Why Pet Tortoises Die: 10+ Common Causes & How to Prevent Them | Tortoise Owner (2024)

There is nothing as heartbreaking as finding your pettortoise dead and wondering what went wrong. This is an unfortunate reality formany newbie tortoise-keepers, but it could have been prevented with someresearch and education. That’s why we’re here today writing about thisupsetting topic. If this sad discussion can help save lives, we’ll do it!

So, why do tortoises die? Tortoises can die for a number of reasons including insufficient food, poor quality diet, unsanitary conditions, stress, and untreated infections and injuries. All these can cause your pet tortoise to die.

To prevent your tortoises from dying, you have but to readthis article and learn to spot the signs of trouble before it’s too late. Evenbetter: read this article and avoid trouble in the first place!

Tortoises Can Die from Underfeeding

There is a lot of information on the internet regardingproper feeding of tortoises. Unfortunately, most of that information isregurgitated bad advice. Tortoises are not a one-size-fits-all pet. Just asevery human has different dietary needs, so too do all tortoises.

So, if all torts are different, how do you know how much tofeed them?

Age

A tortoise’s age is a big factor in how much you should befeeding. Babies need less food at each meal, but may need more frequentfeedings. Tiny tummies don’t have room for extra food, and it’s not good tofill those little spaces with unhealthy choices either.

Older tortoises may not need as much food as their youngercounterparts, but this is not always the case. As torts age, their digestivesystems may slow down. Don’t reduce your tortoise’s food unless directed by avet, however.

Species

Believe it or not, the species of the tortoise mattersgreatly when choosing how much to feed. Some species need more food at morefrequent intervals. They may grow faster or may enter growth spurts atdifferent times. Knowing the species and its proclivities will help you planyour pet’s meals accordingly.

Time of Year

Many tortoise species hibernate. They will need special carebefore and after this sensitive time, including adjustments to how much theyare fed. It’s important to note that not all tortoise species hibernate. Infact, there are many tortoises that belong to a species that usually doeshibernate, but certain individuals simply don’t do it.

Competition at the Food Dish

Nobody wants to believe their tortoises are bullies. Yet,it’s a fact that some tortoises can get pushy and mean when it comes to dinnertime. If you are feeding more than one tortoise, it’s important to noteaggression levels.

If a smaller, weaker, or more introverted tortoise is beingpushed away from the food tray, it may be time to invest in a second one.Better yet, it might be wise to separate the tortoises permanently.

How to Prevent it

Make sure you know what your tortoise’s feeding needs are atevery stage of her life. Weigh your tort regularly and keep a journal of hergrowth. Share this information with your vet to be sure your pet is right ontrack.

Tortoises Can Die from Overfeeding

On the other end of the feeding spectrum is the problem ofoverfeeding. This almost always happens as a result of worried owners makingsure their pets never go hungry. This well-meaning behavior is sweet at itscore but detrimental to your tortoise’s health in the long run.

Torts can overeat. When they do, they get obese. Beinglocked in that tight-fitting shell with a bloated, fat body is uncomfortable.It can also impact breathing, movement, and even blood flow.

We covered this in much greater detail already, so we won’tgo over it all again here. Take a look!

How to Prevent it

You prevent overfeeding the same way you preventunderfeeding. Weigh your tortoise regularly, track what he eats, and show yourvet the charts.

A Poor Diet Can Kill a Tortoise

Let’s say you’re feeding your tortoise the right amount offood. It’s not too much, not too little, maybe even weighing your tort to besure he’s gaining weight or maintaining a healthy adult weight. Awesome! But he’snot safe yet.

What you feed your tortoise is just as important as howmuch. It would be the same as you eating three square meals a day at a fastfood joint. You’re eating the right amount and at the right frequency, butyou’re loading yourself up with fat, sodium, and sugar.

If your tortoise is crazy about strawberries, but that’s allyou feed her, she’s not going to be healthy. Strawberries are very good optionsfor torts, but only as a small portion of a meal. They need a specific amountof each nutrient at various stages of life.

