It is clear that many animals – especially domestic animals like dogs and cats — live long, healthy, and happy lives as pets. But many people wonder if the same can be said of exotic, non-domesticated species, such as tortoises. Specifically, they wonder if it is cruel to keep a tortoise as a pet.
In the abstract, the answer is clearly “no.” There is nothing inherently cruel about keeping a tortoise as a pet. In fact, many tortoises thrive when kept as pets.
However, that doesn’t mean all tortoises enjoy living as a pet – some probably do not like this kind of living situation.
I’ll explain the things that determine whether an individual tortoise enjoys a pet life and how to ensure you aren’t being cruel to your pet below.
Quality of Life
It’s difficult, if not actually impossible, to determine whether tortoises experience emotions like “happiness,” “joy,” or “sadness.” We obviously can’t speak with tortoises, and they’re so different from humans that we simply have no idea what their inner world is like.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t infer anything about their experiences. It’s just more helpful to frame the discussion in terms of their “quality of life,” rather than by labeling them with human emotions, which may not apply to these shelled creatures.
Some of the most important factors to consider when pondering the quality of life of any animal include:
- Does the animal enjoy a longer lifespan when kept as a pet than it would in the wild? When provided with proper care, pet tortoises can (and often do) live longer lives than their wild counterparts.
- Does the animal live a healthier life when kept as a pet than it would in the wild? As long as the tortoise is provided with proper husbandry and regular access to veterinary care, individuals kept as pets undoubtedly enjoy better health than wild tortoises.
- Does it have access to better food when kept as a pet than it would in the wild? Provided that the keeper selects and offers proper food for the species being kept as a pet, then yes – pet tortoises enjoy better diets than their wild counterparts.
- Does it have the chance to exhibit a full range of natural behaviors when kept as a pet? When provided with large, enriching enclosures and an appropriate social environment, many pet tortoises can exhibit most, if not all, behaviors they would in the wild.
- Does it experience less stress when living as a pet than it would living in the wild? Because pet tortoises needn’t search for their own food, suffer from untreated illness, or avoid predators, they usually experience far less stress than they would in the wild.
Because most tortoise keepers can answer these questions affirmatively, we can be reasonably confident that pet tortoises are capable of living “happy” lives.
Factors That Influence Your Tortoise’s Quality of Life
We’ve demonstrated that it’s certainly possible for tortoises to enjoy a high quality of life, but that doesn’t mean all pet tortoises do. The difference between those that do and don’t typically comes down to the type of care their keeper provides.
Some of the most important things you’ll need to do for your tortoise to ensure a good quality of life include:
- Providing sufficient space: Providing ample space for your tortoise is critical in ensuring he enjoys a high quality of life. Different tortoise species obviously reach different sizes; so, you’ll need to tailor the amount of space you provide to the species you’re maintaining. As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to provide most species with enclosures that are 6 to 7 times as long and wide as your tortoise’s shell length.
- Providing proper environmental conditions: In addition to providing ample space, you must also ensure that your pet’s environment is appropriate for his species. This includes providing proper temperatures and humidity levels, as well as suitable lighting.
- Providing opportunities for mental enrichment: While tortoises aren’t as intelligent as dogs or cats, they still require mental stimulation to live a full life. This can be achieved by providing complex (as opposed to “sterile”) habitats, which are full of various obstacles, visual barriers, and things to explore. It’s also wise to allow your tortoise to go for occasional “walks” in new places, such as your back yard. Just be sure to supervise your pet while he’s exploring.
- Providing a tasty and nutritious diet: While tortoises are primarily herbivorous (many species will consume animal-based foods from time to time), the specific makeup of their diets varies from one species to the next. Some primarily require grasses and weeds, while others incorporate more fruits in their diet. In any case, be sure to provide your tortoise with a diet suitable for his species, as well as occasional tortoise-safe “treats” (such as edible flowers).
- Providing appropriate social dynamics: It isn’t clear whether tortoises appreciate the company of others or not (outside of breeding seasons). Accordingly, because long-term cohabitation (particularly among members of the same sex) may result in stress, the best approach is likely to keep tortoises individually for much of the year and allow periods of cohabitation during the breeding season.
Species Selection: A Critical Factor for Your Tortoise’s Quality of Life
While you can be reasonably sure that your pet tortoise will enjoy a high quality of life if you satisfy the issues discussed previously, it is important to note the role your tortoise’s species plays. Simply put, it is easier to provide a high quality of life for some species than others.
For example, very few keepers are capable of providing the kind of space that adult Galapagos tortoises (Chelonoidis niger) require. Deprived of sufficient space, such tortoises would likely experience a relatively poor quality of life, potentially representing cruel treatment on behalf of the keeper.
So, would-be tortoise keepers would be wise to select species whose needs are easier to satisfy. A few of the species best suited for life as a pet include:
- Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii)
- Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni)
- Egyptian tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni)
- Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca)
- Marginated tortoise (Testudo marginata)
- Red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius)
- Yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus)
Captive Bred or Wild Caught?
There’s one final thing tortoise keepers should consider when striving to provide their pet with the highest quality of life possible: Always obtain captive-bred rather than wild-caught individuals whenever possible.
Removing tortoises from the wild can obviously impact their populations, but captive-bred individuals don’t cause this kind of problem. Additionally, the process of being captured and then shipped across the globe is also quite stressful for the individual animals. Further, wild tortoises almost always suffer from things like dehydration, malnutrition, and high parasite loads. These conditions will substantially reduce your pet’s quality of life and necessitate significant veterinary assistance.
Additionally, captive-bred tortoises simply adapt better to pet life than their wild-caught counterparts. This is likely due, in part, to the fact that captive-bred tortoises usually see humans from the moment they hatch. This helps them become accustomed to interacting with their keepers, unlike wild-caught tortoises, who’ll likely view humans as potential predators.
Citations
- PetMD – How Long Do Turtles and Tortoise Live?
- Green Lane Farm Boarding Kennels – Understanding Your Tortoise’s Behavior
- Reptiles Magazine – Russian Tortoise Care Sheet
- North Hampton Reptile Centre – Hermann’s Tortoise Care Sheet
- Reptiles Magazine – Red-Footed Tortoise Care Sheet
