Tortoise smoke tolerance?

[Ember909]

I'm wondering how sensitive torts are to smoke and/or airborne ash. I live in NorCal, and during fire season the air is often smoky, sometimes for days at a time. I'm wondering how sensitive tortoise lungs are to that stuff? I know it's good for them to be outside, but obviously not if they are getting lung damage. There's a website that gauges smoke level (I.e. Good, Moderate, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, etc.) in our area, so I can refer to that to get an idea of how dangerous it is for human lungs. I realize this is probably far outside most of all your areas of expertise; does anyone know how bad smoke is for them?

During fire season, our power is often turned off, sometimes for days at a time. We have a generator, but we don't usually run it at night. And since heating and such for the vivarium takes so much energy, I don't know how warm we can keep it. So, how important is night heat? How long can they go without it without health problems? And does anyone have ideas for reducing power consumption for a few days? Thank you in advance.

 

[Sarah2020]

Depends on species and what they require to survive heat wise and enclosure location and surrounding heat. . There are care sheet under forums so you can check. Tortoise need oxygen so smoke will eventually harm however depending on breed they will dig and probably burrow to avoid the full impact.

 

[Ember909]

Depends on species and what they require to survive heat wise and enclosure location and surrounding heat. . There are care sheet under forums so you can check. Tortoise need oxygen so smoke will eventually harm however depending on breed they will dig and probably burrow to avoid the full impact.

The issue with smoke is not that it blocks oxygen. but that the particles can damage lung tissue if they're in large enough concentrations.

 

[NorCal tortoise guy]

I to live in NorCal I have had to deal with tortoises in the smoke for years. If they are small enough I can reasonably being them inside I do. With my big guys I do lock them in there night houses on the worst of days but mostly I let them go about there day. They do tend to spend less time outside on Smokey days. I don’t know the science behind it but I also do guess air quality 12 inches off the ground tends to be a little better.

 

[Ember909]

I to live in NorCal I have had to deal with tortoises in the smoke for years. If they are small enough I can reasonably being them inside I do. With my big guys I do lock them in there night houses on the worst of days but mostly I let them go about there day. They do tend to spend less time outside on Smokey days. I don’t know the science behind it but I also do guess air quality 12 inches off the ground tends to be a little better.

Thanks, that's very helpful! I have tried sniffing various places outside when it's smokey, and as far as I can tell 1 foot above the ground isn't any better than anywhere else. But since the tortoise will be small, I will try what you do and bring it indoors when it's smokey out.