Poor diet can result in nutritional deficiencies that may gounnoticed until it’s too late. Low levels of nutrients in the body can restrictblood flow, lower heart rate to dangerous levels, and deprive your tortoise ofenergy and the ability to recover from illnesses and injuries.

How to Prevent it

Generally speaking, you want to feed your tortoise 80% freshveggies. They love things like kale, collard greens, and dandelions. Some lovebell peppers, cauliflower, squash, and even sweet potato, but these are alltreats and should be given in small quantities. Apples, grapes, melons, andstrawberries need to be lower than 20% of your tort’s diet due to high sugarcontent.

You may also need to add vitamin powders to your tortoise’smeals, but make sure you do so under a vet’s supervision. Too much of aparticular vitamin can be just as bad as not enough of it.

Unsanitary Conditions Can Kill a Tortoise

Nobody likes to live in filth. Okay, maybe someone does, butwe guarantee that your tortoise does not. You need to clean a tortoise’senclosure, and we don’t mean a little poop scooping now and then.

Tortoises have special needs when it comes to environments.It’s why they’re not common house pets and why they haven’t really been domesticated.They are essentially wild animals kept in captivity. For that reason, you needto approximate Mother Nature’s environments and her level of clean.

Keeping a tortoise in a dirty enclosure will set him up fora massive list of health issues. Dirty, damp, and warm climates are perfect forbacteria to thrive in. These bacteria can be harmless or completelydevastating. It’s not like you get to pick which ones set up shop in yourtort’s tank.

Filthy enclosures can cause a tortoise to suddenly die.Infections are usually the culprit with a dirty cage, but injuries couldhappen, too.

How to Prevent it

To keep up on your tort’s cleaning needs, make a scheduleand stick with it. The frequency of cleaning will depend on a number offactors, but a good rule of thumb is once a week per tortoise kept. If you havetwo tortoises in the same enclosure, clean twice a week. Just one tort? Once aweek is probably good.

Pay attention to smells or any weird growths in the tank,too. If you see something growing that shouldn’t be or you smell somethinggross, you need to step up your cleaning game. Increase your cleaning effortsand get that enclosure sparkling clean.

Stress Kills Tortoises

Slow-moving, lumbering, sweet tortoises don’t like to bestressed out. When you’re stressed, you can take a hot shower, grab a snack,and sit down to relax. Tortoises don’t have those luxuries. If you haven’tprovided the kind of relaxing areas in her enclosure she needs, your tort couldjust die from pent up stress.

Things like noisy neighbors or roommates can freak out atortoise. Dogs barking, screeching tires down the block, or the sound of thegarbage truck in the morning are all triggers. You may not even notice she’sstressing out unless you understand the language of thetortoise.

Torties can get stressed out by changes in the environmentand routine, too. Perhaps you’ve moved the furniture, changed the lighting inyour room, or changed shifts at work. All of these things can cause a tortoiseto flip out a little.

Another big stressor for tortoises is being handled toomuch. Most tortoises don’t like being picked up at all, so try to avoid it ifyou can. Obviously, if you’re inspecting your tort for injuries or duringbathing sessions, you’ll need to handle her some, but be careful and moveslowly.

Other torts might be the cause of your pet’s stress. Theyare fairly solitary animals, though they do have a need for some social time.If your enclosure is too small and the other tortoise is picking on him, yourtort might get stressed to the point he simply dies.

It’s hard to believe stress can kill, but it’s a fact. Allanimals are at risk for this if they’re not given the right environments,foods, and ways to blow off steam.

How to Prevent it

Understand the needs of the tortoise. You might like toblast your music to relax, but chances are good that will only stress your tortout more. Knowing what tortoises would do in the wild to relieve stress willhelp you provide the best environment for your baby to relax.

One thing is for certain, tortoise like to hide. Provideseveral locations in the enclosure that encourage relaxation. Some like a moisthide while others prefer a dry one. Some like to burry themselves while othersprefer to relax on a raised surface. Figure out what your tort likes and makesure that spot is always ready to receive him.

