How does a Tortoise show its age?

[Danny G]

I was just wondering about this.
I currently have a Russian that I have had for about 26 years now. I have not noticed any change in him over the years.
He still wanders around his pen really well and still rushes to greet me : ))
So, how do you know when a Tortoise is aging?
Here is my Buddy Smirnoff.

 

[mike taylor]

Thats the thing you don't .

 

[tortdad]

Awesome looking tort


0.0.1 Redfoot (Spike)
0.0.1 Cherryhead Redfoot (Bruce Wayne)
1.0 Sulcata (Hal Jordan)

 

[Yvonne G]

They don't. Tortoises can lay viable eggs right up to the day they die at 100 plus years of age. And if I'm remembering correctly, they don't die of old age. Something else usually gets them.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

The carapace gets very smooth in some species when they are old. They can stay old for a long time. Their survival and reproductive strategies get better (can't remember the study) as they age, and for them age does not equal decline.

 

[AZTorts]

I was just wondering about this.
I currently have a Russian that I have had for about 26 years now. I have not noticed any change in him over the years.
He still wanders around his pen really well and still rushes to greet me : ))
So, how do you know when a Tortoise is aging?
Here is my Buddy Smirnoff.

How does a Tortoise show its age?

Like the rest of us, with his driver's license. LOL Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[G-stars]

Their skin starts to wrinkle.

Couldn't resist either.


— Gus

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

wow, 26 years! I love looking forward to having my guy around for so long !
I dunno, maybe the shell will turn grey?
Some people say age can be guesstimated inaccurately by counting their growth rings. It is VERY inaccurate, because a tortoise may have a plentiful growth year=more rings, or a tort may have a scarce growth year=less rings. I read in a thread a long time ago (I'll go digging) that russian tortoises skin can turn a greenish color with age, letting you know when he's well up there.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Okay, I'm terrible at digging! Does anyone else know what thread this was?

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

And I also have to agree with Yvonne! Tortoises are so awesome, they might not die of old age, but because of other reasons!