Newbie

[evelynta]

Hello Tortoise world,

My name is Evelyn and our tortoise is newly renamed as Mr. T. We inherited him from my father-in-law who recently passed away. He is a California Desert tortoise that has been living in Huntington Beach in my father-in-law's back yard since around 1979. I will post a picture when I get a still one. I only have a video. We want to bring him to our home here in the Central Valley. What is the best way to transport him and is it stressful to him. Thanks in advance.

Evelyn

 

[dmmj]

Greetings! & welcome to the forum. Nice big box in the car will do fine

 

[evelynta]

Thank you.

 

[Cheryl Hills]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

A big, dark colored plastic tote with a towel in the bottom will work best. 18 gallon size should work. You want something waterproof and bring a trash bag and extra towels for the ride. If possible do a long warm water soak before traveling. This will help to empty out the tortoise for the drive. One hour of soaking will work. Keep the water warm the whole time, and replace the water as needed. You can use your same transport tub for this.

Yes the move will be stressful. Anytime you move them out of their territory, it is stressful. Hopefully it will settle in and recover with no issues. Warm temps will help. The cold night temps will not help. Try to duplicate how your uncle housed him, at least at first. Did the tortoise have a shelter of some sort? Can you bring it with you?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!

It will help you to understand his actions at your house if you know that tortoises are territorial. When taken out of their territory they constantly try to escape the new place to get back to their territory. It may take a couple weeks or more for him to settle. He may go off his feed, he may 'pout' in a corner. Just be patient.

 

[Alphakenc]

Welcome n Im new here also.

 

[evelynta]

Thank you. Maybe it won't take too long. We have been bringing our dogs down there and they are now friends. I hope that helps some. I have also been petting him and having him sniff my hand. Thanks again.

 

[Yvonne G]

Please, please, please keep in mind that dogs and tortoises can NEVER be "friends." Dogs may leave the tortoise alone at first but sooner or later he's going to realize that this rock on legs is really a moving chew toy. Never leave your dogs alone with the tortoise. We have many horror dog/tortoise stories here on the Forum! Here's a link to just one thread that's been posted here in the past:

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/w...er-being-chewed-by-a-dog.173182/#post-1708070

 

[Tom]

Thank you. Maybe it won't take too long. We have been bringing our dogs down there and they are now friends. I hope that helps some. I have also been petting him and having him sniff my hand. Thanks again.

This is a mistake. You are only building more interest for the dog. If anything, teach the dog to always "LEAVE IT!!!" when it comes to the tortoise, the tortoise's smell, or anything to do with the tortoise.

I'm a professional dog trainer, by the way. Since the early 90's.

 

[evelynta]

I don't leave the dogs alone with him. But while they are out there Mr. T actually chases after them. My pug is really mello and older. She's almost 10 and could care less. Izzie is 2 and would rather eat a stick than be near him. I will take your advice and watch them all the time. When we bring him home, he will have a very large part of the yard all to himself with access to the entire yard when we are outside to be with him. Thank you for your advice.

Evelyn

 

[MPappagallo]

Welcome from another newbie! This site has a ton of great information and helpful experts. I have learned so much by reading the forums!