Having decided to buy a pet to a family, many are guided not only by how many times a day they need to walk with him and how difficult it is to maintain him, but also by his life expectancy at home. That is why various species of turtles are increasingly coming to the fore. They are picky, their content is inexpensive.
But before you start a pet, you need to understand the rules of care and how many turtles live at home.
Care for a land turtle consists of three things: hygiene, habitat arrangement and feeding.
Many people consider turtles to be record breakers for life expectancy. But this opinion is based on the rare cases of old-timers belonging to large species. But in fact, the survival rate of the young is very low, and the population is supported by a large number of eggs in the clutch.
At best, no more than 60% of them hatch, and at worst, no more than 5%. The rest of the eggs are eaten by predators.
Juveniles are also a tasty morsel for most animals, as well as for humans.
Until 30 years, very few individuals survive. On average, it is considered that a turtle lives no more than 20 years. And the age of old-timers largely depends on the luck factor.
Reptiles can not get out of the shell – it is spliced with it.
The larger the individual, the longer its life span:
- the little ones live no more than half a century;
- large – up to 80 years and longer.
If you grow a turtle at home, then its life can be both shortened and significantly increased. The latter is possible due to comfortable conditions of detention and the absence of hazards.
In nature, there are many species of turtles, each of which has its own characteristics and life span. But not all of them can be grown at home. The most popular are:
- The land tortoise – this species collects more than ten genera. Habitat are warm latitudes of many continents. Most often, representatives of this species can be found in the desert or steppe, but you can see them in the forest. They are represented by large-sized individuals with thick legs and large armor. A distinctive feature are spliced fingers. Can live in natural conditions up to 100 years. In the home mostly do not live longer than 40 years.
- Central Asian – refers to a variety of land. A distinctive feature is the shell, which is divided into several sectors and has a yellow or spotted shade. You can meet this species in the desert, foothills and near water. These are small individuals that live no more than 30 years in captivity. Their lifespan in nature is not precisely defined, but on average it is customary to take 50 years.
- Sea – most often found in the warm waters of the seas and oceans. They differ from terrestrial individuals not only with feet that look like flippers, but also with elongated shell. The animal cannot draw the head and legs inside the shell. Most often, sea turtles can be found in large oceanariums and zoos. In nature, they can live up to 80 years. But how many sea turtles live at home is impossible to determine. They are not grown in houses and apartments, because such large individuals will not fit in any aquarium and their content is associated with certain difficulties.
- Aquatic turtle – refers to small individuals that do not grow more than 30 cm. Most often found in the fresh waters of South Africa, Asia and Japan. At home, he feels great. This bug lives up to 50 years in captivity and in its natural environment.
- The red-eared or yellow-bellied variety belongs to freshwater individuals. Its size rarely reaches 30 cm, males are somewhat smaller than females. Its name was due to red spots on the head in the eye area. Makes sounds like hissing or screeching. It is found in lakes and ponds with fresh water. Able to live to 50 years.
Not all representatives of these species of reptiles can be kept at home. But still most of them are found in captivity.
At home, the tortoise can live for a very long time, compared to its natural habitat, which is achieved by balancing risk factors.
Several conditions can affect the lifespan of a reptile:
- the correctness of the selected diet;
- conditions of detention;
- detection of diseases and their timely treatment;
- possible pet injury.
Small individuals can live in captivity up to 30 years, larger ones up to 50. But under the conditions of the zoo, this period is significantly increased.
This is due to better conditions in old age.
How many years live eared turtles or other species are affected by many factors. But many of the reptiles can become real long-livers. The exact age of an individual can be determined using carbon analysis of the shell.
That is how the oldest turtles were identified. But this cannot be done on a live representative of the fauna. Therefore, scientists use more benign methods for this purpose:
- The length of the shell. In the year it changes by about two centimeters. At birth, it is only three centimeters, and therefore it is enough to measure the shell of an adult individual and carry out simple calculations to get its approximate age.
- Counting annual rings. This method is less accurate, but nonetheless quite informative. Considered scales, which gradually grow on the surface of the house. To do this in young individuals is much easier than in old ones. The last shell is much smoothed.
But no known method can give an accurate result, because the formation of the shell also affects the diet of the animal, living conditions and health.
It is possible to determine how many aquatic turtles live by annual rings on the shell, but according to sources in the world there are individuals that have experienced several epochs. And this was witnessed by their owners, to whom the pets were passed on to more than one generation.
The oldest turtle is considered to be the one that Charles Darwin raised. He brought her from the Galapagos Islands the size of a saucer.
But by the time of his death, the tortoise had grown to an incredible size. Its weight is more than half a centner.
She outlived her master by 105 years and died at the age of 177 years.
Another well-known long-lived is considered Giant tortoise native to the Seychelles. She lived according to different sources from 150 to 200 years.
No more accurate information.
The radiant tortoise of Tui Malila, donated by Captain Cook himself to the leader of the natives of Tonga, lived to be 200 years old. Documented this fact is not certified, but the analysis of the shell showed exactly this period.
It is impossible to determine exactly how old turtles of this species live. Their age can only be called roughly. Therefore, it is quite possible that a small walking table with a weight of up to 50–100 kg will be inherited by the grandchildren.
But, in any case, the health and longevity of the tortoise will depend entirely on how well the owners take care of it.
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