Although there are no tortoises native to the UK, we’ve always had a soft spot for these endearing reptiles and 40 years ago they were a common family pet. However, it’s perfectly legal to buy captive-bred tortoises in the UK (see left for suitable breeds) and they remain highly desirable pets.

While you may think owning a parrot or a tortoise is harmless, keeping them as pets is not just unethical but illegal, and can land you in jail.

All Annex A tortoises require an Article 10 licence (A10) before any commercial transaction (sale) can take place. However, there is no requirement for a licence in order to possess an Annex A tortoise, or if you give one away as a gift.

Baby tortoises should never be housed outdoors. Instead, they should be reared indoors under controlled conditions until they are certainly large enough to fend for themselves outside. If your tortoise enclosure is built directly on the ground, you should assume that at some point your animals will try to dig out.

A healthy tortoise will have signs of a growth ring, which appears as a palish band in between the bony plates (scutes) and above the lower, marginal scutes. When holding a tortoise it should feel solid rather than light. The eyes of the tortoise should be clear and bright and there should be no sign of discharge.

Can tortoises hear? Yes, very well. Their ears are covered by skin flaps. They sometimes follow your voice.

Tortoises drink water by submerging their face into the water and slowly drink it up. If you see your tortoise doing this, don’t worry. It’s completely normal. You may also note that they don’t gulp down the water or create excess bubbles.

The giant tortoises of the Galapagos and Seychelle Islands do not need to hibernate, but they do sleep during the cooler nights and often up to 18 hours a day, moving around only when they get warm enough.

Turtle & Tortoise Facts. Tortoises are very smart and can actually learn their name. Turtles will also recognize their keepers, but mostly because they are excited you’re bringing them food.

You need to take the turtle of it’s tank, so it can stretch its legs. The turtle will get used to you. Finally, you can start scratching its back, with a tooth brush (hopefully, not the same one with which you brush your teeth) and a friendship will bond. This will take time.

Since tortoises are reptiles, they are not capable of feeling “love” as we humans understand it. However, tortoises do show signs of affection and appreciation for their owners. They follow their pet parents around, tolerate handling, eat directly from human hands, and come to us when they see us.

In general, a healthy adult tortoise can live for as much as 6 months to 3 years without food, provided that they have access to drinking water and their other needs are met.

The simple answer is yes. In captivity it normally happens by accident. Usually, it happens during hand feeding or when they are hungry and “test bite” to see if something they see is edible.

A dead tortoise tends to exhibit sunken eyes with no sign of life and dullness to them. The third eyelid may also be more visible. The eyes of a healthy tortoise – by comparison – should be clear and bright. There should also be no sign of discharge or infection.

Tortoises can freeze to death. A tortoise is a cold-blooded animal and in the wild, they tend to hibernate through winter to avoid extreme cold. If the temperature drops too low for too long, whether or not the tortoise is in hibernation, she can freeze to death. Anything below is very cold and can become dangerous.

Feeding torts can be fun, but you need to do so with great care. Make sure you know the species of your tortoise and get a wide variety of foods it can eat. You can feed your tortoise every day, every other day, or three days every week.

A tortoise is likely to die on its back if it’s left out in the sun. In this case, the tortoise is in danger because of overheating. Since they are cold-blooded, they can’t sweat or regulate their own body temperature.

It depends on where it turns upside down. If under a light, and a small tortoise, then maybe an hour (just a guess) as they become dehydrated very quickly. The larger the tortoise the longer they will survive, but still hydration under a light will kill.

Tortoises and turtles absolutely cannot live without their shells. It is fused to the tortoises’ and turtles’ bones so they cannot live without it. In fact, the shell of a tortoise or turtle has nerve endings, which means it can feel you touching it and it hurts when the shell is damaged.

Sometimes a lack of space can cause a tortoise to feel frustrated and want to ‘escape. ‘ If your indoor enclosure is too small, your tortoise might be trying to climb walls to escape. However, larger tortoises will obviously require larger enclosures.

Turtles generally hiss because they are scared. Since turtles do not have vocal cords, the hissing sound is produced when air is expelled rapidly from their lungs when they tuck their head into their shell. If your turtle hisses a lot, it may mean that it isn’t comfortable.

There are 3 main reasons for a tortoise that keeps pacing: It’s a normal mating behavior designed to attract the opposite sex, pacing can be a reaction to the glass in some vivariums or terrariums, and finally, it may be that your tortoise is from a species that walks a lot and finds the enclosure a little small.

Why does my tortoise keep scratching? You may find your tortoise scratches because its enclosure is too small for it and it feels trapped. Another reason for scratching can be lack of substrate. It’s also suggested that tortoises may become confused by the glass and try to get through it.