Tortoise enrichment and behaviour help.?

Question

Hi,

My boyfriends sister has 2 pet tortoises.

They are the smaller variety, and do not grow to be very big.

They are kept in a tank with cardboard substrate, a heater, a light, a bowl full of shallow water, and food. A box is also in there for them to hide away in if they choose to do so.

On sunny days they are put out into the garden in a specially built run which has a part of it which is sheltered.

My concern is that these tortoises constantly appear 'depressed' and are very inactive. Even when they are in the run in the garden, they just stay in one corner and don't move.

They are fed on a dry tortoise formulated mix, and are fed greenery as treats.

Does anyone have any information on this sort of subject, on how I can provide enrichment for them, or if this is normal is confined tortoises. Thanks everyone.

Answer 1

I think its really nice of you to try and help these Tortoises! It sounds like your friend is a little inexperienced. Tortoises should be fed on mainly greens (dandelions are the best, romaine lettuce, watercress, clover etc) I think you should take a look at this website http://www.tortoisetrust.org/backidx.htm... which is the tortoise trust website and refer this onto your friend aswell. If you can figure out which species she has this will help. Make sure they have a heat lamp a UV light, they shouldnt be really kept in a tank but at least she lets them out in the garden when its nice. Tortoises should also be bathed in warm water regularly? I do mine every day for 15 mins and it keeps him very active. If she doesnt do this already suggest it to her.

Good luck with trying to help these tortoises

Answer 2

Tortoises should not be kept in tanks As this can cause respiratory problems.

A tortoise table with a UVB spotlight should be available to them at all times to help them digest calcium (vitamin D3) into their bloodstream and bones.

A tortoises vegetable diet should have 80% greens (not lettuce) 20% fruit a powder like nutrabol, added to help provide them with all the vitamins that they need to keep them healthy. Without a good diet they will become lethargic and suffer from metabolic bone disease which will soften their shells and cause pain death if left.

Tortoises should also be given a shallow bath for 30 minutes at least once a day to help with hydration and defecation . They will also drink the water.

They can also be sprayed with a mist sprayer with shed ease in twice a day in their beds.

Clean out the bed thoroughly once a week and remove the droppings daily

Give your tortoises as much exercise in a garden run as possible in the sunny weather  as this also keeps them healthy.

If you see any nose discharge or your tortoise stops eating suddenly then take it straight to a reptile vet for an examination.

Large tortoise like the Sulcatta need a concrete are with underground heating for their housing and eat loads more than a standard tortoise therefore they do not make good pets to novice keepers

Answer 3

ok they are sad as they are not being fed the right thing and not getting enough air in their housing and the correct lighting either, they are acting depressed because they are, first of all the outside run should be placed in direct sunlight so they can bask and get the full effects of the sun, only the sheltered bit should be in shade, they love the morning sun, secondly the tank is probably too small they should not be kept in tanks as they do not provide enough floor space and do not let in enough air flow which is what tortoises like a tortoise table is so much better for them and the space they require for two tortoises is about 4ft by 4ft the rule of tortoise keeping is you need 4 times the floor space of the number of tortoises kept, so with out room to move around they don't bother, as for the substrate they should be kept on a mix of sand and soil, children's play sand and bed a beast is good or if in britain it is called forest bed, tortoises like to dig and they can't in what you describe,  the last thing is i presume the tortoises are either herman or horsefield (russian) tortoises if so then a diet of tortoise pellets is not suitable there is too much protein in these pellet foods and they are more for red footed tortoises or box turtles that can eat fruit and have protein they are not good for the Mediterranean tortoises the diet should be a natural weed fodder diet with plenty of dark green leafs greenery should not be a treat but the main diet at the least, http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/ar... this site will show you the correct diet to feed it also has articles on the correct set up for tortoises as well, in case she has russian tortoises here is another good site    http://russiantortoise.org/care_sheet.ht... tortoises should be active not just sit in a corner and if they are there is something wrong and they really are not happy,  do they have UV lighting as tortoises need the UV to help absorb calcium and digest their food with out it they get sick and stay still, it sounds like your boyfriends sister has not done her research on tortoises they need more than just a tank and need heating and UV lighting, maybe you could do some research for her and let her know how to care for these tortoises before they get sick or even die, here are some good sites i use for research hope with the two you already have they help you best of luck honey

http://www.tlady.clara.net/id16.htm

http://www.slowcoach.org.uk/

http://www.britishcheloniagroup.org.uk/

http://www.britishchelonia.org/

http://www.tortoise.org/

Answer 4

im with swinnk8 it sounds like they are kept poorly/improperly. and she gives some good advice

Answer 5

First thing you should get the torts out of the tank straight away. They lack the suitable micro climate and ventilation that your torts require. They need to be given as much space as possible on a tort table. You can build a tort table or buy one off various sites.

You don't mention using a UV spotlight or tube which is a must for the torts metabolisms. They require it to absorb calcium in their bodies. Many tortoise keepers now use a combined heat and uv spotlamp which although appear expensive can last up to 2 years unlike uv tubes which need to be changed every few months.

The diet they are being fed is completely inadequet. Tortoises don't eat pellets in the wild so why should you feed them them in captivity? They should be having a diet comprising entirely of weeds such as dandelion, clover etc. So you should take them off the pellets straight away and start looking for suitable weeds for them to eat. You should also provide them with a good calcium and mineral supplement such as nutrabol. I suggest you look at this forum which has plenty of info and pictures of weeds and housing.

http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/forum/

I also think you should get in touch with a good tortoise vet as they could be other problems with these poor tortoises. Could you possibly put up a link to a picture or tell me the species?

Tortoises are perfectly happy to walk around, burrow and such when kept as pets, as is what mine do. I think the reason they are so depressed and sluggish is because of the way they are being kept which is completely unsuitable for them in everyway.

Answer 6

I live in the UK and know someone who has a tortoise out all summer, whatever the weather, (it hibernates about Sept/Oct until March/April.)

It has a large corner of the garden fenced off and seems very content, its about 30 years old. it lives on salad and fruit, no dried as it didn't eat it.

Maybe those you are referring are a bit too restricted. even tho they are small they need lots of space.

If its your b/f sister I hope she appreciates your help.