Is it weird to take him to the park?

[Talka]

I found a thread were people talked about using dog playpens to put torts in at the park. Seems weird but... my apartment complex has a tiny bit of grass in front of it, and it's full of cigarette buds!

I don't think Sheldon can get any sun this spring unless I take him to the park 10 minutes away. Usually he's ok with car rides. I put him on the dashboard during red lights and he's instantly fixated on moving cars.

So... what's a good playpen? This one seems cheap: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DHXEQ/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[cemmons12]

My concern would be having my torts eat park grass that has been treated with something that may not be healthy for them... u just never know...

 

[wellington]

I would be careful, you don't know if they have treated the grass with anything that your tort should not eat. Also the dashboard is not a safe place for him/her to ride. I would put him/her in a box on the floor. If the park grass is safe, then any pen would be fine, as he/she should be supervised at all times anyway.

 

[Talka]

It's ok, he only sits on the dash if I've stopped completely. Wouldn't want to make him into a pancake tort by mistake!


... but I'll leave him in the box from now on.

Hmm... wonder who I could ask about chemicals in the grass.

 

[Irwin4530]

I was thinking about the chemicals in the grass too.....
along with the possibility of something toxic in the yard. (I am
thinking weeds, leaves and/or "leavings" from other animals)

Maybe you have a friend with a nice yard you can use?

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

The chemicals are not your only worry. if your tort comes across dog feces and eats it, it could contain heart worm medication which typically has ivermectin in it, which is in a heartworm drug called interceptor and is toxic to tortoises.

 

[Laura]

not to mention.. birds, dogs, people... he is at risk....
great time to educate people.. but probably best done at events and not alone in a park...

 

[ascott]

If the park is a county park then ask to speak to the Park Superintendent, if it is a city park as to speak with the Park Manager.

I use to work at a wildlife area/camping park. I use to take two of the CDTs that use to be hosted by my prior boss for walks in the park...I knew that the turf was good, I knew that there were fields of dandelion and clover mixed in (I use to handle irrigation so all was always watered ) I also knew the park like the back of my hand--I also knew the days that the park was empty for the most part and the busiest days....

You can do it if you take into consideration all of the factors mentioned (dog poo can easily be spotted prior to you setting down the pen) also, fewer and fewer parks are using sprays as normal protocol because well, they are expensive and most parks (especially county parks) have to have certified employee to administer the sprays...

So certainly ask the Superintendent or Manager if they use herbicides, insecticides or chemical based fertilizers.....also, don't be shy to share with them the reason you are asking...this will allow them to take a moment of consideration as to their answer and the importance.

Also, be sure to keep an eye out for dogs and overhead attacks as well ...Anything is possible if you do your homework...

 

[Neltharion]

I found a thread were people talked about using dog playpens to put torts in at the park. Seems weird but... my apartment complex has a tiny bit of grass in front of it, and it's full of cigarette buds!

I don't think Sheldon can get any sun this spring unless I take him to the park 10 minutes away. Usually he's ok with car rides. I put him on the dashboard during red lights and he's instantly fixated on moving cars.

So... what's a good playpen? This one seems cheap: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DHXEQ/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

I know of two people that put their iguanas on harnesses, stake a leash into the ground and let their iguanas roam the grass in local parks. I went with them one time and got to see a dog off leash get its head whipped by a very irritated iguana. I don't know anyone that takes their tortoises though.

Aside from the possibly pesticides and chemical fertilizers used on the grasses; another thing to keep in mind is that many parks are watered with 'refurbished' water. Water that's unsafe for drinking but deemed usable for plants and landscaping. However, this is the same water that is suspect in those cases where farmed vegetables have been tainted with salmonella, E Coli, and other contaminants. I suppose if your torts were well fed before you took them to a park, there would be a lower risk of them potentially eating something undesirable.

 

[Madkins007]

Fertilizers, etc.- I would call this a low risk since whatever they use has to be safe enough for tiny fragile pet dogs to romp on and kids to roll around on. It might be worth waiting 24 hours after applications, but otherwise I would not call this your biggest risk.

Dog poo, etc.- remove before you release the tort, again, not what I would call my biggest worry.

What I WOULD be worried about is that Russians are known escape and camouflage experts. There are truly hundreds of lost tortoise stories that include the phrase 'but I only took my eyes off him for a minute!" The pen better be awfully escape proof and I can see it easily slipping under that bottom rail on that pen.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Does your apartment have a balcony that gets any sun?

