Foods should be served on a dish or feeding platform to prevent ingestion of gravel or sand, which can cause gastrointestinal irritation or impaction. Many tortoises will eat foods that are not part of a healthy diet.
They may even appear completely healthy for years on a poor diet. In reality, poor diets, such as those that are rich in sugars including fruits , protein or animal fats will impair organ function and may result in the eventual death of your tortoise. Do not feed your tortoise dog or cat food, monkey chow or any food that contains more than 15 percent protein.
These will cause liver and kidney damage, as well as deformed shell growth. Do not feed tortoises frozen vegetables or sodium-rich foods including canned vegetables, dairy products, breads and celery. Please exercise caution to ensure that captive tortoises cannot consume toxic plants such as oleander, chinaberry trees, tree tobacco and toadstools.
Fruits, should only be offered as a special treat. Once a month or so you can give your tortoise a small piece of fruit such as a strawberry or one-quarter slice of peeled watermelon. Fruit generally has too much sugar and water to be fed in large amounts and should only be fed in moderation no more than 10 percent of the diet. Make sure that water is available in the enclosure a few days of the week.
Keep the water dish in the same place so the tortoise knows where to find it. Your tortoise will get a lot of its water from its food, so you may not see it drink frequently. This can be prevented by providing the recommended diet. Tortoises are easily overdosed on fat soluble vitamins so these should be avoided unless prescribed by a veterinarian.
Sunken eyes indicate dehydration. Swollen body tissues and pasty or liquid feces indicate malnutrition or infection. Prolonged inactivity or tendency to keep the eyes closed may also be indicative of a health problem, although tortoises are normally inactive during winter hibernation or dry summer aestivation.
Sick tortoises often refuse to eat and become emaciated. A tortoise should be referred to a veterinarian if it seems abnormally light, indicating dehydration or emaciation, or too heavy, which may indicate large bladder stones.
The legs and head should appear symmetrical and bones should not appear too prominent. The condition of the fecal pellets often reflects the health of the tortoise. Normal healthy feces are very fibrous, firm, and brownish-green in color, with plant material readily recognizable.
It is normal for tortoises to periodically excrete a gray to whitish, chalky material; however, this should not occur continuously. Feces which are loose, runny, or contain mucous often indicate a health problem requiring veterinary attention. Fibrous osteodystrophy is typically evidenced by a soft shell, usually caused by malnutrition resulting from lack of a proper calcium to phosphorus ratio, sunlight, or both.
In cases where tortoises, particularly hatchlings, must be kept indoors for any length of time, it is wise to provide a source of artificial full-spectrum lighting see Appendix II. Tortoises sometimes suffer physical injury resulting in cracks or fractures in the shell. Such problems can be treated at home unless the crack is severe. Consult a veterinarian to determine whether professional assistance is necessary.
The following procedures are recommended to repair minor cracks:. Cleanse the crack with sterile boiled and cooled water. Apply Betadine Povidone iodine solution to disinfect the wound, cover it with a sterile gauze pad, and tape the gauze in position with first aid adhesive or surgical tape. Place the tortoise in a box lined with clean rags or paper towels. Place the box in a warm, quiet place indoors and do not disturb except to occasionally offer water NO FOOD during the first 24 hours.
Within a few days, it is usually safe to offer food and gradually reintroduce the tortoise to its regular enclosure.
It will take many months for the shell to heal, so the tortoise should be handled as little as possible during this time. The wound should be checked periodically to monitor infection. Re-tape as necessary until the wound heals. Consult a veterinarian immediately whenever you suspect that your tortoise has contracted a disease or has been injured. If your tortoise exhibits any of the following symptoms, please consult a veterinarian familiar with tortoises : runny nose; labored breathing; sunken eyes or swollen eyelids; loose stools; loss of appetite; listlessness; swollen body tissues; prominent bones in head or limbs ; soft shell; tendency to keep eyes closed; noticeable weight loss or gain in short period of time.
Captive desert tortoises may not be imported, or exported outside of Arizona under any circumstances, without authorization by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. It is illegal to collect desert tortoises from the wild. Additionally, it is illegal to release captive tortoises because of the following concerns:.
Additionally, young tortoises require more intensive care, are subject to predation by a greater number of animals and many die before reaching adulthood.
Consequently, it is difficult to find homes for hatchlings. Because it is illegal to breed desert tortoises in Arizona, we will not place pairs of animals or an animal that completes a pair with custodians unless the tortoises are kept in separate enclosures. The sex of adult tortoises can be determined by several criteria. First examine the plastron lower shell. The rear portion is concave in mature males. This indentation enables the male to fit the carapace upper shell of the female during mating.
