Can Tortoises Carry Weight? | Tortoise Owner (2024)

Horses and oxen have been used for centuries to carry andtransport us and our goods. We’re used to using sturdy animals to help carryour burdens, but recently people have been asking if larger tortoises would beable to carry extra weight, too. They lug around those big shells after all, sothey must be very strong.

So, can a tortoise carry weight? Tortoises cannot carry weight on their shells. As hardy as they are, they’re not meant to carry things around. Putting extra weight on a tortoise shell can hurt them as they are not designed to be pack animals.

Consider this: Large tortoises, such as the Galapagos tortoise, can weigh anything from 250 to 500 pounds. That is already quite a lot of weight for an animal to lug around. But their bodies were built to hold their own weight, so it’s not normally an issue. Adding more weight is cruel and unnecessary. Below, we’ll explore why in more detail.

Can You Ride a Tortoise?

It’s a living creature not a toy, so please don’t sit on atortoise. Not even the big fellas. You’d think that people charged with thecare of these amazing and fascinating animals would know this, but that isn’t alwaysthe case.

Sadly, some zoos and fairs have attractions where tortoisesmust endure some nasty torture. At these attractions, children under a certainweight can have their parents pay so they can sit or ride on the back of gianttortoises. While that sounds all fun and cute for the humans, the tortoisedoesn’t feel the same way.

It’s almost understandable that people believe tortoises areinvincible and have super strength. They’re big and tough-looking. However, tortoisesevolved to carry the weight of their own bodies, not the added weight of asquirming child or your belongings like a horse or mule. In fact, horses,mules, and other beasts of burden were specially bred over hundreds of years anddomesticated for that purpose. Tortoises are still, essentially, while animals.

What Happens If You Ride a Tortoise?

A tortoise’s shell is very strong, we’ll give you that. They are able to withstand a certain amount of punishment, such as predators’ jaws or claws. That’s what they were designed to do, after all. But a human riding a tortoise is literally an unnecessary burden and it can cause health problems.

Damaged Legs

Being forced to carry the extra burden of a human being wasn’tin Mother Nature’s plans for the tortoise. This act could injure their legs.Even if a very large tortoise could carry a human, it will leave them exhaustedor unable to walk properly.

Breathing Issues

Their lungs are located near the top of their bodies, rightunder the shell. Since the shell itself is somewhat porous, it has enough“give” to it to make it possible to compress the tortoise’s lungs ifyou sit on him. Constricting breathing is a surefire way to exhaust a tortoiseand possibly kill him.

Stress Can Kill

Riding a tortoise also causes incredible stress, bothphysical and mental, which can actually kill a tortoise. Remember thattortoises aren’t horses—they can’t buck, run, or really protest if you sit onthem and you’re causing them pain!

Tortoises Can’t Carry Weight Because of How They Move

To help illustrate how dangerous it is to ride a tortoise oradd extra weight to one, let’s look at how they walk compared to humans. Tortoiseswalk on their toes. That means all their own weight is balanced ratherprecariously on those little digits. They must navigate the world this way,every day, balancing that big shell, too. It’s not an easy task, but theymanage by taking lots of rest breaks.

Humans walk on the flat portion of their feet. It makes ourmovements effortless and easy. We can easily carry extra weight this way, too.We can also navigate tough terrain because we’re flexible and agile.

Now, try walking like a tortoise. Stand on your toes, heaveyour house onto your back, and go for a walk. Obviously, that’s not realistic,but you can pick up a heavy backpack instead. That backpack is like atortoise’s shell. It’s heavy, but you can probably do okay for a little while.Now ask your buddy to jump on your back and see how far you get.

But I Saw a Goat Sitting on a Tortoise on Youtube!

You can find videos of anything online, but it doesn’t meanit’s okay. It’s true that there are some wild animals that have been seenjumping up on a tortoise’s back. Yet that doesn’t mean the tortoise likes thisor that it’s safe.

What those videos don’t show is the internal damage to thetortoise’s muscles, ligaments, and joints. We don’t see the damage to the shellor the exhausted tortoise gasping for air after the cameras are shut off.

We can’t really tell a wild goat that standing on thetortoise makes it upset or hurts its legs. However, we can tell humans torespect animals and enjoy them in other ways.