 

[Sammy]

A lot of ppl here in HK takes their tortoises to the park for sunshine & exercise. They watch them, so they don't eat anything or dogs coming over. I put mine on the balcony, think it's cleaner and safer.

 

[Talka]

Does your apartment have a balcony that gets any sun?

Nope! The balconies are only on the sides of the building, 2nd-4th floor. I'm on the first!
Otherwise I'd have set up an entire balcony enclosure, cause those are AWESOME!

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What I WOULD be worried about is that Russians are known escape and camouflage experts. There are truly hundreds of lost tortoise stories that include the phrase 'but I only took my eyes off him for a minute!" The pen better be awfully escape proof and I can see it easily slipping under that bottom rail on that pen.

This is what I'm worried about as well. Sheldon is incredibly crafty and is hard to find inside his own habitat.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

What I WOULD be worried about is that Russians are known escape and camouflage experts. There are truly hundreds of lost tortoise stories that include the phrase 'but I only took my eyes off him for a minute!" The pen better be awfully escape proof and I can see it easily slipping under that bottom rail on that pen.

Agreed...I'd suggest making a small pen w/ a 1/2" hardware cloth mesh bottom.

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Does your apartment have a balcony that gets any sun?

Nope! The balconies are only on the sides of the building, 2nd-4th floor. I'm on the first!
Otherwise I'd have set up an entire balcony enclosure, cause those are AWESOME!

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Bummer.

 

[Tom]

Two things:

Just because you ask about the pesticides does not mean the info is accurate or honest. I had the landscaping manager at my mother in laws condo complex swear to me that they used no pesticides or herbicides of any kind ever. He said it with a genuine smile. Not more than a few days later, I saw one of his guys with a well used spray pack on his back running around spraying weeds. Either the guy just didn't know what his people were doing, or he just lied to my face and told me what he thought I wanted to hear.

Second thing:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Cheap-Easy-Simple-Sunning-Enclosure#axzz1ibSCXhAf

 

[Talka]

Two things:

Just because you ask about the pesticides does not mean the info is accurate or honest. I had the landscaping manager at my mother in laws condo complex swear to me that they used no pesticides or herbicides of any kind ever. He said it with a genuine smile. Not more than a few days later, I saw one of his guys with a well used spray pack on his back running around spraying weeds. Either the guy just didn't know what his people were doing, or he just lied to my face and told me what he thought I wanted to hear.

Second thing:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Cheap-Easy-Simple-Sunning-Enclosure#axzz1ibSCXhAf

Awesome! That definitely is easy! Keeps him from the grass, easy to set up and remove... I'll get something small of course but that definitely makes it safe to take him out to the yard by the apartment!

 

[Talka]

Maybe you have a friend with a nice yard you can use?

Actually, yes! Turns out, a neighbor who lives about 20 yards from the apartment complex has an enormous weed patch in front of his shed. It looks clean, he never does anything to it since it's just a patch of weeds behind the house.
There are about 6 cats who prowl the area, but they're terrified of me (they saw me coming and ran like hell - apparently they're incredibly feral) and I stayed about 2 feet from Sheldon the entire time.

I'll build him a portable weed-overgrown enclosure this spring so I don't have to take him to the neighbor's yard - one of my windows gets tons of sunlight. I could put it on the bookshelf by the window and let him sun without worrying about cat attacks!

 

[nicoleandrocky]

Do you have a window that lets a lot of sun in by any chance? My room lets a ton of sun in daily do i put some towels on the floor put the pen around it and open the window, he usually just basks there for a while, its not the same but until you find a yard its the best you can do

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Depends on the park. I have taken my Russians to our regional park, and they really seemed to like it there:

"Photos of steppe tortoises on the steppe!"

Of course, when you're out in public, you sometimes get approached by people with all kinds of questions, from friendly ones like, "Oh, they're cute! What kind are they?" to more accusatory ones like "You're not going to abandon them, are you?" to more suspicious ones like, "You're not capturing wild animals, are you?" (This last one slays me, since Russian tortoises are not even native here.) And of course, there's the issue of dogs.

Bottom line, if you can do it safely, I think it would be fine. But if there's nothing for them to eat there, nowhere to hide, lots of dogs, or nosy folks around, I wouldn't do it.

 

[MORTYtheTORTY]

I wouldn't trust anyone's grass!! I would buy a big bin and grow your own tortoise seed mix indoors (whatever is edible for your tort)...use a bottom cat litter box to grow the seeds and then when it's sunny out you can put the tort in it with a hide maybe and just chill w/sheldon outside =D