I am very pleased that the extremely positive response to the first edition of my book continues to this day and that I can already present the third edition to you.

In this revised edition I am not only giving my experiences from decades of keeping and breeding, but above all the results from the study of European tortoises in the wild. From the very beginning, I have consistently implemented the knowledge I have gained in over 50 years of field herpetological work in the keeping, nutrition and breeding of my animals.

This type of keeping, based on the model of nature, has meanwhile become the standard for many committed keepers for the benefit of the turtles and today characterizes most publications and Internet presentations on the welfare of European tortoises.

The book conveys the knowledge required for the appropriate keeping of European tortoises in a detailed, clear, easily understandable and comprehensible manner. It is divided into the chapters foreword, introduction, general, species protection, acquisition, body structure, sensory organs, description of the subspecies, distribution, climate, endangerment, outdoor system, nutrition, rearing, growth, reproduction, winter rigor, diseases, turtle system of the author, theft, Vacation, the most important summarized, epilogue and in an appendix.

The book describes the Greek tortoise, but the core content applies equally to all European tortoises, including the steppe or four-toed tortoise.