Friday, June 15, 2012

Getting The Right Tortoise Housing

By Alan Stables


If you want to have a healthy tortoise, you absolutely have to get it the appropriate tortoise housing. Tortoises live in very different types of climates. In fact, they can be found on all continents except for Antarctica. This is why it is so crucial to know where your tortoise comes from. This will help you set up the right environment for your animal.

To keep a tortoise at home, you will need an area measuring approximately 100 square feet (10 square meters). In general, adults will grow up to about 1 to 2 feet (30 and 60 centimeters) long. Given their need for a lot of space, it is preferable to keep them in outdoor enclosures. Also, they are generally grazers that constantly eat small quantities of food during the day.

Take the climate in which you live into consideration when you decide what tortoise breed you would like to have.

Some tortoise can live without drinking water for years. They are the kinds usually found in desert climates and do not need important amount of water. You will need to provide these tortoises an enclosure that offers a sunny and a shaded area. They will be able to move from one area to another to get the sun that they need. If you put these tortoises in a humid climate, they could suffer from health issues such as respiratory diseases.

Tortoises originating from tropical climates will want an enclosure that offers a good amount of sunlight and some moisture. For the wetness, you can design muddy holes for them to soak in. Without sufficient humidity, these tortoises can become ill. To prevent them from drying out, you can provide substrates which will help hold the moisture.

Species that usually live in cooler climates hibernate during the winter months. You have to know what to do when they do so. You need to provide them with an adequate house that they will use to sleep at night and hide from the rain.

If you do some research on the internet, you will be able to find what your type of tortoise eats and which seeds you could plant in its enclosure. It is vital for you to learn as much as you can about the diet that your specific tortoise needs.

For many, a variety of weeds and grasses represent an acceptable part of a diet. If you want them to feel at home, you need to select the right plants in order to make their tortoise housing as similar to their natural habitat as possible.




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