The plastron is flat in mature females. Immature tortoises of either sex have flat plastra. Therefore age, best determined by size in the absence of an actual life history, is important in determining sex.
Tortoises are generally sexually mature when the straight-line carapace measurement reaches between inches which usually occurs between 10 and 20 yrs of age. The rear of the carapace typically flares out in females and is nearly vertically flat in males, and males have proportionally longer tails. In the wild, male tortoises court females in the spring and summer. The male will nod his head at the female as he approaches, often circling her before attempting to mate.
The female will often appear to ignore the male, but usually becomes receptive to his courting attitude. Copulation can be very brief or may continue for hours.
Both males and females may mate with several individuals in the course of a year. Fighting between males may occur where one male rams the other. Sometimes one male will be flipped over by the other and will suffer internal damage, and may die, if it doesn't flip itself back over in a fairly short period of time.
In the wild, eggs are typically laid in July immediately before or after the first summer rains. The female may be capable of laying fertile eggs for up to 4 years from a single mating by retaining viable sperm. In such cases, the number of fertile eggs per clutch will diminish with time. The female digs a nest hole in the soil to lay her eggs. The typical clutch includes from 2 to 14 eggs.
The size and age of the female determines clutch size. After depositing the eggs, the female fills in the nest hole. There is some evidence that females may defend the nest site for some time against potential predators, although they do not care for the offspring.
Hatching normally occurs between 80 to days after the eggs are laid. The hatchlings crack the eggshell with a temporary protrusion on the upper jaw, called the egg tooth, which is lost soon after hatching.
Alternating between periods of activity and rest, the hatchling emerges from the egg and digs its way to the surface. At this time, the hatchling is about the size of a silver dollar. The shell is quite pliable, and some yolk may still be attached to the plastron.
The hatchling may take days to exit the egg. It is highly recommended that hatchlings be kept outside. It is possible to maintain them inside during the first year, but it is not advisable after that.
Hatchlings can be kept in a plastic shoe or sweater box, or similar container. The container must be clean and protected from invasion of insects, especially ants. Hatchlings easily tip over onto their backs, usually by climbing against the wall or over siblings.
One hatchling per box is best to reduce this problem. Sand and fine gravel should be avoided since they may ingest it, causing fecal impaction and gastrointestinal infections. Hatchlings must receive regular solar radiation to insure proper vitamin D synthesis and calcium assimilation. Standard glass filters out the required ultraviolet radiation in the UV-B range, thus placing the hatchling container by a window is ineffective.
The minimum requirements seem to be met by artificial full-spectrum lighting see Appendix II. Daily exposure to sunlight or a reasonable substitute is essential to optimal health and bone development. Shade and respite from heat is essential to avoid dehydration, heat stress and death. A sleeping shelter box of some type should be provided. If healthy, hatchlings should be allowed to hibernate during their first winter. An inside hibernation is acceptable if the same methods outlined for adults are followed on a miniature scale.
Approximately two or three weeks prior to placing hatchlings in hibernation, feeding must be stopped to allow the digestive tract to empty. When the hatchlings become active in the spring, they should be removed from hibernation and placed in their enclosure to resume regular feeding.
Hatchlings may be maintained in an outside enclosure as described previously. A miniature version of the adult burrow should be prepared for warm weather shelter and cold weather hibernation. Several tortoises can use the same burrow. The enclosure should provide both sun and shade throughout the day.
Avoid sand or fine gravel as a substrate for the reasons mentioned above. Since young tortoises must be protected from predators such as cats, dogs and birds, the enclosure must be covered. The covering must allow sunlight into the enclosure. Weigh adult tortoises before and after "hibernation"; juveniles and hatchlings should be weighed before and then every two weeks and if more than 1 to 2 percent of body weight is lost, consider moving to a cooler location.
If dehydrated, awaken, hydrate and keep up per below instructions for remainder of winter. Care of Hatchling Desert Tortoises. Housing Feeding Hibernation. Like other tortoises, desert tortoises hatch from their eggs with the help an "egg tooth" or caruncle on the tip of their snout.
They are folded over inside the eggs, and their soft, flexible shells do not begin to harden until after they hatch. The shell may remain flexible for a few weeks, but should harden with proper diet and sunlight. After it pips the egg shell, a hatchling may wait inside the egg until the yolk sac is absorbed. If the yolk sac is large when the hatchling leaves its egg, place the hatchling on clean wax paper until the yolk is absorbed.
