Tortoise Questions? I Have Answers!

My First Tortoise

2014-02-28T08:41:00.001-08:00

Meet My Best Friend Tommy the Turtle!

I hear dogs are man's best friend, but I say, its actually a tortoise. I have grown a strong love for these wonderful animals, and have been raising them many years. But this lens is about where my love for tortoises all began.

Tortoises are such strong and mysterious animals. Though they appear to be intimidating with their tough exteriors, they really are loving animals with amazing personalities. Read on to hear my story of my first tortoise.

Where It All Began

Love By The End Of The Night

I remember it though. He walked in, with a big box in hand, and said "mi hija, I brought home a surprise". I was so excited, I followed him out to the back yard and he sat the box down. I looked up at him, rather confused and asked him what it was. He explained it was an Arizona Desert Tortoise, and it was going to be our new pet.

After a few minutes, the tortoise peeked his head out and looked around. I reached down and started petting him thick rough skin, which oddly, resembled my grandfather's skin a little bit. When my shadow passed over his head he ducked inside his shell, startled. I jumped back also. But then, we both kinda peeked our heads back out, and I giggled a little bit. The tortoise walked over to me, and I petted his shell this time. He was dirty. My grandfather went back into the house. I sat outside with the tortoise until the sun went down, by the end of the night we were best friends.

The Learning Curve

Learning To Take Care Of My Tortoise

The next morning, my grandfather and I set out on our first journey to figure out how to raise a tortoise. Back then, there was no internet, so we had to go to the library. We looked up books about how to care for tortoises, and by the end of the day, we felt like we knew what we were doing. My grandfather and I raised Tommy together for 10 years. Over time, Tommy would come when you called his name. Occasionally he would escape and go across the street to my neighbors orange trees, but we would always find him and bring him back.

Tommy would scratch at the back door on hot days when he wanted something. Sometimes he was hungry, sometimes, he wanted a bath. Sometimes, I think he simply just wanted to come inside. As my grandfather grew older the tortoise would stay inside longer. You could find him chilling next to my grandfather at given point in time near the end. Tommy even had a tickle spot like a dog right behind his elbow area of his front leg.

Tortoise Therapy

When my grandfather was really sick, my family had to move back in to help take care of him. They wouldn't let us keep Tommy in the house anymore. Winter came, and Tommy retired to his tunnel. That was the winter of 1993, when I was just turning 13. My grandfather had died, and when springtime came around in 1994, I waited and waited. Tommy never came out.

It took a few years for me to get my next tortoise, but without Tommy, there was just this empty place, that no cat or dog could really replace.

In 1997 I was driving down the road, and saw a man on the side of a road with a sign that said "cute baby turtles $25". Cute baby turtles? Really? I love turtles!! I convinced my boyfriend to pull over, and within no time I had a cute new baby turtle...which actually wasn't a turtle, and was going to grow to be much larger than my Desert Tortoise Tommy.

Check out my Page on Raising the Sulcata Tortoise For more Tortoise information

The Rarest Tortoise In The World

2013-01-25T11:53:00.001-08:00

What is the rarest Tortoise in the world?

I have seen the question asked online several times before, and everyone always answers the Galapagos tortoise or Sulcata Tortoise. However, these are the wrong answers. The Angonoka or Ploughshare Tortoise is the rarest tortoise in the world.

Click Here For The Framed Picture Of The Endangered Angonoka Tortoise

Facts About The Angonoka Tortoise or Ploughshare Tortoises

The Angonoka Tortoise comes from a very remote region in Madagascar which has been subject to forest fires, poaching, as well as predation. This is thought to be the main cause of low and decreasing number of the Angonoka Tortoises in the wild.
The Ploughshare,or Angonoka, has less than 800 surviving tortoises in the wild, with numbers still decreasing to poaching. Its a wonder we never hear about these poor tortoises and how to save them.
There are a few places online to find Helpful Links and Information About The Critically Endangered Angonoka Tortoise

What is the Largest Tortoise in the world?

Currently, the largest tortoise in the world in the Aldabra Tortoise, followed by the Galapagos and Sulcata tortoises.

Follow this link for more information on The Critically Endangered Ploughshare Tortoises Of Madagascar please visit that link :)

Check out my Page on Raising the Sulcata Tortoise For more information about raising large tortoises.

Do Tortoises Need To Hibernate?

