Anyone got a tortoise?....... advice pwease :)

[pennimania]

Are they ok below freezing then?

Strange to see an old post quoted!

Well it lived through some bad winters (1963) in an unheated garage.

Curiously, I was just reading Nancy Mitford's letters and she mentions a tortoise that lived in her garden ( in Paris) and her maid brought in inside because it was -6. It woke up, naturally.
Nancy was annoyed and put it back outside, it went back to its tunnel.

Next summer there it was, eating strawberries aand banging away at stones like a good 'un.

But you do need a safe garden.

 

[winterinmoscow]

Just for curiosity, how long does a tortoise actually live for? I think it's a great idea to resuce one. I couldn't but am just interested

 

[Firky]

Just for curiosity, how long does a tortoise actually live for? I think it's a great idea to resuce one. I couldn't but am just interested

Up to 250 years I think

Most likely a 100 or so.

 

[Firky]

Tortoises generally have lifespans comparable with those of human beings, and some individuals are known to have lived longer than 150 years. Because of this, they symbolize longevity in some cultures, such as China. The oldest tortoise ever recorded, almost the oldest individual animal ever recorded, was Tui Malila, who was presented to the Tongan royal family by the British explorer Captain Cook shortly after its birth in 1777. Tui Malila remained in the care of the Tongan royal family until its death by natural causes on May 19, 1965. This means that upon its death, Tui Malila was 188 years old (AP 2006). The record for the known longest-lived vertebrate is succeeded only by one other, a Koi fish named "Hanako" whose death on July 17, 1977 ended a 226 year life span.

 

[winterinmoscow]

Crikey, it really would outlive you!!

 

[Ponyutd]

I bought some tortoise shell shoes once.
It took me four hours to walk out the shop.

 

[spanglechick]

My mum's tortoise died last year, after a very long life of who knows how long (he was second hand when we got him, and we had him for over 40 years). Don't know if it was old age, or lingering effects from an unfortunate incident when he was found at the bottom of a deep water feature which was near to (but not that near, we thought) the upper level of my mum's garden. It's likely he was in there for at least ten hours and quite possibly a couple of days. My nephew spotted him, fished him out, and he was chomping dandelions within the hour. He lived a couple of years after that... Though it may have lead to his eventual demise, I suppose.

I quite fancy a tortoise, but we have no grass in our garden. Mind you, they don't have grass in the wild, do they?

 

[spanglechick]

Oh, and he always had his address painted on his shell. He was a brilliant escape artist.

 

[sim667]

My aunts dad ran over theirs with the lawn mower when he was hiding in the long grass...... the tortoise now lives in a bungalow.....

It also has the address painted on it as it has a penchant for escape.

Do they shit everywhere?

 

[Athos]

I think the modern advice is against painting on their shell, because it reduces their ability to absorb UV light.

 

[spanglechick]

I think the modern advice is against painting on their shell, because it reduces their ability to absorb UV light.

mmn. maybe. but escaping tortoises may reduce their ability to find safe food and shelter, access to vets and secure hibernation... so, y'know - swings and roundabouts. As I say, our tortoise was very, very old and in fine fettle til it didn't wake up one year - don't imagine having a small percentage of his shell covered did him much harm. Of course, i don't imagine painting their whole shell s a great plan...

 

[Hocus Eye.]

I saw a tortoise in someone's garden a while ago. The thing I most remember about it was how fast it could walk. If you were looking at it and the looked away, when you looked back it was yards away from where you thought it should be. I think it had secret powers - perhaps a tortoise turbo-booster or something.

 

[spanglechick]

no - they're proper fast!

 

[Athos]

mmn. maybe. but escaping tortoises may reduce their ability to find safe food and shelter, access to vets and secure hibernation... so, y'know - swings and roundabouts. As I say, our tortoise was very, very old and in fine fettle til it didn't wake up one year - don't imagine having a small percentage of his shell covered did him much harm. Of course, i don't imagine painting their whole shell s a great plan...

You're probably right. You could try this, though: http://www.tortoisegroup.org/infosheets/infosheet05.php

 

[UrbaneFox]

You should definitely write its name on its shell with nail varnish.

This will help everyone should he abscond.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Im seriously considering getting a tortoise, .

I thought it was illegal to keep tortoises now.

 

[sim667]

I thought it was illegal to keep tortoises now.

You can rehome and get ones bred here iirc

 

[pesh]

Just for curiosity, how long does a tortoise actually live for? I think it's a great idea to resuce one. I couldn't but am just interested

some expert at London Zoo told my grandmother her tortoise was about 100 years old back in the 70s.
grannies been dead 20 years now but the tortoise lives on... she is getting a bit tired now and has to have a vitamin shot before and after going into hibernation but she still storms around in the summer especially on hot days.

 

[Firky]

I thought it was illegal to keep tortoises now.

That's right, if you have a tortoise you have to get shot of it with no thought to the welfare of it.