Take care during the first few days to avoid rupturing the yolk sac. A ruptured yolk sac can lead to a hatchling becoming infected, causing septicemia, or even bleeding to death. Hatchling desert tortoise carapace left and plastron right. Photos by Julia Gillin. It is almost impossible to determine the sex of a newborn tortoise from its shape.
While few hatchlings survive to adult size in the wild, losses in captivity are not as great, and with proper care most hatchlings will thrive. Brumate "hibernate" them just as an adult does, as in nature.
If this is not possible or in winter you are uncomfortable brumating "hibernating" them, it is preferable to utilize "tortoise tables" rather than the previously recommended large glass aquarium glass absorbs and radiates heat from lights which did not allow for areas of thermo-regulation and promoted climbing and flipping due tortoise being able to see out trying to escape. By using a "tortoise table", it is easier to provide the temperature-gradient areas from warm to cool to allow thermoregulation, proper air movement, humidity variances including provision of a micro-climate as found in a natural burrow via utilizing an artificial burrow.
It is easy and better to build a tortoise table out of an old bookcase, or as in the examples at the links provided below, or even to use a large tub or a child's wading pool. Flat rocks such as flagstone bits help them keep toenails and beaks trimmed, especially if "feeding" - feed them on the flat rocks rather than putting the foods directly on the substrate.
Newspaper, paper towels, rabbit or guinea pig pellets the pellets can and do mold easily and dust can cause swollen eyes and runny nose , sterile dry potting soil without moisture retaining additives screened carefully to remove broken glass, plastic, etc.
Whatever floor covering is used, it must be kept clean. A hide box should be provided on the cool end of the habitat, small enough that the tortoise feels safe and secure, as if it is in a snug burrow, for sleeping.
A temperature gradient can be achieved by heating one end of the enclosure using tank using a heating pad set on low, an under tank heating pad, or a UVB light bulb and leaving the other end unheated. The temperatures generated by these methods will depend upon the size of the habitat aquarium or terrarium, and on the temperature of the room it is located in. Vitalite and other full spectrum lights DO NOT provide required UVB rays for vitamin D3 formation to utilize calcium; heat pads and heat rocks can and do "cook" hatchling tortoises and are not natural heat sources as is light from above.
The tortoise must have sufficient space to escape the heat as in "temperature gradient" above. The light should be turned off at night. Without making specific "brand" recommendations here, the UVB meter owners group on Yahoo Groups has tested all the lights there are.
Remember, no artificial light source can equal the benefits of an hour or two of sunlight daily. Keeping them unnaturally under excessive dry heat conditions is why they are often seen soaking in the water dishes in aquariums-often for hours at a time - which is not natural, healthy behavior but rather an attempt to keep hydrated and save their own lives.
This dehydration, possible with excessive heat, heat pads and heat rocks, aquariums, being kept up during winter in gas heated houses, air conditioning, lack of the burrow micro-climate, etc. They should be placed in an enclosed area covered with chicken wire or similar netting to protect them from birds, cats, dogs, rats and other predators. Check them frequently as they tip over easily. NEVER put tortoises or turtles outside in a glass aquarium. It could heat up like a greenhouse, and hatchlings can succumb to overheating very easily.
Hatchlings should be fed a mix of weeds, grasses, flowers, greens and vegetables. This may include: garden weeds such as dandelions, grass, chickweed, common mallow, clover, mulberry tree leaves, grape leaves, etc. Avoid feeding iceberg lettuce, because of its poor nutritional value. Commercial pellets from pet stores are not good for a majority of a diet. Supplementation is not needed if you are feeding a variety of natural plants and foods. This allows them to self-regulate calcium intake as they need it with regard to vitamin D3 availability.
Hatchlings should be allowed to soak and drink in a shallow dish of water at least 2 times per week - make water available daily if conditions are too hot or dry. The dish should be small enough so that they can get in and out by themselves. Do not leave hatchlings unattended when soaking as they can flip and drown easily. Liquid vitamin preparations may be added to the water at each soaking, but is not necessary of the hatchlings are grazing on healthy foods. Many tortoise owners feel that hatchlings housed indoors should remain active and not be allowed to hibernate for the first one or two winters, although many also experience difficulty keeping them active and eating.
Other keepers feel this is against their nature and "hibernate" them as they would in nature. Preparation and planning are paramount. Only the basics and some cautions are provided here, please visit the link at the end of this section for more detailed procedures. Preparation: Hatchlings should not be fed for two weeks prior to being placed in their "hibernation" box, but water should be made available on a daily basis.
Grazing on drying grasses and weeds as in nature does not seem to be an issue.
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