21
May
Yes the tortoise can go without food for a week no problem but no I do not think you should do this. You can also feed your tortoise every other day or even three times a week but this all depends on your particular tortoise and the amount of nutrients in their meals.
The quality of their health will be questionable though so avoid this.
How long can a desert tortoise go without food. On top of that some tortoise species are able to undergo hibernation or brumation which can significantly lessen their need for food. In general a healthy adult tortoise can live for as much as 6 months to 3 years without food provided that they have access to drinking water and their other needs are met. Yes the tortoise can go without food for a week no problem but no I do not think you should do this.
I think that would be edging towards neglect. The issue is not so much that the tortoise in the wild can do it but the captive tortoise is used to food coming every day. A tortoise can go without fresh drinking water for a maximum of one week in low humidity environments.
Longer than two days is already difficult for a tortoise as it should take in fresh drinking water every day. Some pet tortoise owners can unfortunately get the idea that tortoises can live a long time without food or water because theyre able to live in difficult environments. Desert tortoises usually live 60 to 70 years but there are cases when a desert tortoise can end up living more than 100 years.
As you can see the amount of time a desert tortoise will live is not very well defined. This is not because there werent enough studies made or anything like that. How Long Can A Tortoise Go Without Eating.
When it comes to how long a tortoise can go without eating there is a broad range of time based on several factors. The short and quick answer is that a tortoise can go anywhere from 6 months to 3 years without eating. Like I said a broad range.
Desert tortoise can live without consuming water for more than a year. The shells of these creatures are high-domed with space large enough for the lungs that can efficiently carry on with thermoregulation in the heat of the waterless deserts. Desert annuals are preferred food flowers and vegetative portions Can consume enough annuals at peak blooming time to survive summer and winter dormancy periods.
In years of high rainfall tortoises can afford to be more selective in food choices Oftedal 2002 Observed choosing plant species that arent common. May choose many high-moisture plant. Major plant food consumed in Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.
Ive found the best way to determine the right amount of food to provide a tortoise every day is the tried and tested method of providing a large amount and then noting how much is eaten by the tortoise within 20 to 30 minutes. You can then provide this same tailored amount every day. 10 best foods for the desert tortoise.
Below we have given you the 10 best foods for desert tortoises and made the purpose of this article clear that what do desert tortoises eat Alfalfa. Bermuda and deer grasses. Apples pears and strawberries.
5 best ways desert tortoise eat. He had climbed over his obviously not so tortoise-proof barrier and I estimate that he could have been in there from anything from 20 miutes up to a maximum of 2 hours. Having searched the garden first I then searched the pond and to my horror my hand touched his shell.
The pond is 65 cms deep and he was at the bottom. How Long Can Tortoises Go Without Food. Tortoises can stay for very long periods with no food.
They can go for as long as 2 to three years without eating. The quality of their health will be questionable though so avoid this. In terms of days a turtle can survive around 160 days without food.
However they must also have access to water during this time period as well as a healthy amount of light. How Long Can A Turtle Survive Without Food and Water. There have been a few instances of turtles that have been unable to get to food and have managed to survive for months and even years.
You can also feed your tortoise every other day or even three times a week but this all depends on your particular tortoise and the amount of nutrients in their meals. The size of the meal is also important but there is no set rule on how much to give a tortoise. The desert tortoise is one of the two known tortoises in existence that has been observed engaging in homosexual intercourse.
The desert tortoise grows slowly often taking 16 years or longer to reach about 20 cm 8 in in length. The growth rate varies with age location gender and precipitation. But this will change very soon.
During the first years of their lives desert tortoises will grow very fast. This rapid growth will last for 2 or 4 years and then it will considerably start to slow down. You can expect that a juvenile desert tortoise will get from 2 to 3 inches in very short period of time.
The release of pet or captive desert tortoises to the wild is illegal without prior authorization from the Nevada Department of Wildlife NAC 503135 NRS 501105 NRS 501181 NRS 503597. In Utah a person must obtain a Certificate of Registration from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to legally possess a captive desert tortoise. You might also try some grasses for your Sonoran desert tortoises.
If you dont have access to grass that hasnt been treated with insecticide or herbicides you can purchase grass seed to sprout or you can buy kits offered for sale at pet home and feed stores for cats and birds. These are easy to grow and very healthful for them. Desert tortoises are a protected species in the United States and can no longer legally be bought sold or taken from the wildIf youre fortunate enough to have a permit to keep one of these magnificent creatures youll certainly want to be sure you do everything by the book to keep them healthy including of course keeping them at the right temperature.