Can THB swim ?

Boettgeri

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Hello

I've seen here videos of tortoises swimming. I didn't know tortoises can swim. I've speak to a man who made a little "swimming pool" for his hermann tortoise. He also told me that boettgeri can swim as well . I have 2 boettgeri (3 years old). This year it is too late because they will hibernate soon. But I'm thinking on making a little swimming pool for them next year.

What do you think ? Do you have any experience with it ?

Thanks. Have a good day !
 

Yvonne G

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Tortoises that are said to be able to swim are usually the high-domed species. The flatter species, like a California desert tortoise, for instance, sink like a stone. I'm going out on a limb here and saying that if a high domed species is left in the water for a long period of time, it will eventually get water logged and sink and drown. They don't really "swim", but because of the air volume, they float. "They" say that the original Galapagos tortoise floated to the islands from South America. That's a pretty long time for a tortoise to be in the water. Seems like I remember reading an article a while ago about a Galapagos tortoise that was found near the ocean that had barnacles on its shell???
 

Maro2Bear

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Greetings..

I just watched this Desert Tortoise going for a swim video on YouTube the other day. Hard to say if it went in ‘cause it wanted to, or was getting away from the camera guy.. Either way, it seemed to enjoy a nice float.

 

wellington

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I don't think the DT really wanted to go in the water.
My leopards can swim. However, I would never give them a pond they couldn't touch the bottom in.
 

Boettgeri

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Thank you for replying.

I have also seen this video about the desert tortoise and I was surprised. I have seen a video about a graeca sinking and other videos about THH or THB swimming.
The man I spoke with (the one with the little swimming pool for his tortoise) told me that if tortoises go swimming (they are not forced to after all) it means they want it...

I have always paid attention to water and they could always touch the bottom (I was afraid they could sink) but now I'm not so sure about it. I suppose it is not very important for them to swim anyway.
 

Markw84

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All tortoises should be able to swim. Going into the water voluntarily, they will hold enough air in their lungs to ensure they float. Although not good at "swimming", they do paddle with their inefficient feet to get around quite well.

Living tissue of all types is extremely close to neutral buoyancy. Fat is less dense than water and will float quite well. Blood is neutral. Organs and gut content is neutral. Lean muscle is just a bit denser than water and will slowly sink. Bone is also slightly denser than water depending upon how much calcium phosphate is being held in the bone. Bone with a good calcium reserve is denser. The porous inner part of bone is fairly neutral.

Tortoises have very little fat compared to most animals. So they can sink easier than most animals. Some tortoises have a greater bone to total mass ratio and sink easier. Normally the higher domed, larger tortoises can float better. However, as in most all animals, the amount of air held in the lungs is the deciding factor. If a tortoise that has been startled, or simply released its air when picked up (hissed) is then placed in water, it will normally sink. A tortoise that voluntarily enters the water will float. They usually can submerge at will by releasing air.

A tortoise would normally never drop into water. Unlike aquatic turtles, tortoises have a good "fear of heights" and will never go over an edge they cannot feel the bottom when reaching. Since this would normally be dropping perhaps off a cliff onto rocks, an important survival mechanism. Aquatic turtles drop fearlessly off their basking perch no matter how high. Since this is normally over water - an important flight and survival mechanism. So when we place a tortoise that is not touching the ground into water, it is most often prepared for a possible drop and has released a good portion of its air. So let a tortoise walk into water on its own to see if it can swim!!
 

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