On site at the GSPCA we have four resident tortoise.
Some have found their way to us having been found as strays and others have come in after their owners sadly passing away.
Yesterday the last two tortoise were woken up from their hibernation with the warm spell that is due and spring on its way.
Hilda our oldest tortoise woke up some weeks ago on the coldest day of the year and decided that her sleep was long enough. Hilda is a 61 year old spur-thighed tortoise and wouldn't go into hibernation until early December.
We also have a young herman's tortoise called Scramble who came in with an injury nearly two years ago. Scramble is too young to hibernate, so he has kept us company in one of our vivariums at the GSPCA.
The two that were woken up yesterday were Ridley and Tony and both are herman's tortoise.
Both are male and during the warmer months enjoy their time outside in our tortoise enclosure with Hilda and Scramble.
Although still not fully awake Tony and Ridley are doing well and the team at the GSPCA are looking forward to when all four can go outside to enjoy the summer sun.
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said "With the warm weather due and spring on its way we thought its time to wake our last two tortoise still hibernating at the GSPCA."
"Tony and Ridley were popped in their bed box back in early November and yesterday when we went to wake them they weren't too keen on the idea."
"We have a few residents at the GSPCA including Eddie the cat, a few ducks on our pond and the four tortoise."
"Hilda came into the Shelter after her owner sadly passing away and she is a real character."
"If you are worried about what could happen to your pet if something were to happen to you then at the GSPCA we are there to help."
"Not only do we offer emergency boarding facilities for many people in Guernsey every year many owners now think of their animals in their wills and how they would like them cared for."
"We have a leaflet with helpful information regarding making a will and thinking of your pet and if anyone would like to discuss how we can help at the GSPCA please do get in touch."
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If you haven’t drafted a Will then you may wish to contact F Haskins & Co. who offer a 20% discount on the fee note of drafting a Will if a bequest to the GSPCA is over the kind sum of £250. For a voucher regarding this please -
Contact details -
F. Haskins & Co
College Chambers,
3-4 St James Street
St Peter Port
Guernsey GY1 2NZ
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01481 721316
Fax: 01481 721317
Some tortoise facts -
A group of tortoise is called a creep.
Where tortoise live is called a rockery.
A tortoise's shell is made up of 60 different bones all connected to each other.
The top of a tortoise's shell is called a “carapace”.
The underside of the shell is called a “plastron”.
The carapace and the plastron of a tortoises shell is connected by what is known as a bridge.
Tortoises can retract their heads and all their limbs including their tails into their shells when they feel threatened or attacked by predators.
Tortoises have extremely strong mouths but no teeth instead they have horny type beaks.
Tortoises have good all round vision and a very good sense of smell.
Tortoises are cold-blooded – they draw heat from their environment and are more active during the day than at night.
Tortoises can live a very long time, some to the ripe old age of 150. However, the average age a tortoise can live to ranges from 90 to 150 years.
Tortoises are what is known as herbivores, they eat grass, ferns, flowers, tree leaves and fruit.
Female tortoises are usually larger than their male counterparts.
Females dig burrows in which they can lay up anything from 1 to 30 eggs.
A male tortoise has a longer tail than that of a female, which is one way of sexing them.
When baby tortoises break out of their shells they're called hatchlings.
Tortoise eggs incubate between 90 to 120 days to hatch out.
Tortoises hibernate in the winter time and before they do, they starve themselves so their stomachs are empty ready for hibernation.
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