Should I have another tortoise or two?

Question

What is it about tortoises that make them that adorable?I have once had a small tortoise which died 7 days after /i bought it then I bought another one which also died, though I was very careful taking care of them. I feel I am responisble for their death but am still considering having two tortoises. My parents object to having pets, but I do love animals and tortoises are adorable and the least messy? Should I try having one or two again?

Answer 1

Tortoises really aren't that difficult to keep. Perhaps you are buying them too young and they aren't getting the nutrients they need from the adult food. I have a russian tortoise that has been with me for a few years. I keep him in my kindergarten classroom and even being handled by the kids doesn't seem to phase him. Make sure you are suplementing him with fresh veggies at least once a week, and they also need to be bathed everyother week. (Just place them in a shallow bowl of water - it helps them wiht their bowel movements- make sure it is not too deep! They will drowned.)

I would try again, but I would read up on them first if I were you.

Here is some more info.

Taking care of a tortoise requires a lot of know-how. A tortoise's general health is an important consideration at the time of purchase. Here are several signs to look for:


Is the animal bubbling at its nose, or wheezing? Are his eyes running? These three can be indicators of respiratory trouble.

Feel the shell; is it hard and solid? A soft shell can be a symptom of calcium problems.

Check the feet. A tortoise's foot should look somewhat like that of an elephant (figure A), with short, even nails that are not curling back into the flesh. This would suggest either that the animal had been kept on the wrong sort of substrate (the material lining the floor of oits cage) or that he suffered from some sort of nutritional deficiency.

Turn the tortoise over and check the tail area to be sure it's clean. Any sort of problem such as diarrhea will be evident around the tail.
Tortoises have some specific needs in order to live indoors. The following are essential for raising a healthy pet:


Provide UV lighting. This is especially important for hatchlings.

Invest in a roomy cage. The animal should have as much room as possible to move around in.

Give your pet a safe environment. The cage or tank should have a cover, especially if there are other pets or young children in the house. (Remember: cats are experts at getting into things they shouldn't, so if you have cats, you should almost certainly invest in a snug-fitting, petproof cover.)

Create a thermal gradient in the cage so that your pet has hot, warm and cool areas. One way to do this is with a subfloor heat mat, which goes under -- not in -- the cage. Recchio says that he likes to create a cavelike area at this point so that the tortoise can go inside to hide and stay warm.

Use the proper type of substrate. The correct substrate is essential for a healthy pet: a tortoise will almost certainly ingest some of the material, and young animals can become impacted and die very quickly.

Avoid raising tortoises on sand, coarse bark and gravel.

Newspaper is the best substrate for baby tortoises.

All other substrates should be digestible.

A terrarium carpet or Astroturf makes a good surface on which to raise a tortoise, but food gets trapped in it very easily and attracts bacteria. If you're going to use it, therefore, you must be diligent about keeping it clean by means of a diluted bleach solution.

Another good type of substrate material is rabbit pellets: they provide traction and can be swallowed without causing any harm. Green moss and peat moss also work well, as they are both digestible.

Consider feeding your tortoise in a separate tank, or use a raised platform.

Wood-bark chips are generally safe to use in the cage, with the exception of redwood and cedar. They contain oils that can cause abcesses to form. Never use them; use fir or pine instead.

Garden soils work well -- if they're organic and contain no fertilizer.

Use a low water dish -- baby tortoises can fall into a deep one and drown!

Invest in a hydrometer and a thermometer so you can monitor the humidity and tempertaure in the animal's environment. Nothing kills reptiles faster than overheating, but they also can get sick from being too cold.

Use a rheostat. You can plug all the heat sources into it and use it to check the temperature, dim the lights, etc.

Feed your tortoise a healthful diet: Romaine lettuce, dandelion greens, Nappa cabbage, yams and carrots are all good, as are Swiss chard and apples in moderation. Don't make the mistake of thinking iceberg lettuce and coleslaw mix are good for him. They aren't, nor is sugary produce such as strawberries and watermelon, which tortoises love. Save these treats for a time when you have to give him medicine; they'll do the trick, but he won't get enough to make him sick.

Answer 2

I don't wish to sound mean but you probably are responsible for their deaths.

First you must determine what killed the first two tortoises. there is a lot of information available on the Internet -some of which is totally INCORRECT - and at the library.

Here are some good sites to visit:
http://www.chelonia.org/care.htm
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/care/care.html

Tortoises require very specific care & without the proper care they will die. Once you know how to take care of a tortoise properly, most are very easy if you start with a captive bred tort and NOT a wild collected one.

Once you have done your research, figured out what probably killed the first tortoises and have set up a proper home for another tortoise, try again.

Answer 3

Yes they are adorable. I have 1 that I had for over a year. And just got another one this past july 4th. At this time I still have them. And nothing dies unless it is time for it to. They would have died whether you bought them, or anyone else buying them. You can go to walmart and by the Wardley Reptile food they have. It has a picture of a turtle on it. If the turtle is small then it is best to break the sticks into smaller pieces. That is what I do. You can get a big can for close to 4 dollars. It lasts a good while to. If you get another 1 or 2, look up on the internet places that can help with any questions you may have. But the turtles I have love the food I get them. Plus they loves to eat flies. The black flies, not the green flies.

Answer 4

Let's look at the negatives.

Tortoises are expensive animals that should live 55+ years if they have decent care. If you are 20, the tortoise can still be alive when you are 75.

They require that you provide a complete habitat- good size space, lighting, humidity, heating, shelter, diet, etc.

They are low-mess, and once you get things going right, relatively low maintenance- but relatively small glitches in the basic care can have long-term problems, like shell deformities.

Now- I LOVE tortoises and think they are great animals- but they are not for everybody.

Before you get one, check out the basic cares for that species. Sites like those below can help.

Answer 5

NO you are obviously not good enough to have a turtle. Stick to fish and stuff that nobody cares about. You dont deserve a tortoise!

Answer 6

Heck, get 7 or 8

Answer 7

well i'd say everything u touch dies, so y the hell do wanna kill more tortoises i mean they're just about to go extinct

Answer 8

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm i think that if u can manage then have some