Tortoise might not reach its adult self until they are 15-20 years. The question of how long does it take a tortoise to grow is only really applicable in the case of certain species, more specifically those which are kept as pets.

Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Aro... Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Around

The answer will be different for each species and even for each individual if you consider that some may grow faster than others depending on genetic factors, quality of care or whether they are in captivity or in the wild, and so on.

You may wonder about the relevance of such a detailed answer; I am sure that there are many people who would like to know more about their pet tortoises, after all, they do consider these animals as pets and it makes sense to be interested in knowing how they’re doing.

When it comes to more practical matters, it may be useful to know how long a tortoise takes in order to grow and how fast they do so.

Answers concerning these matters can vary from one species to another, but on average an individual is expected to grow the following way:

For a Hingeback tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria), it takes around 20-30 years for a tortoise to reach its adult size. This is the basic answer given by most sources, but if you want more specific information you can find out how long it takes an African tortoise to grow by checking this table.

Going back to our beloved Hingeback tortoises, it can take from 7-8 years for a baby to grow into the adult size. In this case, things are quite clear as there’s no confusion regarding what it means by “adult”. It does not mean that they have reached their full growth, but they reach an age where they can reproduce and participate in reproduction (if male) or care for the eggs and hatchlings (if female) after around 20 years.

When it comes to different breeds of turtles, things are a bit more complicated as there is no mention as to what is meant by “adult” with respect to tortoises.