How do they survive in the wild?

[KiraBeckham]

With springtime finally here I've been taking the new Redfoot rescue out into the yard for exercise and fresh air and sunshine. She loves it but gets into constant trouble (with me helicoptering). She tries to walk off "cliffs" with seemingly no concept of gravity or falling, climbs things only to rely on my rescue or she'd flip on her back, she beeline to eat everything but the safe green weeds she's supposed to (mushrooms, poop, decayed leaf matter. Please don't judge, the outdoor enclosure is under construction but just wondering how these creatures survive in the wild and live to 50 I have to imagine wild tortoises eat mushrooms...poop...miscellaneous plants. How do they survive it. Fascinating creatures but wow, Dogs are easier!

I'd love to hear from folks that have had tortoises that are 20 or more years old. Do they get wiser with age and exposure? Could yours survive without a controlled environment and supervision?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

With springtime finally here I've been taking the new Redfoot rescue out into the yard for exercise and fresh air and sunshine. She loves it but gets into constant trouble (with me helicoptering). She tries to walk off "cliffs" with seemingly no concept of gravity or falling, climbs things only to rely on my rescue or she'd flip on her back, she beeline to eat everything but the safe green weeds she's supposed to (mushrooms, poop, decayed leaf matter. Please don't judge, the outdoor enclosure is under construction but just wondering how these creatures survive in the wild and live to 50 I have to imagine wild tortoises eat mushrooms...poop...miscellaneous plants. How do they survive it. Fascinating creatures but wow, Dogs are easier!

I'd love to hear from folks that have had tortoises that are 20 or more years old. Do they get wiser with age and exposure? Could yours survive without a controlled environment and supervision?

Probably very few survive in the wild. With a super high mortality rate. While most captive raised RF or tortoises in general survive

 

[wellington]

With springtime finally here I've been taking the new Redfoot rescue out into the yard for exercise and fresh air and sunshine. She loves it but gets into constant trouble (with me helicoptering). She tries to walk off "cliffs" with seemingly no concept of gravity or falling, climbs things only to rely on my rescue or she'd flip on her back, she beeline to eat everything but the safe green weeds she's supposed to (mushrooms, poop, decayed leaf matter. Please don't judge, the outdoor enclosure is under construction but just wondering how these creatures survive in the wild and live to 50 I have to imagine wild tortoises eat mushrooms...poop...miscellaneous plants. How do they survive it. Fascinating creatures but wow, Dogs are easier!

I'd love to hear from folks that have had tortoises that are 20 or more years old. Do they get wiser with age and exposure? Could yours survive without a controlled environment and supervision?

I agree with Zeropilot. However, remember, you are not it's natural habitat. They likely do better in their own natural home in the world.
As for dogs being easier. Well that would depend on the breed of dog, my last two, a English Bull Terrier and now a Pom, are much harder than a tortoise. Also, once you get a proper enclosure built for you RF, it will be much easier.
In the summer, I just open their doors in the morning and fill water dishes and done. At night I just make sure they are inside their shed, turn over head shed light off, lock the door and done.

 

[Tom]

With springtime finally here I've been taking the new Redfoot rescue out into the yard for exercise and fresh air and sunshine. She loves it but gets into constant trouble (with me helicoptering). She tries to walk off "cliffs" with seemingly no concept of gravity or falling, climbs things only to rely on my rescue or she'd flip on her back, she beeline to eat everything but the safe green weeds she's supposed to (mushrooms, poop, decayed leaf matter. Please don't judge, the outdoor enclosure is under construction but just wondering how these creatures survive in the wild and live to 50 I have to imagine wild tortoises eat mushrooms...poop...miscellaneous plants. How do they survive it. Fascinating creatures but wow, Dogs are easier!

I'd love to hear from folks that have had tortoises that are 20 or more years old. Do they get wiser with age and exposure? Could yours survive without a controlled environment and supervision?

In the wild, I have read that somewhere between 300-1000 die for every one that makes it to adulthood and reproduces. I would bet that most of those losses are due to predation, but some are due to weather factors, like drought, environmental mishaps, like falling off a cliff, and some from eating toxic plants, even in the native range. Its the ones who DON'T do the wrong things that survive and make it to adulthood.

And as Wellington explained, our backyards are NOT the wild, NOT in the native range, and full of all sorts of hazards that simply don't exist in the wild.

With the right type and size enclosure, and the right species, in the right climate, there are some that could survive without human intervention. This would be a very very small percentage of captive tortoises. Most of them need a significant amount of help.

 

[Yvonne G]

. . . and THAT's why tortoises lay more than one egg at a time (because they DON'T survive to adulthood).

