Red-Footed Tortoise Size Comparison: Just How Big Do They Get?

If you want a tortoise that doesn’t get too big, a red-footed tortoise may be just the pet. Adult red-footed tortoises are usually 11-16 inches long, weighing 20-30 pounds, depending on which source you reference. Males average 13.5 inches long and are bigger than females who average 11.25 inches. The biggest red-footed tortoise was nearly two feet long and weighed over 60 pounds.

What is a Red-Footed Tortoise?

Red-footed tortoises are medium to medium-large tortoises. They’re native to Central and South America and have also been found on a few Caribbean islands. In areas where rainforests were clear-cut for agriculture, these tortoises were quick to begin colonizing the new grasslands.

Although they are primarily herbivorous, red-footed tortoises eat a little of everything. Their diet can include everything from fruit and leafy greens to various insects. Some say red-footed tortoises might eat carrion in a pinch.

These easy-going tortoises are popular pets. They get big enough to be fun, but not so big that you need a huge yard. As hatchlings, you can start them indoors in a 40-gallon terrarium. However, by the time they reach 10 years old, red-footed tortoises need more space.

How Big Are Red-Footed Tortoises After 10 Years?

In captivity, red-footed tortoises often get bigger than in the wild. They’re fed and cared for, without enduring droughts or starvation. Having everything you need allows maximum growth.

After their first decade of life, red-footed tortoises typically measure between 11 and 16 inches long. To measure a tortoise’s length, measure its shell — not the curve of its carapace, but the flat length.

Most red-footed tortoises are about as long as a large house cat but have significantly more weight behind them. You could even compare their size to half of a bowling ball with legs and a head sticking out as it walked down the street — the measurements would be similar!

How Much Do Red-Footed Tortoises Weigh?

According to the Tortoise Library, the average adult red-footed tortoise weighs about 17.5 pounds. But there are stories of red-footed tortoises found in their native range well over that. It depends on how lucky that tortoise was while it did most of its growing.

For comparison, most red-footed tortoises are a little over twice as heavy as a newborn baby human — according to the WHO, the average newborn is seven pounds, six ounces.

What is a Red-Footed Tortoise’s Lifespan?

Reptiles, especially tortoises, seem to have longer lifespans than other animals of similar size. These slow-growing animals are often re-homed because they outlive their original owner. So, if you’re considering one of these gentle creatures as a pet, be sure to include their care in your will — many people do!

While wild red-footed tortoises may only live for 20-30 years, captive individuals can easily live over 40 years and some can exceed 50.

Here’s an example: Say you bring home a red-footed tortoise when you’re 25 and you keep that tortoise throughout its entire life — you and the tortoise may have similar death dates. Assuming the tortoise sees its 50th birthday, you may only outlive it by a few years, because the average U.S. life expectancy is a little over 79.

What Was the Biggest Red-Footed Tortoise?

Even though these aren’t huge Aldabra or Galapagos tortoises, that weigh in at over 500 pounds, red-footed tortoises are good-sized, especially as a pet tortoise!

We found a reference to the biggest red-footed tortoise that measured 23.5 inches long and weighed 61.7 pounds in South American Tortoises, ‘Chelonoidis Carbonaria, C. Denticulata and C. Chilensis’, by Sabine Vinke, et al. This massive red-footed tortoise was a captive that originally came from Bolivia or Paraguay.

At 61.7 pounds, that’s about the weight of a mid-sized dog, like a large border collie, cattle dog, or small German shepherd.

Do Red-Footed Tortoises Keep Growing All Their Lives?

Like most reptiles, tortoises grow throughout most of their lives.

Red-footed tortoise hatchlings can easily triple in weight during their first year. Their quickest growth happens in the first four years, then tapers off dramatically after their 10th year. Red-footed tortoises will grow the rest of their lives, but only a little bit at a time.

Tortoise Size Comparison

Tortoises can be as small as Egyptian tortoises or as large as Galápagos tortoises. Here’s a handy table listing the most commonly kept pet tortoises and their approximate adult size.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Seregraff/Shutterstock.com