The Tortoise: A Challenging Pet

By Leslie Brown

Tortoises are quiet, interesting pets. Some people find them appealing and even beautiful, and because they are so ancient, and potentially large, they can be fascinating. However, as animals that are highly adapted to survive in very specific environments, tortoises in captivity can be a real challenge. It is a common notion that tortoises are easy, but to keep them healthy in captivity they need a specific environment that duplicates their natural habitat.

Many tortoises are critically close to being endangered species. Because they make such interesting pets, you may be inspired to learn more about their conservation and welfare. They are not particularly easy or low-maintenance animals to keep outside of their natural climatic range. Most tortoises that are bought as pets by inexperienced keepers suffer otherwise avoidable health problems and premature death.

Although some species of tortoises can live for up to 200 years, only about two percent of people who own tortoises actually keep them for healthy and thriving for anything approaching their normal life span. The majority of those who keep them as pets eventually lose them either to disease or the effects of a poor environment and diet.

In general, the people who tend to keep tortoises for a long period of time are devoted hobbyists or scientists because these pets are so complicated and expensive to buy and to keep. Their living arrangements alone cost a lot to build and maintain.

Tortoises require a combination of outdoor and indoor facilities. Indoor homes alone are rarely adequate. These reptiles require far more space than most. Inadequate housing is not only inhumane, but it will also result in serious health problems over time. These problems can be prevented if the correct type of housing is provided at the start.

Tortoises are actually quite affectionate animals, and they are particularly friendly to their owners. If you put down food for them, they will try to follow you, rather than go directly to their food. Although they are voracious eaters, they are sometimes more curious and interested in their keepers than they are in their food.

Most tortoises in captivity still die from poor husbandry and neglect. Compared to other pets, they are an academic and a practical challenge to keep happy and healthy. With the right kind of diet, lighting, and vitamin supplements (such as calcium and minerals), a tortoise can live a long time. If not cared for properly, they will live unnaturally short, unhappy lives. Even if a tortoise hangs on in captivity for 15 years, that tortoise will have lived only a small fraction of his natural life expectancy.

Tortoises come from a wide variety of habitats ranging from dense jungle to barren desert, so creating a suitable habitat for your pet tortoise will depend greatly on what type of tortoise you’re trying to keep. While it’s virtually impossible to truly duplicate a pet tortoise’s natural habitat, it’s important to study his homeland and do the best job possible of replicating key elements of the tortoise’s natural habitat, including diet, heat, intensity of sunlight, humidity, geology, and topography.

For example, if your tortoise comes from the grassy savannah of southern Africa, you’ll need to provide him with heat and sun equivalent to the intense African climate. If your tortoise comes from the jungles of South America, you’ll need to provide him with relatively high heat and humidity, as well as broad-leafed plants and fruit to eat.

If you’re willing to put in the time and effort to understand your tortoise’s particular needs, create a suitable environment for him, and provide a healthy diet, tortoises can make fascinating and rewarding pets.

If you have any comments to share, please add them here.