina species is located mainly only in Greece and Italy they are almost identical in ways but differ in minor fractions. Sardina gets more flaring of there scutes and has more of a pastel smeary pattern giving it a more unique look when they are adult. Marginata gets more of a defined organized pattern of black over yellow and has no smearing or pastel. Sardina has a pattern of more along the lines of Pardalis Pardalis leopard tortoise. They both get the same size 14 inches or slightly larger sometimes get 16 inches. Very pretty as adults and somewhat harder too find since 1970's European tortoise import/export ban.

Chaco Tortoise

Getting rarer and rarer the Chaco tortoise can get very confusing when just a baby can be easily mistaken for a sulcata. Although they are found continents apart from each other and the sulcata get about 28 inches larger they are very much alike when they are babies. The Chaco tortoise is found in Paraguay to Argentina mainly in the Mojave Desert which id partly why they are so alike there distant cousin, they are both desert tortoises. The most peculiar thing about the Chaco tortoise is that they are closely related to the red and yellow foot cousins who are found all throughout South America but are totally tropical species living throughout the Amazon rainforest. The Chaco tortoise is one of the least imported in any country in the world. Yearly there are about 3000 in total Chaco's imported into the United States and few European Nations. Having some difficulties captive breeding the Chaco is showing an interest in being conserved at a high rate.

Suriname Yellow Foot Tortoise

The yellow foot tortoise is a very interesting species of tortoise looking like a 24 watermelon these tortoise are excellent swimmers, climbers, defenders, and surviving species of tortoises. This animal pictured is from Suriname there are many different localities of yellow foots, ranging from far eastern Guyana, all the way too Peru in the Amazon Basin in which the species there get much larger and have very dark black. The Suriname and Guyana yellow foot have brownish shells with yellow scutes unlike the black with yellow scutes Amazon Basin g species. They yellow foot tortoise loves fruit and loves to be rained down or dowsed in water. Very easy species to care for if you have accurate enclosures of wet moist rainforest like details. Greenhouses are best for this species.

Sri Lankan Star Tortoise

Pegasus, he is our future Sri Lankan Star breeder male has very nice clean pattern huge healthy appetite. Sri Lankan stars are a very beautiful tortoise to have in a collection or for breeding purposes. They have much better contrasting fine color, and cleaner pattern than the Indian stars. Sri Lankan stars are still under the same species of Latin as the Indian star. I believe and so do many more that the sub species Sri Lankan needs to have its own species recognized. Personally the Sri Lankan star has a definite gene differential than that of the Indian star. The Sri Lankan star naturally gets smooth shell and pyramided shell leading to a genetic versatility of the genetic differences between the Indian and Sri Lankan. They both have same requirements of care but do get different sizes.

Sulcata Tortoise

The sulcata tortoise Geochelone Sulcata is one of the most popular tortoises in the hobby or collection of tortoises and even reptiles. The sulcata or African spur thigh tortoise can reach a size of 36” in length and weighing 200 pounds or more. Living of well up to or well over 100 years of age the sulcata is a mini version of a giant Galapagos or Aldabra tortoise that will mow your yard. The sulcata however has been bred so often and so much in the recent years that they hold a few low market value in price to purchase leading to many young and inexperienced people purchasing these animals and improperly caring for them leading to unwanted animals in which they faze off into other “items” of interest, sadly this leaves lots of sulcata tortoises and other tortoises homeless or abused.

Indian Star Tortoise

The Indian star has a very unique pattern over its shell and its plastron. The entire tortoise displays a beautiful portrayal of nature’s natural form of art. The Indian star tortoise is sadly used in a lot of medicinal practices where it originates in regions of India, Nepal, far western Burma, and Pakistan. This has led to a ban of exportation and making it illegal in the countries it is found to possess, touch, or harm these tortoises.

Aldabra Tortoise

The Aldabra tortoise is one of my favorites because of there stature they are the true image of a tortoise when I watch them do anything. They stand very upright and hold there heads as far out as they can to smell there surroundings and nearby food. They tend to be somewhat shy at early stages in life by adapt to become very friendly and will eat from your hand readily. The Aldabra tortoises have been recorded to live over 255 years of age but have not been proven since the year has so long of a span the records were lost but remembered by some given a somewhat inaccurate jester of evidence. I however would believe they live that long if taken care of correctly and mad sure they are happy. Aldabra tortoises will get around 48 to 52 inches in length and weigh over 850 pounds as a full grown adult mainly eating fallen fruit or taken fruit from trees and graze on grass all day long and like to soak in baths of water mixed with mud to cool them but do not necessarily drink water by itself, they seem to get most hydrated by the water in there food.

Forest Hingeback

Forest hingeback tortoises are about the same care as other hingeback tortoises they like warm, dry humid environments and eat roughly the same diet. Through my observations of the species I keep I have noticed that each different species of hingeback does like and mainly require a main source of fruit they will eat primarily more often than other vegetables or insects. I have found that my forest hingeback will eat bananas left and right and no strawberries. My specks will eat no bananas and mainly strawberries and greens. Although same family class they derive from very different climactic regions in Africa. For the most part they are relatively in the same geographical regions of Africa but have different care levels and feeding requirements.

Leopard Tortoise

The leopard tortoise has a very well known reputation as being one the most kept tortoise of all species. They get very pretty markings and grow relatively slow but large ounce reached adult hood. There are two species of leopard tortoise South African Pardalis Pardalis and the central western leopard tortoise Pardalis Babcocki which is more common them Pardalis Pardalis. My species are from Mozambique and resemble a very camouflaged look from savanna brush lands and dry desert like habitats. The leopard tortoise is very shy in comparison to many other species like it. Over time the leopard tortoise in captivity will grow into being around human and other animal interactions. Very beautiful animals especially there color and pattern capability.

Libyan Greek

This trio of Greeks is from Libya imported 8 months ago they have been very interesting to monitor and research there behavior. They tend to find corners of stone and jam in between them to find shelter appose to staying under a rock cave which led me to think they do not get very many opportunities to shelter very often in there natural homelands of Libya. They are very hardy species of tortoise they will eat mainly anything given to them as well as climb over anything put in there pen. They portray a very curious manner for a Greek which are usually not very social but keep to themselves. These species get rather large for there kind, they will reach a max size of 10-12 inches in length and weigh over 9 pounds. Females are typically smaller but not by much.

Specks Hingeback

Specks are a very interesting species of tortoise, they get the common hinged caudal area of there carapace. They can be very brilliantly colored or semi dull, given that they are semi difficult to establish the difference of there close relative bells hingeback. The bells hingeback are most like the specks in many physical and scientific characteristics. Not long ago the specks were granted through international science foundation its own species of tortoise. The specks and all the other hingeback species are not herbivorous they are omnivorous meaning they require more protein in there daily diet by eating snails, worms, crickets, and insects. This species in captivity can be somewhat difficult as well as all the other hingeback species they are very easy to stress and cause illnesses to. Hingeback tortoises are very prone to many types of different internal parasites like hook, round, whip worms. They need to be taken cared of in a very delicate manner given there care level. The highest problem that arises in hingeback tortoises is that they like it dry warm and very humid which is relatively hard to set an environment to without heated water to raise humidity levels.

Our Tortoises