How long can a sulcata survive without food and water?

[Kymberlyn]

I have a 2 year sulcata. After his morning soak I always let him walk around the house. In the evening I return him to his enclosure. He/she is too large to fit under appliances and furniture. I have never had a problem finding him.

On Friday I lost him in the house. He has not come out to eat or drink. How long can he survive like this?

 

[TammyJ]

I would think that this would depend on what condition he was in before he went missing in your house, and how lucky he may or may not be from here on. It's too bad he was free roaming in your enclosure and not his own, or of course this could not have happened at all. I hope you find him soon!

 

[wellington]

This is just one of the reasons they should never ever be allowed to roam your house. We have many threads and reasons why this should not be done!
They can go fairly long without food but not too long without water. You need to search and not stop until you find him. Then never do this again! Leave him in an appropriate sized and heated enclosure!

 

[TammyJ]

Maybe he is gone outside.

 

[zolasmum]

I have a 2 year sulcata. After his morning soak I always let him walk around the house. In the evening I return him to his enclosure. He/she is too large to fit under appliances and furniture. I have never had a problem finding him.

On Friday I lost him in the house. He has not come out to eat or drink. How long can he survive like this?

I would suggest you leave some shallow water containers around the house on the floor - saucers or flat trays, in the hope he will find one - maybe even some favourite food - you would be able to tell whether anything had been touched - this would also give you a clue where he is.
Good luck
Angie

 

[Yvonne G]

The more important consideration is heat. When he starts to lose body heat he's going to go deeper into hiding because his evolution memory tells him deeper is warmer.

 

[Kymberlyn]

I have a 2 year sulcata. After his morning soak I always let him walk around the house. In the evening I return him to his enclosure. He/she is too large to fit under appliances and furniture. I have never had a problem finding him.

On Friday I lost him in the house. He has not come out to eat or drink. How long can he survive like this?

Im happy to report that Zippy is back in his enclosure! My precious tort had gone into the bird room. That door is usually closed but he must have followed me in at feeding time. That room is kept at 85F for the parrot and monkey babies. He has been without his humidifier for the past few days. I don’t know if it was right or wrong but I gave him a nice soak in carrot juice before putting him back into his house.

 

[wellington]

Yay, so glad he was found. The carrot soak wasn't needed but will do no harm. A regular soak would have been fine.
Now, I read bird room and monkey babies, please share pics of them.

 

[Tom]

My precious tort had gone into the bird room...

Hopefully he didn't swallow anything deadly while he was out.

This was your wake up call. Learn from it. Don't let a tortoise roam loose in the house. It always ends badly one way or another.

 

[stephenleon]

A sulcata tortoise can survive without food for several weeks to a few months, but without water, they can only last for about 2-4 weeks, depending on various factors such as temperature and humidity levels. However, it's crucial to locate your tortoise as soon as possible to ensure its well-being and health.

 

[Tom]

A sulcata tortoise can survive without food for several weeks to a few months, but without water, they can only last for about 2-4 weeks, depending on various factors such as temperature and humidity levels. However, it's crucial to locate your tortoise as soon as possible to ensure its well-being and health.

How do you know this? Have you tested this theory?