How Long Can A Tortoise Go Without Food? It Will Surprise You!

As a tortoise owner you can’t always be in the house to feed your tortoise. This leads people asking the question how long tortoises can go without food. After all, they are basically little kids as they rely on us to take care of them and make sure their needs are met. Let’s find out.

How long can a tortoise go without food? Tortoises are use to not eating while they are in hibernation therefore they can survive without food from 6 months up until 3 years. This is provided they are in a good healthy condition and have access to clean drinking water throughout. The length will vary based on a few external factors such as the age, species and lighting the tortoise has.

In this article we are going to dive deeper into things that effect how long a tortoise can go without eating, how often should you feed your tortoise among some other things so be sure to read on.

Things That Determine How Long Tortoises Can Go Without Food

Unfortunately there isn’t one definitive answer as the length will vary from tortoise to tortoise depending on a few external factors.

They include :

  • Species
  • Age
  • Temperature and Humidity

Let’s look into them further.

Species

Not all species of tortoise hibernate, such as the Leopard tortoise. For other tortoises like Russian or Hermann’s tortoise, they can survive a lot longer without food because they do go into hibernation.

This is because when a tortoise is in hibernation they aren’t using up anywhere near as much energy compared to a tortoise that’s going about their daily life not in hibernation.

When a tortoise moves they use up energy which needs to be then refuelled by food, whereas a tortoise in hibernation isn’t moving so their energy output is significantly lower.

Age

Baby tortoises require to be fed a lot more than a fully grown tort, around once a day. This is because for the first six months of a baby tortoises life they are still in a growing stage, which requires food in order to provide this growth.

A baby tortoise can go up to one month without food, but this comes at the risk of serious problems developing like stunted growth and malnutrition.

Fully grown adult tortoises require less food and can thus go a lot longer without eating. This is due to them already being grown and fully developed.

Temperature and Humidity

Another big factor in how long a tortoise can go without food is the temperature and humidity at which they are being kept at.

In warmer temperatures the body starts to use up more energy, which in turn would mean more food is needed in order to replace it.

If your tortoise is able to bask while being kept at the optimal UVA and UVB then they can go longer without needing food.

How Often Should I Feed My Tortoise?

If you have a baby tortoise then they need to be fed daily because they need food for optimal growth.

For an adult tortoise I recommend feeding them in a 5/2 split. Give them food give days a week then two days where you don’t feed them but still give them water.

The reasons for this is tortoises have quite a sensitive digestive system so the two starve days allow their digestive system to process all the food from the previous five days, almost like playing catch up.

For the two starve days it can be any two days of the week but it’s worth noting they must consistently be the same every week.

This means if you starve your tortoise on a Tuesday and a Saturday it must stay like that every week.

A tortoises diet will mainly consist of vegetation like vegetables and grasses because they are mainly herbivores. This means it will be hard for them to become overweight as these foods are low in calories and fat.

However you still can overfeed them. Tortoises are greedy little animals and will eat more than they need to.

As long as you are feeding your tortoise the correct foods, housing them properly and ensuring they get sufficient exercise then you really shouldn’t worry about overfeeding them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Can Tortoises Go Without Water?

We’ve covered this in depth in another article which you can read here but we will briefly touch on it.

Tortoises like every living thing requires water in order to survive. A healthy adult tortoise can survive up to one week without water, given that the humidity is low.

However this doesn’t mean they will be free from any consequences. The longer a tortoise is dehydrated the more problems that can occur. Therefore your tortoise should always have access to clean water in their enclosure, as well as eating foods with a high water content like lettuce.

The symptoms of dehydration in tortoises includes : loss of weight and appetite, sunken eyes, they will feel lighter to hold, dry stools and they will be very lethargic and inactive.

Do Tortoises Need To Eat Everyday?

Not all tortoises need to eat everyday, however if you have a baby tortoise <6 months old then they should be fed every day or every other day. Baby tortoises require daily nutrition to ensure they grow properly without any problems.

Adult tortoises can be fed everyday but it’s not mandatory. You can feed them 5/6 days a week and implement one or two starve days without it having a negative impact on their health.

Summary

Tortoises don’t require to eat everyday and in the perfect conditions they can even go 3 years without food! They length your tortoise can go without food depends on how old they are, the species, how healthy they are and some other factors.

You also don’t have to feed them every day (unless they are babies) as some owners like to do a 5/2 feeding split. This means they will feed their tortoise five days a week then not feed them for two days, which is perfectly safe.

I hope you found this article useful and you can take something from it to better your tortoises life. If you know a fellow tortoise owner who could benefit from this article don’t hesitate to share it with them!