In the wild these tortoises inhabit the very hot, arid zones feeding on many sorts of vegetative matter. They rarely encounter water in the wild, however, in captivity, they exhibit their great love for bathing if you introduce a shallow pan of water. The animals will enter the pan and ‘soak’ for hours, apparently enjoying the treat.

They are voracious eaters if the temperature is kept within their required range of 80 to 95 degrees. We feed ours a salad of mixed greens (most lettuces excluding iceberg, especially kale, endive, romaine, etc. We also offer finely chopped carrots, sweet potatoes and broccoli, squash, green beans, etc. as well as canned whole kernel corn and rehydrated dried lentils and certain beans. They can be given certain non-toxic flowers such as rose, hibiscus, bergamot petals, borage, chives, cress, dill, fennel, lavender, thyme, mints (excluding pennyroyal), oregano, sage, rosemary, safflower, sweet cicely, calendula, carnation, pansy, marigold, and nasturtiums. I recommend that you only give petals because some stems and calyx could be toxic. There are probably many native flowers that could be given to these tortoises, however, check with your county agriculture extension agent BEFORE introducing any to the tortoise’s diet.

When you prepare their meal be certain that all vegetables and flowers are free of pesticides and fertilizers which can be harmful to them.

We have a large breeding group of Kleinmanni in a ‘tortoise corral’ in our basement. The floor is concrete over which we have laid heavy plastic. We use rabbit pellets as the substrate. Sand is not a good idea because they can ingest it with their moist food and can become impacted with subsequent death.

The tortoises have no odor of their own and the only thing we smell is the rabbit pellets. They excrete a hard dry pellet and a small amount of inoffensive urine.

Our tortoises are very friendly. We have NEVER encountered an aggressive animal to date. They all come to the sound of "Dinner’s Ready". It is really cute to watch them stampede at a tortoise’s rate of speed to the dinner plate. We use cookie sheets for the chopped vegetables, and whole heads of lettuce are placed at random on the substrate. Often, I sit in the corral and watch them. And when I am feeling blue these little angels beg for my attention by crawling into my lap, or nibbling at my toes. Just to watch them go about their lives, carrying their homes with them, asking so little of me makes me feel very, very humble and at peace.

At this time, the Kleinmanni’s are Appendix I on CITES and can no longer be imported and the Graeca are Appendix II.

Parasites can be detected by means of fecal flotation. Panacur (fenbendazole) is often. You will have to see what strength your fenbendazole is. Usually hree treatments are required at 2 week intervals. Never, Never use Ivermectrin in any tortoise!!!!! Giving the medication is tricky as the tortoise will pull in its head when it wants to escape. You can easily mix it with their food however.

Imagine a tortoise corral in your den decorated with a few rocks and attractive plants and a group of Klenimanni roaming around. These very primitive little dolls can learn, and will recognize the sound of your footsteps, the clank of the food pan and their name.