Illnesses and Injuries Can Kill Tortoises

As with all living things, tortoises are susceptible tocertain illnesses and injuries. It’s just part of being alive. While you maynot be able to prevent everything on this list, you can do you best to mitigatedamages caused by these things. Leaving a tortoise to fend for itself is a sureway to lead death straight to his door.

Respiratory Illnesses

Tortoises are susceptible to respiratory infections. Theseare more likely to occur early on for wild-caught tortoises that you can findin pet stores. To avoid this, select a reputable breeder and avoid pet storetortoises. Yet, even captive-bred tortoises can end up with a respiratoryinfection.

These happen when the tortoise is kept in less than idealsituations. Poor lighting and heat, low-quality food, and bad sanitation willset a tortoise up for this dangerous illness. Always have your vet examine anew tortoise or one who shows early signs of respiratory distress.

Soft Shell

A soft, mushy, or squishy shell is a sign of nutritionaldeficiencies. It can also signal birth defects, but this is far less common. Ifa tortoise has a soft or deformed shell, it’s likely this poor fella wasn’t fedthe right foods at the right times.

Metabolic bone disease is the technical term for a certaintype of soft or deformed shell. This can affect the bones, too, but the shellis the most obvious result. This, once again, is due to poor diet. Low calciumis the culprit this time, which means it could have been easily avoidable.

Soft shell can also happen when a tortoise isn’t givenenough time in the sun. They need ultraviolet radiation A and B to createvitamin D3, just like humans. The sun shining through a window isn’t going tobe enough.

Please note that baby torts have naturally softer shellsthan adults. Don’t be alarmed if your baby tort has one. But do have your vetcheck to be sure it’s normal softness and not metabolic bone disease startingup.

Prolapse

First, can we just say ouch? A prolapse is a painful andpotentially deadly affliction. This is caused by a diet high in oxalates andsometimes dehydration. The tortoise’s body will produce hard, large urates thatcan’t be passed comfortably. The straining to push out the unusually hardurates is what causes the prolapse.

To be graphic and clear, the tortoise is pushing out hisorgans instead of the urates. Again, ouch!

A high-quality diet and plenty of water will prevent thisterrible medical emergency. Untreated, this is a painful and horrible way todie.

Broken, Cracked, and Crushed Shells

A tortoise who has been dropped, crushed, or attacked by adog may exhibit a cracked, broken, or crushed shell. This is an incrediblypainful medical emergency. Since the shell is attached to the tortoise, a crackin the shell is like a cut on your arm. Her insides are being exposed to theoutside world, including bacteria.

Some cracks can be repaired, but the vet needs to beinvolved here. Crushed or severely broken shells may not be fixable, but don’tgive up hope. See your vet immediately if your tortoise is injured in this way.

Better yet, avoid this kind of tragedy by handling yourtortoise with great care. They may be tough, but they are not invincible.

Drowning

Tortoises cannot swim. We’ll repeat this sentence untilwe’re blue in the face: Tortoises cannot swim! They are not like turtles. Ifyou put a tortoise in a bathtub, it may be able to float a little, but it’s notgoing to swim and it is not going to be safe.

Tortoises were never meant to swim, but every year thousandsof tortoises drown. Please do not put your tortoise in the water. A bath in ashallow dish is fine, but a bath tub or swimming pool is a death sentence.

Other Causes of Tortoise Death

In addition to the specific things listed above, there aresome less common but still deadly things that can end your tortoise’s lifeunexpectedly. Take heed and avoid the following!

• Rough handling by small children
• Chemicals in the environment including cleaning chemicals,bug sprays, and colognes or perfumes
• Soaps and cleansers used in the enclosure
• Toxic fumes from Teflon pots or pans overheatingin the kitchen
• Ingestion of alcohol, drugs, or human food
• Choking hazards such as small toys, plasticplants, and pet food
• Pets such as dogs, cats, and large birds

Conclusion

Perhaps it seems like the whole universe is out to murderyour pet tortoise. While that’s a pretty big stretch of the truth, we supposeit’s a good way to keep you on your toes. You must be proactive in protectingyour tortoise from these common killers. Prevention doesn’t take a lot of effort, andyour tiny tank buddy is depending on you!