Is it possible to ride a tortoise

Depending on how badly hurt the tortoise is, then you should have at least an hour to get it to a vet. This means bacteria will be slower moving about the body and infections take a little longer to set in. Obviously, the sooner the tortoise gets help the better, as with any severe injury.

And the sooner the tortoise or turtle gets medical attention, the less dangerous it gets as both tortoises and turtles can heal pretty quickly with the right help. When a tortoise gets crushed under extra weight, severe damage is done to the shell. The tortoise will most likely perish after being crushed hard enough for the shell to shatter. However, in some cases the tortoise can survive a little longer but not without help from people.

Younger tortoises are at a higher risk of their shells being broken or punctured under extra weight. Unfortunately, no. Once crushed or broken, the shell will never fully reform. Extra weight causes too much damage, and a fully crushed or shattered shell cannot be salvaged.

If your tortoise was put under extra weight, accidental or otherwise, and you notice a crack in her shell, be careful! But it could slowly develop into a very deep break. This is especially true if your tortoise continues to have extra weight put on her. Unless the damage is too severe, in that case humane euthanasia is the best option. Always contact a vet who specializes in reptiles beforehand. However, there are some common ways that people have used to create a temporary fix for a tortoise shell.

These quick fixes often buy the tortoise enough time to get to the vet for a permanent patch. Epoxy seems to be a common fix for turtle shells, possibly due to its water-tight properties and strong bond. There are also some stories of a woman who 3D printed shell parts for her tortoise, and just replaces those parts as it grows.

Most tortoises grow to be very large, some getting to be pounds in weight. Even though they are strong, they should never be used as pack animals. They should never be ridden on, even by small kids. Extra weight can damage or break their legs.

IT can also crack, break, or totally crush their shells. Highest head wins! The loser will suck his head in and slink away. A much smaller male with a longer neck may end up beating a very large male if he can raise his head high enough.

If only men were as smart as tortoises the world would be a much more peaceful and tall place. The impressive hissing noise occurs when they pull their heads back into their shells. They release the air in their lungs so they can have room for their heads, and this is what makes the hissing noise.

Galapagos tortoises can go for a whole year without food or water. How do they do it? Their bodies slowly start breaking down their body fat, which produces water as a byproduct , allowing them to survive.

How crazy is that! The skirt-like edges scoots on the shell of the Galapagos tortoise will wear down as the tortoise gets older, and the scales on the fronts of their legs will do the same. The young tortoises have scales on their legs to protect their face and neck when they suck themselves into their shells. While baby tortoises have lots of threats see fact 13 , the adult Galapagos tortoise has almost nothing to worry about.

Galapagos tortoises are herbivores and enjoy eating grass, fruit, leaves, flowers, cactus, and prickly pear — a fruit that grows on cactuses. The mother digs a hole in the sand and promptly proceeds to pee all over it.

Thanks a lot MOM. She then buries her eggs 12 inches 30 cm deep, and then covers them with sand. Galapagos tortoises lay up to 16 eggs. The eggs are hard-shelled and about as big as tennis balls. The exact life expectancy of a wild Galapagos tortoise is uncertain, but is probably to years. An adult Madagascar tortoise presented as a gift to the Queen of Tonga in the 's died in They reach sexual maturity only at age 20 to Another rather interesting aspect is the difference in the various races inhabiting the different islands.

Originally there were 14 races, each inhabiting a different island, and on Isabela, a different volcano. Two of the races, those of Floreana and Santa Fe, were extinct by the middle of the eighteenth century; the Fernandina race became extinct in the twentieth century. Only one individual, a male named "Lonesome George" survives from the Pinta race.

The Espanola race was very near extinction by is recovering due to the breeding program of the Darwin Research Station. The shells of the tortoises come in two basic varieties, dome-shaped and saddle-backed.