Unlike aquatic turtles, tortoises lack webbed feet. I have not tested this yet. Not usually, but that doesn’t mean they never do. The mouth is held tightly shut and the rescuer should blow as hard as possible into the nostrils, inflating the lungs. Swimming Sulcatas. [Terry Carman] No, tortoises generally can not swim. Tortoise in Water by: Stacey We live in the desert and our tortoise has been spending hours in her small pond. Do tortoises swim in the ocean? A bowl or flowerpot saucer (plastic or glazed ceramic) may be fine for a larger tortoise; it may need to be sunk slightly into the substrate for smaller tortoises. Advertise Here; Related Posts. Some of the other higher domed species like leopards and sulcatas can float. Even when they hurry, they don't go very fast. Dean tells me they can't swim after a certain size. There is always going to be one or two animals that go against the normal behaviors of their species, and tortoises are no different. Land tortoises travel slowly but can sometimes manage human walking speeds. but no tortoise can actually swim. Again it is not something you should do with yours These tortoises can suffer from most common reptile health problems, but respiratory infections are the most prevalent. Give it a go if you like, but exercise great caution. Tortoises and turtles are both reptiles. its a sulcata tortoise! Even when they hurry, they don't go very fast. I do not suggest you do this with any of your tortoises because I am sure it is scary for them and not really fun. Can a star tortoise swim? This is especially beneficial when the tortoise is buried in a burrow with only the top of its body exposed. There are no tortoise species that can swim well, if at all. While not a primary weapon of defense, the tortoise can use its beak in a snapping manner if necessary to defend itself against predators. It's one that she can get in and out of herself with ease so no possibility of drowning. It is a good idea to do your Sulcata tortoise care-related research prior to purchasing your new baby Sulcata tortoise for sale. Sulcata for sale – Spurred tortoise Natural Range: In nature, we can find the Sulcata anywhere in Sub-Saharan African including the most sparse areas. It would take a typical tortoise one hour to walk a city block. In tortoises a minimum of clearing effect can be achieved by pressing on the flanks. TortoiseForum.org - A member posts some adorable pictures of their baby sulcata tortoises enjoying a nice swim. My vet said not to worry if she spends much time in the water as she's cooling herself down. I was bathing tortoise and I put the water too deep but then my cousin tell me to put him anyway and he swims I don't mean just float i mean swim he keeps his head high and body like a turtles it dosen't seem to bother him my tortoise is small anyway I was asking if this is normal and should I let him Swimming Tortoises. Do they need lessons? Should a tortoise by accident fall into a pond or swimming pool it could sink to the bottom like a rock and drown. The tortoise has a sharp, beak-like mouth, which serves it well in foraging for its plant-based diet. The defining difference is that tortoises live on land, and turtles live in water. I found a sulcata and I can't get him to swim. TortoiseForum.org - Some cute shots showing the trio of baby ivory sulcata tortoises going for an actual swim in their favorite pool. The African Spurred Tortoise (Geochelone sulcata) is also known as the ‘Grooved Tortoise’, the ‘Spur Tortoise’ and the ‘African Spur Thigh Tortoise’. 5) Can my tortoise swim? Nov 26, 2012. @ TortoiseForum.org . The majority of land tortoises are unable to swim, as they do not have limbs or bodies built for this kind of activity and lack the webbed feet used by the aquatic turtles.