Spur-thighed tortoises are also small to medium tortoises and have a distinctive spur or wart on each thigh either side of the tail. The tail unlike Hermann’s tortoise has no scale on the end and the shells are not usually so bright.

There are two main types of spur-thighed tortoise.

Testudo graeca ibera

Found in Northern Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria. These are the most suitable spur-thighs to be kept as pets in British gardens and is the species that I breed.

Testudo graeca graeca

(I do not breed this type) North African spur-thighs found in Morocco, Algeria, Libya and parts of Tunisia

Video of Adult Spur-thighs