My tort jumped from his enclosure :(

[Sanch84]

Hi All,


New here, and have a beautiful 2 year old Russian tortoise. He's recently (3 weeks ago) started trying to jump out of his enclosure and tries to get out at least 5-6 times a day. I put him outside to walk when i'm home, but when my hubby and I are at work, I come back to find him in distress, because he's scratched the enclosure and tried to get out. Today, I found that he was not in his house, my heart dropped and I was confused for a second. I then saw him sitting on our living room floor. He had jumped from a very high drop, the enclosure is set up on a 4 drawer cabinet.

I have checked him and everything seems okay, but i'm more worried because we recently had a mouse in the flat and we called in the pest control, who put poison in some places. Now i'm panicking because I don't know if he got close to those boxes I'm so stressed out, he has never jumped before but I should have seen this coming. How can I tell if he is ok? and how can I stop him from being so unhappy in his enclosure?

Thanks

 

[dmmj]

a bigger enclosure would help, tortoises like lots of room to wander. capping the corners will help prevent xscape.but it sounds like he is unhappy in his current environment.

 

[Sanch84]

thanks for the reply, the enclosure seemed fine until just these few weeks ago, he's never scratched or tried to do anything like this before, always been a happy boy. I will definitely look into a bigger enclosure. any idea how i can know if he's okay and not hurt from that drop, like signs to look out for?

 

[dmmj]

if the shell is intact then in all likelihood he's OK. There could always be internal damage but changes in behavior would indicate that.

 

[ascott]

Hi All,


New here, and have a beautiful 2 year old Russian tortoise. He's recently (3 weeks ago) started trying to jump out of his enclosure and tries to get out at least 5-6 times a day. I put him outside to walk when i'm home, but when my hubby and I are at work, I come back to find him in distress, because he's scratched the enclosure and tried to get out. Today, I found that he was not in his house, my heart dropped and I was confused for a second. I then saw him sitting on our living room floor. He had jumped from a very high drop, the enclosure is set up on a 4 drawer cabinet.

I have checked him and everything seems okay, but i'm more worried because we recently had a mouse in the flat and we called in the pest control, who put poison in some places. Now i'm panicking because I don't know if he got close to those boxes I'm so stressed out, he has never jumped before but I should have seen this coming. How can I tell if he is ok? and how can I stop him from being so unhappy in his enclosure?

Thanks

Also, the more you take him out to walk about in your house the more he realizes is out there, the great wide open, so I would figure a way to simply cover the top (like a fit to size piece of chicken wire type material)...you can press a little around the entire shell and look for any openings in the shell...kinda like when you are checking a bike tire for a flat...there is not lots you can do once the landing has taken place...they are pretty tough though....

 

[Sanch84]

if the shell is intact then in all likelihood he's OK. There could always be internal damage but changes in behavior would indicate that.

Thanks i will keep a close eye on him and make sure he's fine.

 

[Sanch84]

Also, the more you take him out to walk about in your house the more he realizes is out there, the great wide open, so I would figure a way to simply cover the top (like a fit to size piece of chicken wire type material)...you can press a little around the entire shell and look for any openings in the shell...kinda like when you are checking a bike tire for a flat...there is not lots you can do once the landing has taken place...they are pretty tough though....

Yes, sometimes he'll want to be out all day, and my garden isn't secure at all so I have to just stay near him sometimes 6 times a day! but I don't know a solution to it, when he wants to be out and it's this cold, he just sits in a corner outside but the minute i put him back in his enclosure he wants to come out 10-15 mins later.
I don't know how much of a bigger enclosure i can fit into my small flat, so if I can't fit it, then the mesh idea will have to do.

going to check his shell, hopefully it's not damaged, I feel so bad

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome.
Can you post pics of your enclosure so that members can offer ideas on how to make it a little more comfortable or interesting for him? Also have a look at the Enclosures thread for ideas. All torts like space to wander - it's just what they do.

 

[ascott]

Yes, sometimes he'll want to be out all day, and my garden isn't secure at all so I have to just stay near him sometimes 6 times a day! but I don't know a solution to it, when he wants to be out and it's this cold, he just sits in a corner outside but the minute i put him back in his enclosure he wants to come out 10-15 mins later.
I don't know how much of a bigger enclosure i can fit into my small flat, so if I can't fit it, then the mesh idea will have to do.

going to check his shell, hopefully it's not damaged, I feel so bad

How large is the enclosure he is in now? How large is the tortoise? How long have you had the tortoise?

