REPRODUCTION AND HATCHLINGS

Adults’ water dish. See Making a Drinking Place, Page 16.

Adults’ burrows. If a hatchling wanders into an adult’s burrow, it may be squashed accidentally. There must be convenient­ly placed burrows that are snug for hatchlings. If the right sizes are available, the hatchlings prefer to use them.


Figure 33. Cats and well-trained dogs live
compatibly with tortoises.

Dogs. Be watchful. Don’t expect a pup­py to keep away from hatchlings. An older dog that may not bother a large tortoise may injure or kill a small tortoise, just by picking it up in its mouth. See How to Introduce a DogPage 8.

Children want to play with small tortoises or carry them around. This should not be permitted. One reason is heat stress. Small tortoises heat up quickly and need to cool off frequently. They must be given this opportunity. Only they know when it is time to leave the sunlight and seek shelter. As few as 15 minutes of forced exposure to the sun in hot weather may cause death from overheating. The tortoise cannot move to the shade if it is being held or confined in the sunlight. An adult should supervise the handling of tortoises by children.

Setting Aside Part of the Yard for Hatchlings

Hatchlings need a lot of area, more than you might think for their size. If you must give them a separate area, it should be at least 100 square feet for one to four hatchlings and should be enlarged after the first year. It is important to make the enclosure longer than it is wide (at least 5' x 20'). This allows enough separation between the burrow end that should stay dry and the damp area at the other end for water and growing food. See Building a Hatchling Enclosure, Page 23.
As far as we know,
a female lays eggs
for her entire adult life


Build the enclosure where it will receive direct sunlight most of the day, especially in the spring and fall. Areas on the sides of most houses are usually too narrow to pro­vide enough direct sunlight. Do not use the side of a building or the property boundary walls as sides of the baby pen. Those walls will radiate a great deal of heat. See Select a Location for the Burrow, Page 9.


Figure 34. A hatchling pen keeps babies
safe until the entire yard is baby-safe.

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