Clothes

It is not advisable to dress tortoises, like the Angulated Tortoise (Chersina angulata), since doing so might be harmful to their health. The ability to control one's body temperature and shield oneself from the weather are two ways in which tortoises, like the Angulated Tortoise, have adapted to live in the wild.

Wearing clothes may limit a tortoise's mobility and make it harder for it to engage in its normal habits including foraging, sunbathing, and exploring its surroundings. As a result, the tortoise may experience distress, which in turn might impair its health and quality of life.

Another issue is that tortoises have a hard time keeping their body temperature under control while they are wearing clothes. Sunlight and other external heat sources are crucial for tortoises to keep their internal temperatures stable. Problems like hypothermia or hyperthermia might arise if they are unable to bask and absorb heat because of clothing.

Tortoises are vulnerable to harm or entanglement from clothing as well. Clothes that do not fit correctly or are too loose might suffocate or damage the tortoise's shell or limbs. Tortoises may choke on their own fur or choke on other pieces of clothing, which can cause serious health problems.

In addition, clothes might hinder the tortoise’s normal habits, such as shedding and digging. Wearing clothes could prevent tortoises from digging their shallow burrows, which they use for resting and temperature regulation. The natural shedding of the tortoise's skin may be impeded by clothes, which can result in retained shed and even skin diseases.

To keep an Angulated Tortoise healthy, it is more important to provide it with an appropriate habitat that has enough warmth, lighting, and environmental enrichment than to dress it. They should be able to engage in natural activities like digging, climbing, and exploring, and they should have access to a basking area with heat and UVB illumination. Diverse food should also be provided.

It is more important to treat the underlying cause of a tortoise's apparent discomfort or cold than to try to dress it. If you want to make sure the tortoise is healthy and happy, you may change the humidity or temperature in its cage, add lights or heat, or ask a doctor for advice.