Tort swimming question...

[Bogie=babyDINO]

So I've read some threads that sulcatas can swim so I tried it out with Bogart observing closely. In did, he does float but I don't think he likes it very much. I was thinking it would be good exercise for him since he is small and I'm trying to increase his growth. There was something I noticed with him floating/swimming though. He floats sideways and he kicks mostly with one side (the buoyant side). I wanted to ask you guys if anyone has some theories as to why that is? Could it have something to do with maybe the way his egg was positioned? Maybe that he grew sideways?? I don't really know I'm just throwing out random ideas lol I have no idea how they form in the egg.

 

[Bogie=babyDINO]

 

[dmmj]

they sort of float with style. but I think it terrifies them

 

[Bogie=babyDINO]

Haha it's his swagger
I didn't make him swim very long cause he seemed freaked out. I wonder if I can slowly get him used to it. It's great exercise!

 

[con17171]

Hahaha at least you can get him/her out of bed my tortoise is in his bed for 4 days then he is up for a hour then back to bed

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Looks stressful to me, especially the sideways angle.
I would stop, personally.

 

[Speedy-1]

I would agree , it is un natural and probably very stressful for him .

 

[Bogie=babyDINO]

I won't keep doing something that stresses him out. But does anyone have a tort that likes to swim?

 

[Speedy-1]

Nope , they are by definition , land dwelling animals ;

Tortoises (/ˈtɔr.təs.ɨz/) are a family, Testudinidae, of land-dwelling vertebrates in the order Testudines. Tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The carapace is fused to both the vertebrae and ribcage, and tortoises are unique among vertebrates in that the pectoral and pelvic girdles are inside, rather than outside, the ribcage. Tortoises can vary in size from a few centimeters to two meters. They are usually diurnal animals with tendencies to be crepuscular depending on the ambient temperatures. They are generally reclusive animals.

I guess turtles are the swimmers .

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines (or Chelonii[3]) characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs and acting as a shield.[4] "Turtle" may refer to the order as a whole (American English) or to fresh-water and sea-dwelling testudines

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

They can sometimes swim though.
This thread is rather fun http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/swimming.120561/#post-1114201

 

[Tom]

Yes they can swim, and some like to swim. Leopard tortoises are known to walk into available ponds and swim around. Most people just don't keep ponds for their tortoises to see this.

Disclaimer: This does not mean that it is safe to keep tortoises in areas with access to swimming pools. For one thing swimming pool water could be toxic to a tortoise. The main issue is that they can't climb out of a pool and will certainly drown in there eventually.

Bogie, the lopsidedness of your tortoise causes me concern. One of the ways that knowledgable tortoise vets check for pneumonia is to put them in deep water and see if they float level or lopsided. Tortoises without pneumonia should float level. Is your tortoise behaving and eating normally? No nasal discharge? Any excessive yawning or lethargy? Did he recently get over a respiratory infection?

 

[Alaskamike]

Tortoises float , and when they kick their legs it moves them. So I guess that is swimming. They float when washed into rivers or lakes. They can wade into shallow water to cool off and hydrate and take a step in over their shells. They bob up and move to shallower water to sit.

I believe they can become accustomed to almost anything as part of their routine. Whether or not they " like it " is questionable.

There are keepers who put their small sulcatas in warm water and let them paddle around.

Personally , I have a small red foot with MBD who cannot yet use her back legs and lift her shell. I put her in a warm pool at least a 1/2 hr / day to swim and get them stronger. I have noticed some days she is level with the water - some days she tilts to one side. It may be amount she's eaten.

I don't have a pond for my sulcata to swim in , his water pan is not deep enough , so whether or not he would voluntarily go swimming , I don't know.

They should get plenty of exercise moving around their enclosure , regulating temps, searching out food etc. this is a reason people recommend as big an area as you can muster. Babies like yours hide allot and rest. They don't crawl around all day. That's normal.

I don't believe swimming would hurt him , but not convinced it would help anything either.

 

[Alaskamike]

Side note : I did not know of symptom of RI @Tom mentioned.

That is very possible as my Redfoot battles that too. I keep it at bay , but sometimes it comes back.

Good info to know

 

[Tom]

I don't believe swimming would hurt him , but not convinced it would help anything either.

Good point here Mike. I've tried it a few times just to see what would happen, but not something I would do or recommend regularly.

I am curious though to know if any one has a pond in with their sulcata and if the tortoise "uses" the pond.

 

[Yvonne G]

I adopted out "Sir" to a fellow here in my town. Sir weighed about 75lbs. The guy had a small fish pond in Sir's backyard with a little man-made creek running to it (via some sort of filter). He told me Sir frequently waded through the creek and ended up in the pond (over his head). He would go in and out at will. (I have seen this with my own eyes)

 

[Bogie=babyDINO]

Yes they can swim, and some like to swim. Leopard tortoises are known to walk into available ponds and swim around. Most people just don't keep ponds for their tortoises to see this.

Disclaimer: This does not mean that it is safe to keep tortoises in areas with access to swimming pools. For one thing swimming pool water could be toxic to a tortoise. The main issue is that they can't climb out of a pool and will certainly drown in there eventually.

Bogie, the lopsidedness of your tortoise causes me concern. One of the ways that knowledgable tortoise vets check for pneumonia is to put them in deep water and see if they float level or lopsided. Tortoises without pneumonia should float level. Is your tortoise behaving and eating normally? No nasal discharge? Any excessive yawning or lethargy? Did he recently get over a respiratory infection?

Oh no! That's scary. Umm no he wakes up in the morning and yawns then but not excessively. In the morning I soak him, he gets exercise, eats then sleeps the rest of the day but I thought babies normally sleep. In the evening we do the routine again; soak, exercise, eat, sleep. No nasal discharge. I'll keep a close eye though.

 

[Bogie=babyDINO]

So weird! I fed Bogart and tested his sideways floating again and amazingly he floats evenly!! What does having a full stomach have to do with it?!

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Tortoises float to one side or another because they get gas. Same with some herbivorous aquatic chelonians. Unless there is some outward sign of a respiratory issue, it's gas. One time to one side another time to the other side, sometimes it pushes their face down though.

Any novel thing evokes one of two responses stress/fear and/or curiosity/interest often in that ordered in combination.

 

[Alaskamike]

Good to know @Will. Thanks.