This is why we can't have nice things

[jwd]

Our year-old sulcata, Fluffy, has decided that this particular USB cord and the ground plug on the electrical cord are edible. Anywhere we place him in the room, he makes a beeline for them, navigating around couches, tables, and chairs, over other cords that aren't as appetizing, and even bypassing any food we place in his way.

 

[cmacusa3]

You will get a lot of negative feed back on this, They should be kept inside their nice warm enclosure and not roaming the house. Its not safe, we read horror stories on here all the time of bad things happening.

 

[jwd]

Lighten up. He spends 24 hours a day in his warm, humid enclosure. Every once in a while I let him out to get a little exercise. No more than 10 minutes and I watch him like a hawk. It's currently 78 degrees in the room. This is certainly no more of a risk than letting him outside to get some sun - which I also do whenever the temps are in the 70s.

 

[Tom]

Craig is right.

I'll be the first:

Tortoises should never be loose on the floor. I work with many exotic animal vets as part of my career as an animal trainer and they all know of my tortoise obsession. I hear horror stories on a regular basis. Every single person who has suffered one of these disasters was being careful, supervising, and thought every thing would be fine. One member smashed her tortoises head in the door on accident. Another member's tortoise swallowed a 2" needle and she had no idea where it came from. I see broken legs and impactions on a regular basis. Sickness is a common by-product too because its too cold down there. And electrocution is common too. Houses have burned down because of what you've taken pictures of there.

I ask you to reconsider this practice and keep your tortoise in its safe enclosure indoors and out.

Check this out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

We've seen too many tragedies and we'd like to prevent another one if we can.

 

[cmacusa3]

Lighten up. He spends 24 hours a day in his warm, humid enclosure. Every once in a while I let him out to get a little exercise. No more than 10 minutes and I watch him like a hawk. It's currently 78 degrees in the room. This is certainly no more of a risk than letting him outside to get some sun - which I also do whenever the temps are in the 70s.

Sorry I will lighten up.
Guess you got a lot of couches, tables, and chairs, and other cords laying around in his outside enclosure too. We are just looking out for the tortoise, things can happen in the blink of an eye.

 

[wellington]

Lighten up. He spends 24 hours a day in his warm, humid enclosure. Every once in a while I let him out to get a little exercise. No more than 10 minutes and I watch him like a hawk. It's currently 78 degrees in the room. This is certainly no more of a risk than letting him outside to get some sun - which I also do whenever the temps are in the 70s.

So wrong! You can see in your pics exactly why no knowledgable tortoise keeper will agree with you. I have never seen tables, chairs, or electrical cords at tort level in a proper tort enclosure. If they are, then shame on those tortoises owners too!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Please understand that once you've been on this forum for a while, you will read so many stories of tortoises getting injured or worse from members that mean well like you.
Please take into consideration the many years of experience that this forum represents. And don't take any response as a personal attack.
Help is our primary reason for being here.

 

[wellington]

Btw, we all understand that the cord is not plugged in. However, that is this time. We have seen many on here that says the same as you. Then the next time we hear from them they are asking for help cuz their tort got stepped on, or head closed in the door or it ate such and such from the floor.
We are trying to save you and your tort from these bad things we have already seen.

 

[jwd]

Please understand that once you've been on this forum for a while, you will read so many stories of tortoises getting injured or worse from members that mean well like you.
Please take into consideration the many years of experience that this forum represents. And don't take any response as a personal attack.
Help is our primary reason for being here.

I appreciate that. I've spent a lot of time on the forum and, frankly, I've found that too many replies sound more like lectures than advice. I may be new to the forum, but I'm not a neophyte. I realize there are risks associated with everything we do in our attempt to give keep our tortoises safe and healthy, not the least of which is our decisions to hold captive a desert reptile in a temperate climate.

Like most people, I tend to react negatively to being lectured and, in most cases, positively to constructive advice. So, I appreciate those who offered advice about possible risks: (e.g., doors, electrocution, consumption of inappropriate items on the floor - all of which I've taken precautions to protect against). But those who make blanket statements like "so wrong" or "tortoises should never be loose on the floor" really aren't helping anyone.

Anyway. I hope this will put an end to it all. I get the message.

 

[wellington]

I appreciate that. I've spent a lot of time on the forum and, frankly, I've found that too many replies sound more like lectures than advice. I may be new to the forum, but I'm not a neophyte. I realize there are risks associated with everything we do in our attempt to give keep our tortoises safe and healthy, not the least of which is our decisions to hold captive a desert reptile in a temperate climate.

Like most people, I tend to react negatively to being lectured and, in most cases, positively to constructive advice. So, I appreciate those who offered advice about possible risks: (e.g., doors, electrocution, consumption of inappropriate items on the floor - all of which I've taken precautions to protect against). But those who make blanket statements like "so wrong" or "tortoises should never be loose on the floor" really aren't helping anyone.

Anyway. I hope this will put an end to it all. I get the message.

I don't think anyone means to lecture. Are main goal is to help and save others from learning things out the hard way. Sometimes it does get frustrating for us too, when someone says they have read a lot of info from the forum, but then continues to do what this forum recommends not to do.
Any way, hope the best for both of you.

 

[legan52]

As someone who reads a lot but rarely posts, consider it a learning experience for others. While I've already read many similar threads and stories of injured tortoises, a new member may not have. If they, like myself, find themselves browsing randomly they may come across this thread and discover something new. Someone who may not take those same precautions or think twice about letting their tortoise roam may now have seen otherwise.

While the tone of some may come off as preach-y, I've seen time and time again those same people going above and beyond to give thorough advice to help someone. Most of all, their concern is for the welfare of the tortoise.

 

[Oxalis]

Our year-old sulcata, Fluffy, has decided that this particular USB cord and the ground plug on the electrical cord are edible. Anywhere we place him in the room, he makes a beeline for them, navigating around couches, tables, and chairs, over other cords that aren't as appetizing, and even bypassing any food we place in his way.

View attachment 202172 View attachment 202173 View attachment 202174

Cute sulcata by the way! Do you think he's interested in chomping on certain items because he's trying to file his beak down? Do you have a calcium block and/or rocks in the tort enclosure? I've noticed my Russian occasionally gives rocks a chomp; maybe he's finally learned he can file his beak down on his own. I'll still have to trim it again soon.