 

[Gillian M]

Extremely sorry to hear that your tort jumped out of his enclosure. I'd suggest:

a) your taking him to a vet asap
b) ensuring a much larger and more comfortable enclosure (although I don't know the size of the current one).

Hope to hear he's well. Please keep us informed, and good luck!

And a warm welcome to the forum.

 

[Sanch84]

How large is the enclosure he is in now? How large is the tortoise? How long have you had the tortoise?

Just measured it, enclosure is 26 inches long by 17 inches wide.
Ive measured Sancho my tort, he's asleep so i've just measured the top of his shell from start to end. it's 4 inches by 3 inches.

We have had him just about a year.

 

[Sanch84]

Thats where he's enclosure was before, just on a plastic box, now it's quite high up. I will always try change his setting place new plants etc, but it's not working recently. I thought this enclosure size was perfect for him, right now he fits right into my palm.

 

[Sanch84]

Extremely sorry to hear that your tort jumped out of his enclosure. I'd suggest:

a) your taking him to a vet asap
b) ensuring a much larger and more comfortable enclosure (although I don't know the size of the current one).

Hope to hear he's well. Please keep us informed, and good luck!

And a warm welcome to the forum.

Thanks ,unfortunately it's late here and a sunday, i've called up and no vets are open. I have checked his breathing, and shell and legs , everything is seeings okay, he even ate food and had a walk and now he's in bed. I will take him to the vet first thing tomorrow. I'm hoping he'll be okay, he's so precious <3

 

[Pearly]

If he fell on carpeted floor chances are he's ok.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

I really doubt there's anything wrong with your tortoise from his fall. I don't think a visit to a vet is required. Soak the tortoise in warm water and gently clean him all off with a soft bristle brush in case he contacted any toxins.

Also, your habitat is way too small for a Russian of that size. That's why he's trying to escape all the time. Plus, you've allowed him to know there's a big world outside his walls by allowing him out of the habitat occasionally. I NEVER let any of my tortoises go outside their fences. All they know of their world is what's contained inside their fences. This keeps them more contented to stay put.

 

[Gillian M]

Thanks ,unfortunately it's late here and a sunday, i've called up and no vets are open. I have checked his breathing, and shell and legs , everything is seeings okay, he even ate food and had a walk and now he's in bed. I will take him to the vet first thing tomorrow. I'm hoping he'll be okay, he's so precious <3

Great! He did worry me believe it or not.

In the meantime, keep an eye on him, and please place the enclosure on a mat/carpet; just so as to remain on the safe side: "better be safe than sorry."

 

[Gillian M]

Thats where he's enclosure was before, just on a plastic box, now it's quite high up. I will always try change his setting place new plants etc, but it's not working recently. I thought this enclosure size was perfect for him, right now he fits right into my palm.

View attachment 157156 View attachment 157157 View attachment 157158

A nice enclosure but it's far too small.

 

[Sanch84]

A nice enclosure but it's far too small.

Thank you all for your advice, it's great to know that. As I'm a new to having a tort, I did not realise this would be too small, but it's all a learning process. Can i ask what size would be better for him?

 

[Sanch84]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

I really doubt there's anything wrong with your tortoise from his fall. I don't think a visit to a vet is required. Soak the tortoise in warm water and gently clean him all off with a soft bristle brush in case he contacted any toxins.

Also, your habitat is way too small for a Russian of that size. That's why he's trying to escape all the time. Plus, you've allowed him to know there's a big world outside his walls by allowing him out of the habitat occasionally. I NEVER let any of my tortoises go outside their fences. All they know of their world is what's contained inside their fences. This keeps them more contented to stay put.

Thank you for your reply and for welcoming me I had given him a bath as soon as I saw he fell out. He's had his walk and has gone to bed.

Yes, I never realised that letting him out would be a problem and in fact thought that is what needs to be done all the time. I will hope his new bigger enclosure will keep him happy and I'll not keep taking him out of it for 'outside walks' appreciate the advice

 

[Sanch84]

If he fell on carpeted floor chances are he's ok.

It was lino flooring, so it's not as hard as normal wood or tiles, but it's not as soft as a carpet either! But i keep checking on him every 30 mins. He's trying to sleep and I think i'm really pissing him off but I cannot stop worrying about my baby