do tortoises need heat?

Question

i want to buy a tortoise, i have the money and everything but i was just wondering if they needed heatmats or a certain vivarium. i live in the UK so it aint very warm. my best friend has one and she does not have a heat mat for hers it just romes free. i was just wondering if this is the right way to keep one in this climate or not please help me xx

Answer 1

When I was a child tortoise could be bought in any pet shop for half a crown each.
(12.5p).
They were usually left to roam free in the garden and fed on leaves from the kitchen
or ones that you collected.
Everybody painted thier house number on their tortoise so that if it wandered of your
mates would bring it back.
In the winter they were brought in, put into a box full of hay and left in the garden
shed for the winter.
If they survived the winter that was great, but if they died you could always get
another one. Most did not come out of "hibernation".
To get to this country they were collected in the wild from the eastern mediteranean
countries, packed into boxes in their hundred and shipped on a long slow voyage
to the U.K..
Some did not survive the journey, the ones that did (about 60%) were sent to the
pet shops.
After the first winter about another 25% had died of starvation as the were packed
in to a box with news paper or some such inedible packing material for their
"hibernation".
This was all stopped in the late seventies when they were brought under the
protection of the United Nation CITIES Charter.
CITIES means the convention in international trade in endangered species.
It protects endangered animals, birds and plants from being traded unless they are
captive bred by licensed breeders.
All animals that are offered for sale from these lists must have a certificate that
identifies where the specimen has come from and the species,this is called an
Article 10 certificate.
Some species are not lised under cities and do not require an article 10.

In the wild tortoise mostly came from Greece, Turkey, Yugoslavia and North Africa
for the pet trade.
Now most people know that these are quite warm countries, the winters in these
places are not as cold as ours and not as long, usually about two months of
cooler weather in January and February.
This is when the tortoise naturally go into hibernation.
If the weather is warm enough they wil come out and feed.
The cold weather hibernation also prepares the tortoise's body for the
breeding season.
So you can see that a six month forced hibernation is not really needed and could be
detremental to the tortoise.
Now most of us go to these countries for the sun shine and that is exactly what the
tortoise need to keep them healthy, lots of sun shine.
We do not get enough sunshine to keep a toroise healthy in this country normally.
What turns us brown is the ultra violet radiation from the sun light, this make
vitamins A & D in our system.
It is the same for your tortoise, they need these vitamins made by the UV light to
absorb calcium from their food to make their shells and bones.
This can be recreated in the home by the use of a reptile flourescent tube.
The warnth of the sun can be simulated by using a heat mat or a basking lamp.
These would need to be fittted in an escape proof and safe enviroment, such as a
vivarium.
Tortoise are naturally vegetarian so will eat almost any vegetation given to them.
Try them with leaves such as letuce of varoius diferent types not just iceberg.
Also try thing like carrot grated and apple sliced.
I know they like peas in the pods and corn on the cob.
As an emergency food frozen mixed veg in great, the mixture is usually peas,
corn, carrots, green beans and broad beans.
Defrost it and feed dressed with calcium powder, as all their food should be.
Remove all uneaten food from the vivarium daily and clean any dropping from
the cage daily also.
Cleaning should be done regulary and a reptile safe disinfectant should be
employed to sterilise the vivarium.
There are many types of flooring, shredded paper, hay, wood chip or calcium sand.
Please do not use beach sand, bird sand or childrens play box sand as this is made
of silica and will cause problems if it is ingested. I find the wood based cat litter can
be a problem as it breaks down in to saw dust when it is wet.
I use beech wood chips for my tortoise and have no problems.
It is large enough that if the tortoise gets it into its mouth it will feel it and spit it out.
It is dry and aborbent so drying the dropings quickly.
Tortoise can be kept warm all year round in this way and do not need to be
hibernated unless you are going to breed them.
Remembr these are long term pets that can live over fifty years.

Answer 2

Tortoises mostly come from warmer climates , and most species are very sun-loving animals that definately need additional heat.

Many people raise tortoises in very poor conditions and the animals will live for years this way. This fools people into thinking the animals are healthyand happy, when they really are not.

Now- besides heat, you'll need humidity control (some want very very humdi, others want very, very dry) and lighting that simulates the sun, including what are called UBV-B rays.

For good care ideas, try http://www.austinsturtlepage.com for more help!

Answer 3

Yes they will need heat. Where are you thinking of getting the tortoise from ?

I have been looking here for several weeks now and they are fab. You are able to get everything you need there, e.g lights, substrate, vitamins and loads loads more. Please have a look that will suit most of your needs most definitly!

http://www.thetortoiseshop.com

AND NO NO NO THERE IS ONE THING YOU ARE DOING WRONG IN THINKING, DO NOT GET A VIVARIUM, AND MOST CERTAINLY NOT A TANK, there are a no no, to much heat will build up there leading to too much condensation leading to a slow respiritary problems for the tortoise later on in life, please d not get one of them!
Whats best is a tabletop pen type thingie or

Why not build you own, visit here for more details:

http://www.carlisletortoises.com

I hope this helps

And Good Luck x

Answer 4

well you will need heat for the tortoise because in that kind of climate they can get sick. plus right now they are hibernating so you won't need that much heat til around march-april when they come out of hibernation. letting them roam free in the house is ok but they will find places to hide and when that happens you will have a hard time finding him. i have 2 of them and i keep them in a big trough that is used for horses, and i have a top heat and the uvb light for them, also i use alfalfa pellets for the bedding. you don't want to provide them with to much heat right now because you want them to hibernate because if they can't do this then they will have trouble doing it next yea and they will get sick. letting them do this will help them stay healthy. if you get one then get a large enclosure(like a horse trough), pellets, hiding place, uvb light, heat light, and make sure that he has water all the time no matter if he is sleeping or awake they should have water at all times. good luck in finding a tortoise.

Answer 5

ask your local pet storeabout needing a heat mat, but if you do end up needing a heat mat go with a heat lamp instead. heatmats can burn the feet and belly of the animal, heat lamps don't burn the animal.

Answer 6

Yes of course they neat heat. Being cold-blooded animals, torties need to bask in heat (a heat lamp over a rock is terrific - do NOT use heat rocks and do NOT put the heat bulb close enough for your tortie to touch it) to metabolize properly.

Without knowing what kind of tortie you want to get, I cannot precise further. But please, please do your research, thoroughly, before buying anything.

Answer 7

yes they do. mayb this will help. this is a care sheet for russian tortoises but it works for all.


http://russiantortoise.org/care_sheet.htm

Answer 8

4 da one in water, yeah, u need more or less worm water. 4 da oda one, dunno.