 

[TammyJ]

In their native habitat in the wild, they have all evolved to a point that gives them the maximum chance for survival in that habitat. When their habitat changes, their survival rate drops. One way their habitat may change is through human intervention and capture. That is why when we take them out of it, their best chance to survive is for us to try to re-create their natural habitat - without the dangers!

 

[KiraBeckham]

Great discussion and I would love to get this little Redfoot to its natural environment. I've even been researching how to fly, transport her but it's not really feasible. We were in Costa Rica in March and after seeing all of the species in the Rainforest I'd love to get her to her native range. I just need to find a tortoise loving pilot! We may try to get her down to Florida but for now its recreating the tropics in Fort Collins. Her fancy indoor enclosure should be here in about a month and her outdoor is under construction. It will be close as I can get to a rainforest.

 

[KiraBeckham]

And she is truly in love with my 9 year old son. He walks in the room and she cruises right over to him. She cares less about me but they seem to have a connect. Reminds me of ET and Elliot.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Great discussion and I would love to get this little Redfoot to its natural environment. I've even been researching how to fly, transport her but it's not really feasible. We were in Costa Rica in March and after seeing all of the species in the Rainforest I'd love to get her to her native range. I just need to find a tortoise loving pilot! We may try to get her down to Florida but for now its recreating the tropics in Fort Collins. Her fancy indoor enclosure should be here in about a month and her outdoor is under construction. It will be close as I can get to a rainforest.

Are you moving to Florida?
South Florida very closely resembles their natural range in many ways.
So much so that my RF live outdoors 24/7 and they're pretty much maintenance free

 

[KiraBeckham]

Are you moving to Florida?
South Florida very closely resembles their natural range in many ways.
So much so that my RF live outdoors 24/7 and they're pretty much maintenance free

No. We are not moving. If we took her we'd need to find a home or place her in that sanctuary. Neither is very feasible but we'll continue to explore the idea and possibility.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

No. We are not moving. If we took her we'd need to find a home or place her in that sanctuary. Neither is very feasible but we'll continue to explore the idea and possibility.

Oh.
I misunderstood.

 

[zovick]

Great discussion and I would love to get this little Redfoot to its natural environment. I've even been researching how to fly, transport her but it's not really feasible. We were in Costa Rica in March and after seeing all of the species in the Rainforest I'd love to get her to her native range. I just need to find a tortoise loving pilot! We may try to get her down to Florida but for now its recreating the tropics in Fort Collins. Her fancy indoor enclosure should be here in about a month and her outdoor is under construction. It will be close as I can get to a rainforest.

Just wanted to make you aware of a rather sobering fact. Even though your motives are good and altruistic, the fact is that a tortoise which has spent ANY time in captivity should never be released into a wild population due to the chance of diseases and/or parasites being introduced to the wild animals.

This happened here in the US with our Desert Tortoises when captive ones which were carriers of Mycoplasma were unwittingly released. The wild population of tortoises was devastated by the disease as they had no innate immunity to it, and the population is still attempting to recover 50 years later. It is a similar case to the native Americans in the US being decimated by TB and some other diseases carried by white settlers shortly after the first white immigrants arrived here.

So please DON'T find a way to get it back to its native habitat!

 

[KiraBeckham]

Just wanted to make you aware of a rather sobering fact. Even though your motives are good and altruistic, the fact is that a tortoise which has spent ANY time in captivity should never be released into a wild population due to the chance of diseases and/or parasites being introduced to the wild animals.

This happened here in the US with our Desert Tortoises when captive ones which were carriers of Mycoplasma were unwittingly released. The wild population of tortoises was devastated by the disease as they had no innate immunity to it, and the population is still attempting to recover 50 years later. It is a similar case to the native Americans in the US being decimated by TB and some other diseases carried by white settlers shortly after the first white immigrants arrived here.

So please DON'T find a way to get it back to its native habitat!

 

[KiraBeckham]

I absolutely agree and understand that. I'd never release her in the wild for all the reasons you mention. I'm also not convinced she'd survive after being raised in captivity. I just want to get her into a home or sanctuary with outdoor habitat similar to her native range. I work in Environmental Sustainability and would not release her in the wild. That's sad to hear about the southern Desert Tortoises.

 

[zovick]

I absolutely agree and understand that. I'd never release her in the wild for all the reasons you mention. I'm also not convinced she'd survive after being raised in captivity. I just want to get her into a home or sanctuary with outdoor habitat similar to her native range. I work in Environmental Sustainability and would not release her in the wild. That's sad to hear about the southern Desert Tortoises.

That is good to know. Thanks for the clarification.