Tortoise Age vs Enclosure Type

[Sdapsam]

Hi all,

Currently, my tortoise is almost exactly 1 year old. I got him (we're not sure on the gender yet but are going with 'him') when he was 8 months. At the age of 1, is he still considered to be a hatchling? If not, what would be considered as now?

To prevent pyramiding, I know that hatchlings ideally need to be in an enclosed chamber. I got my tortoise when he was 8 months old and despite the daily soaks the owner gave it, he was just about starting to pyramid –– i'm hoping i've caught it early enough for it to not make a difference to his health. However, I also know that tortoises don't need to be kept in an enclosed chamber forever, and that it's different when they're older. My question is 'how much older'? At what point can they move from being in an enclosed chamber to being in an open topped one? Or better yet, being outside?

Thanks!

 

[RandyTortoise]

Hi all,

Currently, my tortoise is almost exactly 1 year old. I got him (we're not sure on the gender yet but are going with 'him') when he was 8 months. At the age of 1, is he still considered to be a hatchling? If not, what would be considered as now?

To prevent pyramiding, I know that hatchlings ideally need to be in an enclosed chamber. I got my tortoise when he was 8 months old and despite the daily soaks the owner gave it, he was just about starting to pyramid –– i'm hoping i've caught it early enough for it to not make a difference to his health. However, I also know that tortoises don't need to be kept in an enclosed chamber forever, and that it's different when they're older. My question is 'how much older'? At what point can they move from being in an enclosed chamber to being in an open topped one? Or better yet, being outside?

Thanks!

Depends on what kind of tortoise. Some grow slower or faster depending on the species.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

As mentioned above it can depend on species/growth rates, some grow a bit slower than others.

I consider a one year old as a yearling till they’re two lol, people call different stages different things tbh

You have a Herman correct? Most people give them at least 2 years in a closed chamber, 3 max, it can depend on individual growth rates tooin terms of being outside, it’ll be safe for him to have an hour or two when the weathers nice now, but wouldn’t go longer till he’s at least 2

 

[Tom]

Hi all,

Currently, my tortoise is almost exactly 1 year old. I got him (we're not sure on the gender yet but are going with 'him') when he was 8 months. At the age of 1, is he still considered to be a hatchling? If not, what would be considered as now?

To prevent pyramiding, I know that hatchlings ideally need to be in an enclosed chamber. I got my tortoise when he was 8 months old and despite the daily soaks the owner gave it, he was just about starting to pyramid –– i'm hoping i've caught it early enough for it to not make a difference to his health. However, I also know that tortoises don't need to be kept in an enclosed chamber forever, and that it's different when they're older. My question is 'how much older'? At what point can they move from being in an enclosed chamber to being in an open topped one? Or better yet, being outside?

Thanks!

Its size, not age. Some grow really fast and some grow really slow, and this depends on many factors. If you are using a closed chamber to help maintain higher humidity for smoother growth, then you need it for as long as the tortoise is growing. Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry. If your tortoise is close to full grown then humidity is less important. If your 5 year old torts is still really small and has a lot of growing to do, it needs the humidity. If you 2 year old has been power fed a high protein diet, kept warm all the time, and kept super well hydrated and is near full size, then it really doesn't need the humidity.

BUT... here's the thing: There is no time when a large closed chamber isn't a better way to house them, especially in the UK because of how cold you all keep your homes in winter over there. Closed chambers make it easy to maintain and control the temps and humidity. If you want it warm with high humidity, that is easy to do. If you want it cooler with low humidity, and it also easy to do. Keeping the room air out of your enclosure air makes everything easier.

I would recommend keeping your tortoise in a large closed chamber for the rest of its life during the times when it must be indoors. They can survive in open tables, but closed chambers are better for them if they have to be indoors.

They can be outside any time the weather is suitable at any age. I keep outdoor time to about an hour or two for babies, but I add more hours outside as they grow. Just make sure they are in a safe secure enclosure.

Check out SouthDown Aquatics for large, well built, nice looking closed chambers in the UK.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Tom brings up an excellent point, it is really handy for people in the uk having either a closed set up, or at least the option to cover it during winter, I’ve had so many messages from uk keepers who don’t brumate or it’s getting cold much earlier, who just can’t keep their temperatures where needed with an open top, making their tortoises slow down too early.
I can vouch for Southdown aquatics personally, great company, make custom sizes, good quality vivs, we’ve made multiple orders with them, you’d have no problem maintaining temperatures year round with that kind of set up

 

[Sdapsam]

As mentioned above it can depend on species/growth rates, some grow a bit slower than others.

I consider a one year old as a yearling till they’re two lol, people call different stages different things tbh

You have a Herman correct? Most people give them at least 2 years in a closed chamber, 3 max, it can depend on individual growth rates tooin terms of being outside, it’ll be safe for him to have an hour or two when the weathers nice now, but wouldn’t go longer till he’s at least 2

Thats right, Ernest is a Hermanns

Super helpful, thank you! It's little things like this that are closing up my tortoise knowledge gaps.

