Tortoises｜Husbandry and care (the disease column is covered in a separate article)

FAQ

What should I watch for regarding species / breed and lifespan in tortoises?

The sulcata (African spurred) tortoise is the third largest tortoise species, and the adult size and weight routinely far exceed what keepers expect, which is a common reason for abandonment or rehoming. Lifespan across the species is generally understood to reach several decades or more。

リクガメの種／品種と寿命について何に注意すべきですか。 — ケヅメリクガメは三番目に大きいリクガメ種で、成体の体格と体重は飼い主の予想をはるかに超えることが多く、遺棄や譲渡のよくある原因になっています。各品種の寿命は数十年以上に達すると一般に理解されています。具体的な年数と成体の体格：ケヅメリクガメの体格（San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance）は約 15 歳で成熟し、オスは体長約 76 センチ（30 インチ）／体重は 90 キログラム（200 ポンド）に達し、メスは体長約 50 センチ（20 インチ）／体重は 40 キログラム（90 ポンド）に達します（「Males up to 200 pounds (90 kilograms)」「Females up to 90 pounds (40 kilograms)」<https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/african-spurred-tortoise>、確認 2026-07-30；Utica Zoo「Weight: 70 to 100 pounds」「Size: 1.5 feet tall / 2 to 3 feet long」<https://www.uticazoo.org/sulcatatortoise/> および Maryland Zoo「Adults average 18 inches in shell length and 70 to 100 pounds...specimens reaching two to three feet in length and upwards of 150 pounds aren't uncommon」<https://www.marylandzoo.org/animal/sulcata-tortoise/> とおおむね同じ桁ですが、完全に一致してはいません）。実際の判断は獣医師が個別の症例に応じて行う必要があり、本記事は薬剤名と用量を記載しません。

What should I watch for regarding species / breed and lifespan in tortoises? — The sulcata (African spurred) tortoise is the third largest tortoise species, and the adult size and weight routinely far exceed what keepers expect, which is a common reason for abandonment or rehoming. Lifespan across the species is generally understood to reach several decades or more。

What should I watch for regarding normal physiological indicators in tortoises?

The items monitored and the methods are the same as for aquatic turtles (group A, column 2: body weight, activity level and appetite, faecal character), with the additional need to watch particularly for whether the shell shows pyramiding (abnormal raising of the scutes caused by growth rate, humidity or inappropriate diet). Abnormal directions: raised and deformed shell, long-term poor appetite, abnormal faeces. A quantified value linking pyramiding to growth rate / humidity 【No single authoritative figure for this item: the whitelisted sources give no reference value for a quantified pyramiding threshold specific to tortoises; pyramiding is the result of the interaction of multiple factors including growth rate, humidity and diet, there is no accepted quantitative formula, and it should be assessed by a veterinarian in light of the overall husbandry environment rather than by applying a single figure, verified 2026-07-30】。

リクガメの正常な生理指標について何に注意すべきですか。 — 監視する項目と方法はミズガメと同じです（A グループ第 2 欄：体重、活動性と食欲、糞の性状）。加えて甲羅の形が甲羅の凸凹化（ピラミッディング、pyramiding。成長速度／湿度／不適切な食餌によって甲板が異常に隆起する）を起こしていないかを特に注意して見る必要があります。異常の方向：甲羅の隆起と変形、長期にわたる食欲不振、糞の異常。ピラミッディングと成長速度／湿度との定量的な関連の数値は【本項目に単一の権威ある数値なし：ホワイトリスト出典はリクガメ固有のピラミッディングの定量的な閾値の参考値を示していません。ピラミッディングは成長速度、湿度、食餌など複数の因子が相互に作用した結果であり、公認された定量的な計算式は存在しません。単一の数値を当てはめるのではなく、飼育環境全体を踏まえて獣医師が評価すべきです、確認 2026-07-30】。MBD とカルシウム不足・UVB 不足との関連（リクガメ疾患表の第 1 項）：Merck Vet Manual は爬虫類の食餌のカルシウム・リン比は「at least 1:1, with 2:1 preferred」であるべきとし、関連する骨疾患は「is caused by poor diet (low calcium:phosphorus ratio, vitamin D3 deficiency) or poor husbandry (lack of UVB light, inadequate thermal provision)」と述べています（<https://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/nutrition-exotic-and-zoo-animals/nutrition-in-reptiles>；<https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/reptiles/nutritional-metabolic-and-endocrine-diseases-of-reptiles>、確認 2026-07-30）。実際の判断は獣医師が個別の症例に応じて行う必要があり、本記事は薬剤名と用量を記載しません。

What should I watch for regarding normal physiological indicators in tortoises? — The items monitored and the methods are the same as for aquatic turtles (group A, column 2: body weight, activity level and appetite, faecal character), with the additional need to watch particularly for whether the shell shows pyramiding (abnormal raising of the scutes caused by growth rate, humidity or inappropriate diet). Abnormal directions: raised and deformed shell, long-term poor appetite, abnormal faeces. A quantified value linking pyramiding to growth rate / humidity 【No single authoritative figure for this item: the whitelisted sources give no reference value for a quantified pyramiding threshold specific to tortoises; pyramiding is the result of the interaction of multiple factors including growth rate, humidity and diet, there is no accepted quantitative formula, and it should be assessed by a veterinarian in light of the overall husbandry environment rather than by applying a single figure, verified 2026-07-30】。

What should I watch for regarding the husbandry environment for tortoises?

A large ground area for activity is needed; most species are unsuitable for long-term confinement in a small tank, and adults commonly need an outdoor enclosure. UVB lighting and a heated basking spot are needed to form a temperature gradient. Temperate species (such as Hermann's tortoise) brumate or partially brumate in their native range; whether to allow brumation in an artificial environment needs the risk assessed by an experienced veterinarian, and keepers are not advised to attempt it on their own. Substrate must avoid wood shavings with volatile essential oils and must prevent ingestion causing intestinal obstruction。

リクガメの飼育環境について何に注意すべきですか。 — 広い床面積の活動空間が必要で、多くの品種は小型の水槽に長期間閉じ込めておくのに適さず、成体は屋外の囲いを必要とすることが多くなります。UVB ランプと加温したバスキングスポットで温度勾配をつくる必要があります。温帯性の品種（ヘルマンリクガメなど）は原産地では冬眠／半冬眠（brumation）の習性があり、人工環境で冬眠させるかどうかは経験のある獣医師にリスクを評価してもらう必要があります。飼い主が自分で試みることは推奨されません。床材は揮発性の精油を含む木くずを避け、誤食による腸閉塞を防ぐ必要があります。湿度の要求は原産の生息地（草原／砂漠／熱帯雨林）によって異なります。実際の判断は獣医師が個別の症例に応じて行う必要があり、本記事は薬剤名と用量を記載しません。

What should I watch for regarding the husbandry environment for tortoises? — A large ground area for activity is needed; most species are unsuitable for long-term confinement in a small tank, and adults commonly need an outdoor enclosure. UVB lighting and a heated basking spot are needed to form a temperature gradient. Temperate species (such as Hermann's tortoise) brumate or partially brumate in their native range; whether to allow brumation in an artificial environment needs the risk assessed by an experienced veterinarian, and keepers are not advised to attempt it on their own. Substrate must avoid wood shavings with volatile essential oils and must prevent ingestion causing intestinal obstruction。