Decided to give scooter free reign

ckromulus

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
80
Over the last 6 weekends I have opened the gates to Scooters enclosure and allowed her to roam free in the yard despite the in-ground pool. I kept a close eye and two weeks ago decided to leave the gate open all week. It has really worked out great. She sometimes walks to the pool looks in but seems to know its danger. I know some people will caution against what I'm doing but she is gaining weight, getting more exercise and find her way right back into her deck box inside her enclosure every day. Sometimes she doesn't even leave the enclosure (it's pretty sizable). Some shots from today:


ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1427655864.313639.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1427655878.224744.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1427655892.678317.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1427655920.528004.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1427655939.379953.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1427655999.853276.jpg
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,405
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
You have a nice big hunk of property. Lucky tortoise!
 

ckromulus

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
80
That's about half in the photo! I had given scooter about 80' by 15'-20' (it's not an exact rectangle) bc I was initially nervous about the pool but now she gets to roam the whole yard and she has been gaining weight like crazy. Especially this time of year with my tabebuia blooming paired with all the aloe, banana mats, wandering jew, hibiscus, bromeliads, prickly pear, grape vines, strawberry plants and all the weeds; she certainly has plenty to eat!

She seems to leave all the plants that are bad for her well alone as well.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,655
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Very cool. I do wonder though, when the good food plants are gone, if she will start eating on the bad plants? I would take great caution there. We had a member whose tort ate a bad plant and if I remember correctly, the tort died.
 

ckromulus

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
80
If be pretty surprised if the "good plants" ran out. They are spread out and bountiful. She spends most of her time eating the grass anyway. I will keep an eye on her though
 

Anovick5

New Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2015
Messages
15
Location (City and/or State)
South Florida
Yeah, I too am curious if this is Florida. It's got to be. This looks like my neighborhood. Granted, my neighborhood is full of cookie-cutter houses that I'm sure exist all over. But the palms, the St Augustine grass (I think), the pool, and what looks like hurricane shutters...it's got to be Florida.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Everyone thinks things like this are fine until the day you come home and discover its not fine.

As a younger man, new to reptiles, I took all sorts of chances like this. I'd say its fine, I've been doing it for all this time and no problem. Then one day the animal in my care would pay the price for my ignorance.

I have never found found a way to impart this sort of life experience, but let me just say that a lot of tortoises have drowned in pools and died from eating toxic plants. I sincerely hope that your tortoise stays safe and nothing bad ever happens. Unfortunately, me hoping for the best has frequently failed in the past.

You've got an awesome yard there and it would not be that hard to make a nice big safe enclosure.
 

DeanS

SULCATA OASIS
10 Year Member!
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
4,407
Location (City and/or State)
SoCal
Free range has to be taken very seriously! I will not mention any names...but a friend put out her (3) three year old sulcatas only to find one of them dead! She's knowledgeable but the environment is something to really think over...no matter where you are. Given her bayou locale, our first thought was snakebite...the tortoise had its head tucked so no visible signs of anything...the temps were only in the upper 70s and they had access to all kinds of shade...just food for thought!
 

naturalman91

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2014
Messages
2,015
Location (City and/or State)
Medford Oregon
i agree with tom and dean my ex girlfriends uncle had 2 sulcata's and didn't think they'd go near the pool until he found one of them at the bottom of it drowned.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
i agree with tom and dean my ex girlfriends uncle had 2 sulcata's and didn't think they'd go near the pool until he found one of them at the bottom of it drowned.

Thanks for sharing that info.

I just want to say that nobody, including me, thought anything bad was going to happen. If we thought something was going to happen we, of course, would not have taken the chance.
 

ckromulus

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
80
Yeah I'd like to build a wall between the yard and the pool but it'll be a couple thousand dollars to span the 100+ feet. I have been tossing around other more temporary ideas but my HOA isn't going to let me just throw up a cinder block wall in my yard. After watching this tortoise for some time I just can't imagine a scenario where she would end up in the pool. I do have a pool fence so I suppose that's an option.

I live in wellington, fl (palm beach county) for those that asked. I only have two dangerous types of plants one I can't remember the name and the other is dutchmans pipe on my fence...I have trimmed it up so it's out of reach and have been contemplating removing the other one anyway so maybe I will.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Yeah I'd like to build a wall between the yard and the pool but it'll be a couple thousand dollars to span the 100+ feet. I have been tossing around other more temporary ideas but my HOA isn't going to let me just throw up a cinder block wall in my yard. After watching this tortoise for some time I just can't imagine a scenario where she would end up in the pool. I do have a pool fence so I suppose that's an option.

I'm glad you aren't offended by my doom and gloom predictions. Here is what I do for my big guys and it doesn't look too bad. Its temporary and easily moved and it could be made to look even nicer if you wanted to add the caps. Cost is about $200 for 40 feet. There are other ways to do it cheaper, but I like this style:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/enclosure-expansion.38788/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-burrows.50846/

Just throwing out a suggestion for you.
 
Top