Another poop thread! sorry!, but it's for the kids!

ben awes

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Hi all,

So, need some advice or a home remedy idea or.....? I've got three Aldabra tortoises; Uncle Bri is 5 years old and my two little ones are approx 18 months. On rare occasion I take Uncle Bri on an outing and so I spent time on a portable enclosure for him. Almost like a portable playpen for children. I have folding/hinged plywood walls that surround a 4'x6 industrial plastic tray. I have then laid rubber egg crate mats in the bottom so that pee would drain through.

The thing is that no matter what, once Uncle Bri is placed in it, he begins to poop and pee - for seemingly HOURS. I cannot believe how much poo and pee he can hold!!! What I am trying to do is be able to bring Uncle Bri to the local grade schools on occasion to show and teach the kids. Uncle Bri is approaching 60 pounds and when he was younger and smaller his poop was not a big problem. At this size his poop is a problem. The sheer volume makes it impossible to bring him there.

What I am hoping is for a way to "encourage" him to do this before hand. It must be the new environment or anxiety that make him release everything. I could put him in the pen the day before and just let me go to town, but then he's sitting in it all day. When i give him a good soak, he rarely poops in the bath, so that does not seem to be a solution.

I don't know that taking him out to the kids is a great idea for him, but i'd really like to share him. It's been one of my goals since i got him and he's a pretty cool character and i think he can handle it.

Any thoughts would be welcome!

Thanks
Ben
 

Bee62

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Hi Ben.
Take the kids to him ! That`s my advice.
Tortoises are wild animals although they are kept as pets. Tortoises don`t like to be moved from their enclosure. It scares them. Tortoises are no toys.
I believe you are proud to have him and because of this you should protect him from any stress.
Make a lot of good pics of him and go with these pics, a computer and a beamer to the children.
Or bring the children to him. PLEASE !
 

ben awes

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Hi Ben.
Take the kids to him ! That`s my advice.
Tortoises are wild animals although they are kept as pets. Tortoises don`t like to be moved from their enclosure. It scares them. Tortoises are no toys.
I believe you are proud to have him and because of this you should protect him from any stress.
Make a lot of good pics of him and go with these pics, a computer and a beamer to the children.
Or bring the children to him. PLEASE !
Thanks Bee, but not that helpful. I am well aware of what my tortoises are, have been raising and breeding for 15 years. Can't bring 18 first graders to my basement! Lots of zoos bring animals around for educational purposes, often the most memorable day of the year for the kids. Photos don't quite equal that.
 

Bee62

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Thanks Bee, but not that helpful. I am well aware of what my tortoises are, have been raising and breeding for 15 years. Can't bring 18 first graders to my basement! Lots of zoos bring animals around for educational purposes, often the most memorable day of the year for the kids. Photos don't quite equal that.
Sorry Ben, I don`t want to be rude.
 

ben awes

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No offense taken Bee. But I am looking for ideas, not just - no. Of course it stresses the animal, but there is also the good that can come from sharing them. Too often here on the forum you're a "bad owner" if you do anything that might be in question. I've been a "questionable" owner for a long time for keeping Aldabras in Minnesota! I was a questionable owner for keeping Leopard tortoises in Minnesota too. I raised them to adults and bred them successfully indoors, hatched dozens of healthy babies. Folks told me they would never breed indoors, had never heard of that being done with P. Pardalis Leopards. The world is grey, not always black and white. I just want to see if i can find a way to share these amazing animals with some children by taking him to the kids. Maybe I can't, but maybe I can! Thanks.
 

ben awes

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"Some people don’t understand putting the torts well being first" Here's the proof Bee.
 

JustClick

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An experience like that is something those young kids would never forget. I would have definitely loved it. I’m sure it’s stressful for him to a degree. What that degree is we do not know.

If it’s a rare occasion I think it’s great but it would certainly be easier to just take the little guys for showing.

I don’t know how to make him go when you want other than to recreate the scenario the day before to clean him out. I’m sure you can determine if this is stressing him too much.
 

ben awes

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An experience like that is something those young kids would never forget. I would have definitely loved it. I’m sure it’s stressful for him to a degree. What that degree is we do not know.

If it’s a rare occasion I think it’s great but it would certainly be easier to just take the little guys for showing.

I don’t know how to make him go when you want other than to recreate the scenario the day before to clean him out. I’m sure you can determine if this is stressing him too much.

Thanks for the reply. I have to assume that it would stress him, but it’s hard to say how much. He poops whenever there is a change of venue, even when he first just gets outside, and thats stimulating, not stressful. I think the only option is to try and encourage that activity the day before, see how he handles it.
 

Kasia

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Thanks for the reply. I have to assume that it would stress him, but it’s hard to say how much. He poops whenever there is a change of venue, even when he first just gets outside, and thats stimulating, not stressful. I think the only option is to try and encourage that activity the day before, see how he handles it.
Maybe try adjusting him to being in the pen. Let him spend one day in a week for couple of weeks in a row in it. Give him treats on this occasion and spoil him rotten so he will associate it with something pleasant and with time maybe will get use to it. Otherwise yes it’s stressful but I understand your need to share:)
 

ben awes

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Maybe try adjusting him to being in the pen. Let him spend one day in a week for couple of weeks in a row in it. Give him treats on this occasion and spoil him rotten so he will associate it with something pleasant and with time maybe will get use to it. Otherwise yes it’s stressful but I understand your need to share:)

Thanks for the comment - i think that's a good strategy. My plan is to give him some time in the pen this weekend and see how it goes. I hadn't thought of associating the pen with treats/food, but excellent idea!
 

Kasia

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Give us an update on how it is going. I heard that redfoots have kinda shorter version of a long term memory when it comes to food and places where you can find it. So if you can stich this up with a given place that would be a great success.
 

TammyJ

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It's an interesting problem, especially as you say that you cannot bring the kids to him.

Is there a way to perforate the actual base that he sits on in the crate with large enough holes for the poop and pee to fall through the holes into a tray that slides under the perforated bottom? You could hose him off when you reach your destination, washing off any remaining poop and pee, and dispose of (or not) the poop that has collected in the second sliding tray (which may smell but not be visible under the perforated base above).
 

Bee62

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Maybe try adjusting him to being in the pen. Let him spend one day in a week for couple of weeks in a row in it. Give him treats on this occasion and spoil him rotten so he will associate it with something pleasant and with time maybe will get use to it. Otherwise yes it’s stressful but I understand your need to share:)
The need to share can be satisfied with pics and videos too.
 

Bee62

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It's an interesting problem, especially as you say that you cannot bring the kids to him.

Is there a way to perforate the actual base that he sits on in the crate with large enough holes for the poop and pee to fall through the holes into a tray that slides under the perforated bottom? You could hose him off when you reach your destination, washing off any remaining poop and pee, and dispose of (or not) the poop that has collected in the second sliding tray (which may smell but not be visible under the perforated base above).
What would you think of sitting in a cage, driving in a car not knowing what will happen, having fear you could die, or have to leave your home forever ?
I don`t know ....
 

Yvonne G

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When I was younger I took a group of tortoises out for "show and tell" to schools, events of all sorts all during the summers - several times a year. The tortoises got used to being boxed up and travelling. I never noticed any problems with them. No stressed out runny noses, etc. They were just glad to be back home. They even ate while they were out at the shows. But the biggest one I took was Dudley, the sulcata, and I only took him when I could set up a dog kennel on grass, never took him to an indoor event.
 

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