Can a Tortoise Survive Being Run Over?

This might be shocking, but in some instances, yes, atortoise could potentially survive being run over. In the past there have beensome cases of tortoises or turtles being hit by cars and surviving. This dependson the size and age of the tortoise or turtle, of course. The size of thevehicle matters, too.

Some cases of tortoises being hit end with a few cracks inthe shell. While this sounds pretty bad, a cracked shell can be healed. Theyneed to be constantly monitored and repaired by a vet though.

Sadly, other tortoises do not make it out so easily. Manyend up missing large chunks of shell, which can be deadly.

What Should I Do if a Tortoise is Run Over?

The best thing to do if you see a tortoise that was run overor if you run one over yourself, is to take the tortoise or turtle to aspecialized vet right away. If it is severe, then try wrapping the shell in a cleancloth, like a coat or shirt. This will buy you some time and makes sure thatthe poor tortoise’s insides don’t come out or get further injured.

Turtles are a little trickier with shell breaks since theylive in the water. That water and mud will have lots of bacteria which can beharmful if it gets in a wound. Still, wrap the injured turtle and get to a vetas quickly as you can. They may be able to save it.

If a Tortoise is Run Over, How Long Can it Live Without Help?

A morbid topic indeed, but an important one. Depending onhow badly hurt the tortoise is, then you should have at least an hour to get itto a vet. A tortoise’s metabolism is much slower than other reptiles, so itwill burn energy at a much slower rate. This means bacteria will be slowermoving about the body and infections take a little longer to set in.

Obviously, the sooner the tortoise gets help the better, aswith any severe injury. And the sooner the tortoise or turtle gets medicalattention, the less dangerous it gets as both tortoises and turtles can healpretty quickly with the right help. You don’t want the shell breaks to starthealing in the wrong spot, allowing bacteria and mud into the sensitive tissuesusually protected by the shell.

Can a Crushed Tortoise Live Without a Shell?

No as we discussed in this article about tortoise anatomy, the tortoise’s shell is part of it. It’s fused with the backbone and rib-cage. When a tortoise gets crushed under extra weight, severe damage is done to the shell. This opens the tortoise’s body to bacteria, leaves room for infections to set in, and jagged pieces of the shell itself can even damage the tissues underneath.

The tortoise will most likely perish after being crushedhard enough for the shell to shatter. However, in some cases the tortoise cansurvive a little longer but not without help from people.

Younger tortoises are at a higher risk of their shells beingbroken or punctured under extra weight. Additionally, if the tortoise or turtleis generally unhealthy then its shell will be more fragile and can’t handlemuch pressure at all from outside forces.

Can a Tortoise’s Crushed Shell Grow Back?

Unfortunately, no. Once crushed or broken, the shell willnever fully reform. Extra weight causes too much damage, and a fully crushed orshattered shell cannot be salvaged.

Can a Tortoise’s Cracked Shell Heal?

If your tortoise was put under extra weight, accidental orotherwise, and you notice a crack in her shell, be careful! A simple crack isn’tusually life-threatening on its own. But it could slowly develop into a verydeep break. This is especially true if your tortoise continues to have extraweight put on her.

Sadly, the only thing that can be done is to patch the crackin the tortoise’s shell for the rest of its life. Unless the damage is toosevere, in that case humane euthanasia is the best option.

It is not recommended to try and fix a tortoise’s shell onyour own. Always contact a vet who specializes in reptiles beforehand. However,there are some common ways that people have used to create a temporary fix fora tortoise shell. These quick fixes often buy the tortoise enough time to getto the vet for a permanent patch.

Epoxy seems to be a common fix for turtle shells, possiblydue to its water-tight properties and strong bond. There are also some storiesof a woman who 3D printed shell parts for her tortoise, and just replaces thoseparts as it grows. Again, we don’t recommend doing these things without theguidance of your vet, however.

Conclusion

Most tortoises grow to be very large, some getting to be 500pounds in weight. Even though they are strong, they should never be used aspack animals. They should never be ridden on, even by small kids. Extra weightcan damage or break their legs. IT can also crack, break, or totally crushtheir shells.