Diving torts of doom

[melfannin]

We have a hide area in one corner of our enclosure. There is a little ramp on the side so they can crawl up it too. It does a fantastic job of keeping their nails short because the last part of the ramp makes them work at getting to the top.

Well for some reason, when they get to the top, they want to dive off the one side straight into the substrate! Its not a far fall, maybe 5 or 6 inches. They must have fun because they do it over and over. On occasion they will fall and flip on their backs but they always get straight pretty quickly.

There was one day the two males looked like they were racing up the ramp to see who could dive first! Oh males, always asserting dominance!

Well, I guess I just wanted to share this to make you smile. If there is anything I should be concerned about with this practice, please let me know!

 

[Yvonne G]

The only concern I might have would be they landed upside down and couldn't right themselves. Personally, I don't think tortoises do things to "have fun." If it were my habitat, I would place a little fence along the edge so they couldn't do it anymore.

 

[Guggie]

While I agree that flipping can be dangerous, my torts will climb on top of their hide, jump off, land on their face, and do it again. And again. And again. I do think they like it. In fact, I think they get a real kick out of it. But that doesn't mean they might not hurt themselves. The trick is to ensure they can have fun safely.

 

[DrewsLife727]

We need to be carful in adding human emotions to our torts. What we should do is make their life as safe as possible. If there is any sort of way they can get hurt (or die) in their enclosure all the necessary steps should be made to fix the problem. I'd add a little fencing for this. I had to do the same for my torts. Hope for the best for ya

 

[yagyujubei]

This sounds great, until you find one of the upside down and dead.

 

[mctlong]

I don't think they're doing it for fun. Tortoises are not playful animals.

Tortoises tend to plow forward when they're walking. They don't look for the safest route from point A to point B. Frankly, they're not very smart. They're walking off the edge because they don't know or care that there's an easier, safer route.

 

[Richsandwich]

^^^ why can't torts have fun? There no different than a cat or dog that likes to play. Same thing torts just do it a different way. I feel like my torts pretty smart and seems like in all these threads people rave how there such smart little creatures. I'm not disagreeing that jumping torts isn't dangerous I'm just saying there not dumb either.

 

[wellington]

I agree with everyone that says to put up a railing and block them from doing it. When one gets hurt and or dies, is a little to late to learn that they aren't doing it for fun, for that they know they could get hurt and die. That's why we are their care takers, we are suppose to know better.

 

[yagyujubei]

Smart is a relative word. To a lot of people here, their tortoise is smart if it manages to find it's food bowl. Is a snake smart, a lizard? Smarter than a clam, not smarter than the dumbest mammal.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Smart is a relative word. To a lot of people here, their tortoise is smart if it manages to find it's food bowl. Is a snake smart, a lizard? Smarter than a clam, not smarter than the dumbest mammal.

well said

 

[Pokeymeg]

My tort does the same thing. I've had to build the substrate up around his hides because he has flipped himself. I would say that he does enjoy it, because he really goes out of his way to get up on his hides over and over and over.

Maybe they're really just adrenaline junkies??