Its size, not age. Some grow really fast and some grow really slow, and this depends on many factors. If you are using a closed chamber to help maintain higher humidity for smoother growth, then you need it for as long as the tortoise is growing. Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry. If your tortoise is close to full grown then humidity is less important. If your 5 year old torts is still really small and has a lot of growing to do, it needs the humidity. If you 2 year old has been power fed a high protein diet, kept warm all the time, and kept super well hydrated and is near full size, then it really doesn't need the humidity.

BUT... here's the thing: There is no time when a large closed chamber isn't a better way to house them, especially in the UK because of how cold you all keep your homes in winter over there. Closed chambers make it easy to maintain and control the temps and humidity. If you want it warm with high humidity, that is easy to do. If you want it cooler with low humidity, and it also easy to do. Keeping the room air out of your enclosure air makes everything easier.

I would recommend keeping your tortoise in a large closed chamber for the rest of its life during the times when it must be indoors. They can survive in open tables, but closed chambers are better for them if they have to be indoors.

They can be outside any time the weather is suitable at any age. I keep outdoor time to about an hour or two for babies, but I add more hours outside as they grow. Just make sure they are in a safe secure enclosure.

Check out SouthDown Aquatics for large, well built, nice looking closed chambers in the UK.

And this makes perfect sense of course. I think I'll definitely steer to 'enclosed chamber for the rest of it's life', whilst the weather doesn't allow for living outdoors. The UK is a harsh and unforgiving environment for humans let alone tortoises.

So if I'm summarising correctly, tortoise milestones are measured more by size / weight than age, as they can all grow at different rates. And it doesn't really matter if it's a hatchling, a baby, a juvenile, whatever –– if it has growing to do, it's better off in an enclosed chamber.

But then on the note about outside time, you said an hour or two for babies. So then at what size/weights would you consider a tortoise a baby vs a hatchling vs a juvenile?

I've checked out SouthDown Aquatics and you're right, great place to get vivs. I'm fairly good at DIY so i'm comfortable building his enclosure. It's been a tortoise table with a PVC sheet over the top for a while now but i've recently made the switch to enclosing it. At some point I'll likely make a post about airflow and flies... but that's for another time!

Huge thanks everyone!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thats right, Ernest is a Hermanns

Super helpful, thank you! It's little things like this that are closing up my tortoise knowledge gaps.



And this makes perfect sense of course. I think I'll definitely steer to 'enclosed chamber for the rest of it's life', whilst the weather doesn't allow for living outdoors. The UK is a harsh and unforgiving environment for humans let alone tortoises.

So if I'm summarising correctly, tortoise milestones are measured more by size / weight than age, as they can all grow at different rates. And it doesn't really matter if it's a hatchling, a baby, a juvenile, whatever –– if it has growing to do, it's better off in an enclosed chamber.

But then on the note about outside time, you said an hour or two for babies. So then at what size/weights would you consider a tortoise a baby vs a hatchling vs a juvenile?

I've checked out SouthDown Aquatics and you're right, great place to get vivs. I'm fairly good at DIY so i'm comfortable building his enclosure. It's been a tortoise table with a PVC sheet over the top for a while now but i've recently made the switch to enclosing it. At some point I'll likely make a post about airflow and flies... but that's for another time!

Huge thanks everyone!

No problem! Lol you’re not wrong about our harsh climate, I don’t think people realise how unpredictable it is until they’ve been here

Correct yes

@Tom can probably answer the weight question better, but people kind of have different terms for their different ages/size, to me a hatchling is a hatchling up to a year, then a yearling till they’re two, young juvenile till they’re 3 then a juvenile till around the age of 5+, then adults, that’s just me though, some might class them differently and obviously I’m just talking ages, I still consider the life stages the same regardless of weight/size, but some are ahead some are behind size wise if that makes sense. Others may factor in sizing.

Yay awesome! Sounds like a plan

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thats right, Ernest is a Hermanns

Super helpful, thank you! It's little things like this that are closing up my tortoise knowledge gaps.



And this makes perfect sense of course. I think I'll definitely steer to 'enclosed chamber for the rest of it's life', whilst the weather doesn't allow for living outdoors. The UK is a harsh and unforgiving environment for humans let alone tortoises.

So if I'm summarising correctly, tortoise milestones are measured more by size / weight than age, as they can all grow at different rates. And it doesn't really matter if it's a hatchling, a baby, a juvenile, whatever –– if it has growing to do, it's better off in an enclosed chamber.

But then on the note about outside time, you said an hour or two for babies. So then at what size/weights would you consider a tortoise a baby vs a hatchling vs a juvenile?

I've checked out SouthDown Aquatics and you're right, great place to get vivs. I'm fairly good at DIY so i'm comfortable building his enclosure. It's been a tortoise table with a PVC sheet over the top for a while now but i've recently made the switch to enclosing it. At some point I'll likely make a post about airflow and flies... but that's for another time!

Huge thanks everyone!

If you have good DIY skills, I think you should build your own enclosure using expanded PVC sheets. It would be cheaper and will last longer than laminated board used in Southdown Aquatics vivs. Also, you can tailor shape and size to better fit the room space.