Vacation

ClarenceTort

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Jul 22, 2019
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Kansas City
Was curious what people do when they go on vacation do they bring the tortoise to someone’s house ( can they be in a smaller temporary transportable habitat for a week vacation)have someone come in? Is boarding an option?
 

jsheffield

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I'm interested and following... I travel a fair amount and don't feel that boarding would work for Darwin, my redfoot.

I've got his enclosure set up pretty much perfectly for him and don't think a foreign environment world work as well for him... neither am I crazy about people coming into my house to care for him there.

My current plan is to feed and water ahead of time, leave non-molding food for him to eat, then send good vibes while I'm gone... I have an in-tank camera that provides video and still imagery of him while I'm gone, and if something seemed amiss I could alert a willing neighbor to come to his rescue.

Jamie (and Darwin)
 

wccmog10

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May 6, 2018
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Georgia
Once your tortoise is big enough and set up correctly he can be left for a period of time while on vacation. I’ve been gone for up to 7 days before. When I need it, I have a friend who knows how to take care of everyone. She just comes over to the house and does what needs to be done while I am gone.
 

ClarenceTort

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Joined
Jul 22, 2019
Messages
53
Location (City and/or State)
Kansas City
Once your tortoise is big enough and set up correctly he can be left for a period of time while on vacation. I’ve been gone for up to 7 days before. When I need it, I have a friend who knows how to take care of everyone. She just comes over to the house and does what needs to be done while I am gone.
What about the fresh water and food?
 

Blackdog1714

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If you have a good pet sitter it is easy cash for them. Just please investigate who they are and say they are capable of. Make clear instructions even draw lines on bowl to mark water height. BUT be advised bad help is much worse than good preparation. I use a mason jar bird waterer for ensuring multiple days of available water, just make sure to secure it to the side of the tank. Good luck
 

wccmog10

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May 6, 2018
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209
Location (City and/or State)
Georgia
What about the fresh water and food?

Once they are big enough they are out in the yard. They have grazing available 24/7 for food. And their water bowl is large and sunk into the ground, so there is no way for them to flip it. It will need to be changed as soon as I get home though, by day 7 it has usually started to grow algae.
 

ClarenceTort

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Joined
Jul 22, 2019
Messages
53
Location (City and/or State)
Kansas City
Once they are big enough they are out in the yard. They have grazing available 24/7 for food. And their water bowl is large and sunk into the ground, so there is no way for them to flip it. It will need to be changed as soon as I get home though, by day 7 it has usually started to grow algae.

I see a lot of people leave them
Outside. I live in the suburbs with a neighborhood HOA. I doubt i would leave him outside unattended. Maybe if I lived in a rural place. But that’s never happening
[emoji13]
 

jsheffield

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Sep 29, 2018
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Location (City and/or State)
Westmoreland, NH
I'm interested and following... I travel a fair amount and don't feel that boarding would work for Darwin, my redfoot.

I've got his enclosure set up pretty much perfectly for him and don't think a foreign environment world work as well for him... neither am I crazy about people coming into my house to care for him there.

My current plan is to feed and water ahead of time, leave non-molding food for him to eat, then send good vibes while I'm gone... I have an in-tank camera that provides video and still imagery of him while I'm gone, and if something seemed amiss I could alert a willing neighbor to come to his rescue.

Jamie (and Darwin)

I just got back from two weeks in Morocco, and Darwin ate like a horse!

He ate all the new plantings I'd put in his enclosure, along with some cut up cactus pads.

He had an 8" plastic water dish to soak in and drink from... the humidity is high enough in the enclosure that there was still a bunch of water left when we got back today.

I soaked and fed and oiled him when we returned, starting the meal with some hibiscus flowers, plantain leaves, and then some reptilinks and mazuri and papaya.

While we were gone, I watched him and monitored the temperature in his enclosure everyday with my Amazon blink camera, which uploads video to the cloud... I had a neighbor on deck to help out if he had run out of food or water too soon, but didn't feel the need.

Jamie
 
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