2013-01-24T10:56:00.000-08:00

When most people think of tortoises, they think of the desert as being their natural habitat. When people then think of deserts, they less often associate that with snow, or much less even cold. So what happens to tortoises in the cold and snow? Can A tortoise survive in the snow? I have heard this question asked several times before and have written about it in several different posts and sites.

To See The Framed Version of Snow Covered Desert or More Framed Tortoise Posters Check Out Allposters.com

Do Tortoises Need To Hibernate?

Its not the easiest question to answer. Some tortoises do hibernate while other don't hibernate at all. For the tortoises that do not hibernate such as the Sulcata tortoise and Leopard Tortoise, they do something similar called aestivastion.

What Is Aestivation?

Aestivation is similar to hibernation in that the tortoise is in a dormant period and their heart rate slows down. It differs from hibernation in that they aestivate when it is very hot and dry outside. They are actually doing this as a defense mechanism to the heat and sunshine and will normally aestivate during the hottest part of the day to regulate their temperature and humidity.

What Happens To A Sulcata Tortoise If They Get Too Cold?

Good Question. When a Tortoise that does not hibernate, gets too cold, they will aestivate to try and regulate the cold temperature. This is very dangerous to a non-hibernating tortoise because the cold and moisture can cause life threatening illnesses at worst, and extensive organ failure at best; while in both cases, can lead to the death of a tortoise. A non-hibernating tortoise is NOT meant to live in temperatures that fall below 70 degrees at night. Housing non-hibernating tortoise in cold and damp conditions will eventually lead to the severe illness and/or death of the tortoise.

What Do I Do For A Non-Hibernating Tortoise, Such As A Sulcata, During The Winter?

If you are a Non-Hibernating Tortoise Owner please bring your pet tortoise to live indoors for the winter with a proper UVB lighting source. You can read more about How To Build A Winter Home For A Sulcata Tortoise or to find out if you have a non hibernating tortoise Check out my Page on Raising the Sulcata Tortoise For even more Tortoise information

Can A Tortoise Survive In The Snow?

2013-01-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

Hello readers today I wanted to talk about tortoises and cold temperatures. I have had several questions from you out there in regards to how to keep a tortoise in snowy and cold geographies. I am of the opinion that tortoises should not be kept in the snow. EVER. Under any circumstances. There area several reasons for this this that I will talk about today.

What Happens To A Tortoise When It Gets Too Cold?

A tortoises natural defense to the cold is to slow down all body functions until the cold has passed, throwing a tortoise into mock hibernation. However, in the wild, a hibernation does not need to happen and only lasts until the cold has let up, which is fairly quick. If you have ever wondered what tortoises are afraid of... Tortoises Are Afraid Of The Snow

I do understand that people love tortoises as much as I do, and a geographic location cannot stop those tortoise lovers from having a tortoise in a cold and snowy geography. However, the effects of a location such as this are extensive, and in some cases can be life threatening. Tortoises are a reptile. They come from places where the weather is more likely to be severely hot and dry in the summers, and mildly cold and dry in the winter. The average winter temperatures in a tortoises natural habitat are still near 70-80 degrees during the day and rarely gets to below 30 degrees at night. They do not have to hibernate. Tortoises can still graze on dried and dead grasses, albeit lightly, during the winter months, in their natural habitat. Therefore, when a tortoise is exposed to these freezing and wet temperatures in a climate where they are not acclimated, it makes them more susceptible to exposure related illnesses. Respiratory problems, eye problems and lack of proper light for digestion all threaten a tortoise during the winter months in harsh cold climates. Then, these problems linger and increase in severity, and before you know it, you have a very sick tortoise that may not be able to survive.

What Are The Risks Of Keeping A Tortoise Outside During The Winter?

There are many risks involved with keeping a tortoise outside during the winter. Imagine a tortoise that is kept outdoors is exposed to a cold front early in the fall, and decides to dig a den and go underground to keep warm. The owner is unable to retrieve the tortoise before the first snow. The tortoises den can get air locked from the snow. Additionally the ground will freeze, dropping the body temperature of the tortoise well below the means of normal. Since the tortoise is too cold, it has slowed its body functions down to a hibernation and cannot try to escape when the oxygen runs out. Cave-ins are also a threatening factor in the late winter when all the snow and ice are melting. This can flood the tortoise in the den as well.

