Tortoises info?

Question

i have watched the video on video jug about caring for them and i have also done some more research on them . On the video it says when they are 4 yrs of age they will need acsess to a out door area but how big does that are have to be at a minimum and how frequently do they need to be let out into this area. Also when they hibernate how long is that for ?

Answer 1

it really depends on what type of tortoise as to the space and care they need, most tortoises go out in an outside pen when in the summer as it is better for them to get natural sunlight and wander around in the garden pen, the video you describe is just a basic care guide but there is more to it than is stated and that depends on the type of tortoise you get, the leopard, sulcata (african spurthigh) can grow to over 150lbs and need an out door enclosure that is heated they also do not hibernate, the mediteranean tortosies (herman, russian, mediteranean spurthigh) grow between 200mm in shell length to over a foot long but have the same sort of diet and care and do hibernate once they are over 5 years of age, i have a 12ft by 12ft enclosure for just two tortoise it is planted with natural weeds and is where they spend the summer months, i put them out first thing in the morning and bring them in in the early to late evening depending on how sunny it is, here are some sites that you can look at to see the different types of tortosies and their care,  http://www.tortoisetrust.org/

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

  http://www.chelonia.org/care.htm

http://www.tortoises-turtles.com/tortois...    

the best lenghth of time to be in the sunlight is about 12 hours, the pen needs to be of a fair size the bigger the more the toroise will enjoy exploring it but for one small tortoise a pen about 4ft by 4ft would be enough, tortoises that do hibernate it is recomended that they do not sleep for more than 12 weeks, so indoor accomadation is required if the cold spell lasts longer, best of luck with your research hope you find what you are looking for.

Answer 2

Access to the outdoors and unfiltered sunlight is beneficial for any tortoise at any age provided it can be done safely. There are dramatic size differences between the various species and not all hibernate. Even the species that do hibernate in the wild do not absolutely need to do so in captivity. Mediterranean species stay under a foot long in shell length and they do hibernate. The tropical redfoots average around 12 inches while the African sulcatas grow extremely large and heavy, neither of these species hibernate. Very few people can house sulcatas into their adulthood.   Did you have a particular species in mind ?