How did tortoises survive without heat lamps in the 1950s?

[cherylim]

I've spoken to a number of tortoise owners from around that time. It tends to happen at garden centres, when I'm buying an excessive amount of soil. The staff will strike up conversation 'So, what are you planting with all that?', and when I explain that it's for a tortoise enclosure I'm surprised by the amount that respond with 'We used to have one, when I was a child'.

Until I got Emrys, I wasn't aware just how common they'd been. Yet, when you're a tortoise owner, you do start to notice. A lot of people want to share their stories of tortoise ownership, and many I've spoken to here in the UK simply let their tortoises roam in the house and garden unrestricted. So, they got natural UV but still weren't in the best of conditions.

A few people I've spoken to said that they kept their tortoise 'like a cat/dog [delete as appropriate]', and that some simply kept theirs indoors. They'd then proudly say 'They live a long time, don't they? We had ours for at least 10 years!'.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Hi, HelloBella. Interesting question. As others have said, back in the day, people either kept their pet tortoise or box turtle outdoors where nature provided for its needs, or else the poor creature died prematurely. There is a tendency when comparing things between time periods to wonder whether people (or animals) today have it too cushy, and things back then were just right; or to wonder whether things back then were too difficult, and people (or animals) today are fortunate to have more modern conveniences.

A fascinating question. However, when it comes to physiology, a species' needs don't really change that much. Bottom line, Testudo species must bask at a bare minimum of 90*F (preferably 95-100*F) to properly digest their food and keep their immune system up. The rest of the time, they must have ambient daytime temperatures from about 68-86*F (preferably in the 70s), or else their resting metabolism will be too high. Depending on the species, they may also prefer nighttime temperatures in the 60s. As for diet, they must eat mostly leafy greens and weeds to get proper nutrition. Without this diet, they will not thrive, and could eventually die of malnourishment or diarrhea. Diet supplements help, but are not strictly necessary if the tortoise gets fresh greens and adequate sunlight.

I wasn't around in the 50s, but I would think that if the technology and knowledge they had at the time provided for these bare necessities (good temperatures and healthy diet), then the animals would have been fine. But again, I think people back then usually achieved this by keeping their tortoise outside. Sadly, the literature from the US and UK from decades ago is full of pet tortoises and box turtles with extremely high mortality rates.

I think the technology and knowledge we have today allows us to keep these animals in places where we would not have been able to keep them in the past (i.e. indoors in either suitable or unsuitable climates). So, keep doing what you're doing, and enjoy the benefits of 21st Century reptile-keeping, or else you may find yourself facing the problems of 20th Century reptile-keeping.

 

[DesertGrandma]

Back in the 1950s and the 1960s the only thing we knew about were the desert tortoises and the little turtles you bought in the dimestore that were painted with flowers etc. People would pick up desert tortoises and bring them home and put them in their backyards. Some lived and some didn't. They weren't primarily pets but just kept for curiosity sake. I had one friend who did not have a fenced yard and her father tethered a desert tortoise by making a hole in its shell. Today we place a whole lot more value on tortoises as pets then they did then. Thankfully they are now protected so that the poor little turtles don't get their shells painted and the desert tortoises are protected by federal law.

 

[Shannon and Jason]

I just wanted to say thanks for this interesting thread. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

I inherited my first Hermann's from my grandfather, who'd had her since late 1944, and during the winter, she lived in his kitchen, with an infra-red light, as farmers use for poultry, in one corner, to give her a basking spot. He told me that during the summer, when she lived out in his garden, he noticed that she always basked on a flat stone, and he measured it's heat, then made sure it was approx. the same under her lamp. She always had access to water and was soaked 2X a week.

Otherwise, she had the run of his kitchen during the winter, then, when it warmed up, back out to the garden, and this worked for about 30 years, until his passing, then I did pretty much the same, as it seemed to work fine, for 19 more years.

No idea if this was the "universal" technique for keeping a Med. tortoise back then or not, but it worked very well.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

I inherited my first Hermann's from my grandfather, who'd had her since late 1944, and during the winter, she lived in his kitchen, with an infra-red light, as farmers use for poultry, in one corner, to give her a basking spot. He told me that during the summer, when she lived out in his garden, he noticed that she always basked on a flat stone, and he measured it's heat, then made sure it was approx. the same temperature under her lamp. She always had access to water and was soaked 2X a week.

Otherwise, she had the run of his kitchen during the winter, then, when it warmed up, back out to the garden, and this worked for about 30 years, until his passing, then, after she came to me, I did pretty much the same, as it seemed to work fine, for 19 more years.

No idea if this was the "universal" technique for keeping a Med. tortoise back then or not, but it worked very well.

 

[wellington]

I inherited my first Hermann's from my grandfather, who'd had her since late 1944, and during the winter, she lived in his kitchen, with an infra-red light, as farmers use for poultry, in one corner, to give her a basking spot. He told me that during the summer, when she lived out in his garden, he noticed that she always basked on a flat stone, and he measured it's heat, then made sure it was approx. the same temperature under her lamp. She always had access to water and was soaked 2X a week.

Otherwise, she had the run of his kitchen during the winter, then, when it warmed up, back out to the garden, and this worked for about 30 years, until his passing, then, after she came to me, I did pretty much the same, as it seemed to work fine, for 19 more years.

No idea if this was the "universal" technique for keeping a Med. tortoise back then or not, but it worked very well.

That is really a nice story. That's the kind I'd like to hear more of. Thanks for sharing

 

[sibi]

I guess this story answers the initial questions about heat/uvb bulbs. When there weren't any back then, people kept torts outside in warmer temps, and either provided rudimentary heating or brought them inside the house for the winter. And, they were just fine!

 

[mctlong]

I inherited my first Hermann's from my grandfather, who'd had her since late 1944, and during the winter, she lived in his kitchen, with an infra-red light, as farmers use for poultry, in one corner, to give her a basking spot. He told me that during the summer, when she lived out in his garden, he noticed that she always basked on a flat stone, and he measured it's heat, then made sure it was approx. the same temperature under her lamp. She always had access to water and was soaked 2X a week.

Otherwise, she had the run of his kitchen during the winter, then, when it warmed up, back out to the garden, and this worked for about 30 years, until his passing, then, after she came to me, I did pretty much the same, as it seemed to work fine, for 19 more years.

No idea if this was the "universal" technique for keeping a Med. tortoise back then or not, but it worked very well.

Your grandfather was very intuned to the animal's needs. Awesome story!

I was not alive in the 50s and 60s, but my dad was. Him and his family kept Desert Torts (locally wild-caught) in their backyard. According to him, it was common practice here in Southern California to catch and keep tortoises. As this species is native to the area, they were well suited to the outdoor temps here. They were never brought indoors. They were strictly garden animals.

I'm sure it must've been more difficult to keep non-native species that are not suited for our environment. Although, since we get sunshine almost year-round, most torts will probably do okay outdoors here.