Helpful Information For Building A Winter Shelter For A Tortoise

For all tortoise owners who live in cold areas during the winter I do have some suggestions for you. Check out my page on Building An Outside Winter Habitat For A Large Tortoise To learn how to make an acceptable and warm habitat for your tortoise.

As Always you can check out my Page on Raising the Sulcata Tortoise For more Tortoise information.

Consider Buying A Shelter For Your Large Tortoise

Questions on what to feed a Sulcata tortoise?

2010-09-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

I just completed a brand new page about what to feed your tortoise. There is all kinds of information in there as well as a list of things to avoid feeding your tortoise. Check it out and let me know what you think. Anyone can leave a comment.

What Do You Feed A Sulcata Tortoise?

And... as always, if you have a question to ask me about tortoises, send me an email or leave me a comment. I will be sure to feature it in an upcoming blog, and maybe even write another page about it!

Check out my Page on Raising the Sulcata Tortoise For more Tortoise information

Housing the Sulcata Tortoise

2010-09-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

I just got done making a new page about how to house a Sulcata tortoise. It is all up and running, so for information on

Setting up a Sulcata Terrarium
Making a Tortoise Table
Transitioning the Sulcata Tortoise to live outside
Housing a Sulcata Outdoors
and much more,

Please check out my page Housing the Sulcata Tortoise

For Even more information, check out my page on Raising the Sulcata Tortoise

Do You Have a Tortoise Question?

2010-05-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

You can ask any questions you may have about tortoises and I will get them answered as quickly as possible. I am not a veterinarian, however, I can help guide you in the right direction and let you know if it is time to seek medical care. Please respond in comments, and I will answer you back with a blog post.

Thank you so much!

Mandy

Getting to know me, and my love for tortoises

2010-05-14T23:47:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, my grandfather was a mason. On one of his side jobs, at my great-aunts house, he came across a tortoise. It was fairly small, and rather misplaced. My grandfather was not one for pets, so my family says it was surprising that he brought that tortoise home. I remember it though. He walked in, with a big box in hand, and said "mi hija, I brought home a surprise". I was so excited, I followed him out to the back yard and he sat the box down. I looked up at him, rather confused and asked him what it was. He explained it was an Arizona Desert Tortoise, and it was going to be our new pet. After a few minutes, the tortoise peeked his head out and looked around. I reached down and started petting him thick rough skin, which oddly, resembled my grandfather's skin a little bit. When my shadow passed over his head he ducked inside his shell, startled. I jumped back also. But then, we both kinda peeked our heads back out, and I giggled a little bit. The tortoise walked over to me, and I petted his shell this time. He was dirty. My grandfather went back into the house. I sat outside with the tortoise until the sun went down, by the end of the night we were best friends.

The next morning, my grandfather and I set out on our first journey to figure out how to raise a tortoise. Back then, there was no internet, so we had to go to the library. We looked up books about how to care for tortoises, and by the end of the day, we felt like we knew what we were doing. My grandfather and I raised Tommy together for 10 years. Over time, Tommy would come when you called his name. Occasionally he would escape and go across the street to my neighbors orange trees, but we would always find him and bring him back.

Tommy would scratch at the back door on hot days when he wanted something. Sometimes he was hungry, sometimes, he wanted a bath. Sometimes, I think he simply just wanted to come inside. As my grandfather grew older the tortoise would stay inside longer. You could find him chilling next to my grandfather at given point in time near the end. Tommy even had a tickle spot like a dog right behind his elbow area of his front leg.

When my grandfather was really sick, my family had to move back in to help take care of him. They wouldn't let us keep Tommy in the house anymore. Winter came, and Tommy retired to his tunnel. That was the winter of 1993, when I was just turning 13. My grandfather had died, and when springtime came around in 1994, I waited and waited. Tommy never came out.

It took a few years for me to get my next tortoise, but without Tommy, there was just this empty place, that no cat or dog could really replace. In 1997 I was driving down the road, and saw a man on the side of a road with a sign that said "cute baby turtles $25". Cute baby turtles? Really? I love turtles!! I convinced my boyfriend to pull over, and within no time I had a cute new baby turtle...which actually wasn't a turtle, and was going to grow to be much larger than my Desert Tortoise Tommy.

I will attempt to inform you about one of my favorite tortoises, the Sulcata, how to care for them, and the controversies that surround them. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!