Replicating natural habitats of tortoises

[alley cat]

Ok so another post has arrived while I was writing mine!

I thought that the question was about more than BASIC needs.

[FLINTUS]

This has the potential to be quite an interesting thread. I would say that a tortoise could 'survive' without mineral supplements for a very long time even if the diet wasn't right.

[FLINTUS]

Originally Posted by alley cat

Ok so another post has arrived while I was writing mine!

I thought that the question was about more than BASIC needs.

It's about both really, feel free to say what you want about either basic needs or how to enrich the enclosure-after all that is what a forum is for, discussion. Obviously there is a line between creating your habitat as too natural as this could pose a threat to your tortoises but just something interesting to think about

[lynnedit]

The title is Replicating Natural habitat of Tortoises.
I don't see much point in having any pet or animal in my possession unless I provide more than basic needs, I guess.
I do think my Horsfields 'enjoy' the gravely areas, herbs to burrow under (when there is sun), a dry place to retreat to, and being able to graze through out the day on weeds, etc. They like the space to roam. It isn't a complex set up, just large enough with variety.
I believe they are healthier for this more naturalistic setting, because they have choices.

[FLINTUS]

Just a question for testudo keepers here in the UK as I can't get my reds out often due to weather, would the temps they receive in gardens really mimic the wild conditions? Britain is quite humid in general and obviously cold compared to most temps around the med. I'm sure the temps would drop as low as this sometimes but not all the time. So on this basis is it better to have them with natural temps but under artificial UV? From my limited knowledge of testudo I would say no, better outside but surely this is worth considering?

[Suze65]

All animals in captivity need to have their enclosures enhanced to promote natural behaviour. Even tortoises can get bored, they are quite inquisitive and if you put something new in their enclosure, they will go and look and probably climb on it!!

[FLINTUS]

Or destroy it lol. Kevin, one of my males eats all the plants I have inside and out

[Hanako]

Originally Posted by FLINTUS

This has the potential to be quite an interesting thread. I would say that a tortoise could 'survive' without mineral supplements for a very long time even if the diet wasn't right.

I don't know. What about without vitamin D? Completely deformed shell, how long could the tortoise survive? (I wouldn't want to try!)

I think it depends how bad the diet would be. Same with a human - we can survive on completely unhealthy diet (if we overlook the health problems arising from it), but there are some vitamins and minerals that we really need and if we did not have them from our diet at all (if it was perhaps diet eating just one type of food which wouldn't even be very nutritious), I think in such (rare) situation a human would not survive either.

[FLINTUS]

Originally Posted by Hanako

I don't know. What about without vitamin D? Completely deformed shell, how long could the tortoise survive? (I wouldn't want to try!)

I think it depends how bad the diet would be. Same with a human - we can survive on completely unhealthy diet (if we overlook the health problems arising from it), but there are some vitamins and minerals that we really need and if we did not have them from our diet at all (if it was perhaps diet eating just one type of food which wouldn't even be very nutritious), I think in such (rare) situation a human would not survive either.

Exactly. But as you said no one would want to try this on torts so really we would have to base it on what we see with live torts kept without supplementation and a good diet because there are many kept this way.

[Hanako]

Originally Posted by FLINTUS

Exactly. But as you said no one would want to try this on torts so really we would have to base it on what we see with live torts kept without supplementation and a good diet because there are many kept this way.

No, but we could test it on people!

I did not really mean just without supplements. But what if you let's say fed it only lettuce and nothing else? Lettuce probably doesn't contact much vitamins and minerals and if you don't supplement and don't provide variety and keep to only one type of food, I think their shell would go softer and sooner or later the health problems would lead to death.