ferrets ><

Dasten

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so i wasn't thinking the other day, and i had my tort out walking around the house, with her little balloon taped to her shell, and i also had my ferrets out wandering around the house. i look over and my dog is going nuts in a corner with the balloon so i thought maybe Venus got her self tipped over, ( she does that ALOT) and i look my ferret was biting my tort's leg. it was bleeding, so i doctored her up and stuck her back in her enclosure. i wasn't aware that ferrets attacked torts... just so every one knows she is fine now and has gone back to her torto ways. though its winter here and she sleeps alot, and eats only every other day or so...is that normal?
 

Yvonne G

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Thank goodness for an alert doggy, huh?

Russian tortoises are really hard to keep awake in the winter time. They just want to hibernate. I think if you keep the tortoise in its enclosure, with the lights on for 14 hours a day, and be sure the temperature is where it's supposed to be, the tortoise will think it's still summer and he should be staying awake. When you let him out, he can sense the weather better than he does when he's where he belongs.
 

G-stars

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Ferrets are predators so it doesn't surprise me that he attacked your tortoise. How is your tortoise doing now? I would also keep you tortoise away from your dog or any animal for that matter.
 

Tom

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Wow. You've got all sorts of problems there...

Ferrets are predators. They will attack and eat anything that moves. They should never be to loose with your tortoise. I think you know that now...

Your tortoise should never be out loose on the floor either. It is not safe for a wide variety of reasons, including attacks by other pets, which you now know all about.

While we are on the subject: Your dog, and any other pets, should NEVER have access to your tortoise either. Dogs are the most common killers and chewers of tortoises. Please don't learn this lesson the hard way. Please.

Your tortoise belongs in a safe, well designed tortoise enclosure. If your enclosure is too small and your tortoise needs more exercise, then your enclosure is not well designed. Make it bigger. 4x8 feet is enough for an indoor russian, and you can make a really large enclosure outside for warmer weather.

About the lack of appetite: The shorter days and cooler temps of winter cause many of the temperate species of tortoise to want to hibernate. To combat this in a tortoise that you don't want to hibernate (I think you should hibernate them...), then you need to make it warmer and brighter in there. Add lighting and set your timers for 14 hours a day. Make sure ambient reaches around 80 ish during the day, and in some cases the addition of some night heat will convince them that its not winter and they shouldn't sleep.
 

Michael Twohy

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Wow. You've got all sorts of problems there...

Ferrets are predators. They will attack and eat anything that moves. They should never be to loose with your tortoise. I think you know that now...

Your tortoise should never be out loose on the floor either. It is not safe for a wide variety of reasons, including attacks by other pets, which you now know all about.

While we are on the subject: Your dog, and any other pets, should NEVER have access to your tortoise either. Dogs are the most common killers and chewers of tortoises. Please don't learn this lesson the hard way. Please.

Your tortoise belongs in a safe, well designed tortoise enclosure. If your enclosure is too small and your tortoise needs more exercise, then your enclosure is not well designed. Make it bigger. 4x8 feet is enough for an indoor russian, and you can make a really large enclosure outside for warmer weather.

About the lack of appetite: The shorter days and cooler temps of winter cause many of the temperate species of tortoise to want to hibernate. To combat this in a tortoise that you don't want to hibernate (I think you should hibernate them...), then you need to make it warmer and brighter in there. Add lighting and set your timers for 14 hours a day. Make sure ambient reaches around 80 ish during the day, and in some cases the addition of some night heat will convince them that its not winter and they shouldn't sleep.
well said.
 

AmRoKo

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Don't let your ferret near your tortoise. I have two ferret's and I never let them anywhere near any of my torts. Remember ferret's are strictly carnivores. In the wild they would eat animals smaller than them.
 

Dasten

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Ferrets are predators so it doesn't surprise me that he attacked your tortoise. How is your tortoise doing now? I would also keep you tortoise away from your dog or any animal for that matter.


the other animals havent really posed a threat, they sniff at her and thats about it, but we recently rescued these two ferrets and they didnt know any better, honestly it was my fault because i wasnt thinking, which will never happen again. but shes fine, back to doing her torto stuff, scraping the bottom of her pool and sleeping most of the day.
 

Dasten

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if she is supposed to hibernate than she will hibernate, i wont inturupt instincts. i just worry that she will starve >< this is my first tort and i know nothing about the hibernation process personally, ive just read up on it. and we live in Indiana, its a place where it can be sunny and warm one day and snowing the next.
 

johnsonnboswell

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if she is supposed to hibernate than she will hibernate, i wont inturupt instincts. i just worry that she will starve >< this is my first tort and i know nothing about the hibernation process personally, ive just read up on it. and we live in Indiana, its a place where it can be sunny and warm one day and snowing the next.[/

If she is inside, it is your job to interrupt instincts and keep her awake & eating, or else to provide the proper temperature for safe hibernation with the proper environment & preparation. A tortoise that is kept too warm will slowly starve and potentially damage its organs. It is not hibernating.

In the wild, their instincts serve them well. In captivity, we interfere with their ability to seek and find what they need.
 

Tom

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if she is supposed to hibernate than she will hibernate, i wont inturupt instincts. i just worry that she will starve >< this is my first tort and i know nothing about the hibernation process personally, ive just read up on it. and we live in Indiana, its a place where it can be sunny and warm one day and snowing the next.

I'm planning on doing a "How-to" thread for hibernation. Its in the works now, so you will have the info for next year.
 

ascott

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so i wasn't thinking the other day, and i had my tort out walking around the house, with her little balloon taped to her shell, and i also had my ferrets out wandering around the house. i look over and my dog is going nuts in a corner with the balloon so i thought maybe Venus got her self tipped over, ( she does that ALOT) and i look my ferret was biting my tort's leg. it was bleeding, so i doctored her up and stuck her back in her enclosure. i wasn't aware that ferrets attacked torts... just so every one knows she is fine now and has gone back to her torto ways. though its winter here and she sleeps alot, and eats only every other day or so...is that normal?


If the ferret injured the tort to where blood began to appear....I would NOT let that tortoise remain in any type of brumation setting....the injury is too new to simply figure all is fine....also, anything with teeth can (and usually will) utilize those teeth for biting, tearing and eating....I would strongly suggest if you are going to let the tort roam within the house....you put all animals with teeth in another area (as you mention later in your thread, it is NOT the animals fault, but rather to a lack of proper judgement/knowledge on your part that the event occurred)...ferrets will literally eat a tortoise limb completely off--luckily the leg was the first point of bite and not the tortoise head....very similar to damage done by a raccoon to a sleeping tortoise.

Also, since this just occurred, I would be sure to warm water flush the bite area several times a day and apply antiseptic spray after each flush...I also would be sure that the temp in the enclosure is kept NO COOLER than 85 degrees day AND night for the next few weeks while you observe the tort and the injury site....the bump in the temps will put the torts immunity in overdrive as well...which will aid in fighting off any issues with the bite.....I also would be sure that there is no way that the ferret can "get into" the enclosure or "get at" the tortoise when you are not home....the ferret now knows that tortoise is there.....
 
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