What a heartbreaking situation!
Perhaps there would be a way to add something to the care sheets on this website that explain more about why things need to be done a certain way. Mentioning the dangers of allowing a tortoise for turtle to be on the floor, including the danger of being electrocuted, could be helpful.
Perhaps there would be a way to add something to the care sheets on this website that explain more about why things need to be done a certain way. Mentioning the dangers of allowing a tortoise for turtle to be on the floor, including the danger of being electrocuted, could be helpful.
I think you've missed the point of this thread. The lesson is not to keep a close eye on your tortoise while it roams free in the house. This ends in disaster for too often even for people who are very careful.
The lesson is: Don't let your tortoise run loose in your house. Ever. Tortoises belong in properly designed and controlled tortoise enclosures, both indoor and out.
Prairie Mom
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2014
- Messages
- 4,339
I read the original post and feel nothing but compassion and sadness for the poster. I'm grateful commenters on the original post were sympathetic and gentle, because Yvonne is correct, the original poster could not feel worse about this.
Reading this current posting was good for me. It reminded me of the gratitude I felt/feel for joining the forum and all the life-saving advice that was quickly poured out to me. I've only been a tort keeper a couple months, guys!---I can't believe it! In my very first thread as a brand new tortoise member I was told EVERYTHING I needed to help this tortoise and keep her safe. I was immediately warned not to let my tort wander, keep my dog separated, plus essential care tips like soaking etc. You experienced tortoise keepers gave me EVERYTHING I needed! It must be hard to repeat yourselves over and over again. Please know that there are so many of us "newbies" and countless animals who are grateful.
So far, CONSTANT ADULT SUPERVISION and the use of a kiddie pool seems to have really helped us feel like we are keeping our tortoise protected when we remove her from her enclosure to interact with her. Our tortoise seems to like getting petted and spending this time with us. I'm open to any thoughts or helpful criticisms if my methods are incorrect...
Reading this current posting was good for me. It reminded me of the gratitude I felt/feel for joining the forum and all the life-saving advice that was quickly poured out to me. I've only been a tort keeper a couple months, guys!---I can't believe it! In my very first thread as a brand new tortoise member I was told EVERYTHING I needed to help this tortoise and keep her safe. I was immediately warned not to let my tort wander, keep my dog separated, plus essential care tips like soaking etc. You experienced tortoise keepers gave me EVERYTHING I needed! It must be hard to repeat yourselves over and over again. Please know that there are so many of us "newbies" and countless animals who are grateful.
So far, CONSTANT ADULT SUPERVISION and the use of a kiddie pool seems to have really helped us feel like we are keeping our tortoise protected when we remove her from her enclosure to interact with her. Our tortoise seems to like getting petted and spending this time with us. I'm open to any thoughts or helpful criticisms if my methods are incorrect...
I also have a comment for those like me who see the tortoise as more of a pet than wild animal, I know there's people who feel both ends of that.
Speaking from someone with a Russian tortoise, and likes to spend time with him, I still take him out of his "home," and others still can too, I have one of the plastic totes, like under the bed height and still quite large, it used to have mulch (until I witnessed the cat, right in front of me pee in it... and it was covered when Franklin wasnt in it) So now I have a microfiber type bath mat (not one of those with the fuzzies) and cover up a side by sliding an old shirt onto one end as a make shift hide. I call it his "mobile home" is what he goes to the vet in too-trauma free. He doesn't use it often, but when I do it is for a movie night or something and i'll put him on me and he'll nap... or turn around and stare at the TV, I know he cant "watch" TV but he sure seemed to enjoy the colors and sounds of Ice Age! Then if I have to get up or he's antsy that night and I assume being on me is stress, he gets put into the enclosure that s usually sitting next to me, then he'll just sit watch or plunk into a corner or hide if its a scary movie: I swear this dude is a movie fanatic even if he isn't really watching the reactions to similar movies are similar! I mean I know of no one who does this, but we do, not often of course, in fact the only time I've done it this semester of school was Halloween night. But I mean there are safe ways to be with your tort than to let him wander the floor.
Instead of telling people not to (since many may not listen) this seems like a good suggestion, bring the tortoise safe out to you in a small controlled area.
Speaking from someone with a Russian tortoise, and likes to spend time with him, I still take him out of his "home," and others still can too, I have one of the plastic totes, like under the bed height and still quite large, it used to have mulch (until I witnessed the cat, right in front of me pee in it... and it was covered when Franklin wasnt in it) So now I have a microfiber type bath mat (not one of those with the fuzzies) and cover up a side by sliding an old shirt onto one end as a make shift hide. I call it his "mobile home" is what he goes to the vet in too-trauma free. He doesn't use it often, but when I do it is for a movie night or something and i'll put him on me and he'll nap... or turn around and stare at the TV, I know he cant "watch" TV but he sure seemed to enjoy the colors and sounds of Ice Age! Then if I have to get up or he's antsy that night and I assume being on me is stress, he gets put into the enclosure that s usually sitting next to me, then he'll just sit watch or plunk into a corner or hide if its a scary movie: I swear this dude is a movie fanatic even if he isn't really watching the reactions to similar movies are similar! I mean I know of no one who does this, but we do, not often of course, in fact the only time I've done it this semester of school was Halloween night. But I mean there are safe ways to be with your tort than to let him wander the floor.
Instead of telling people not to (since many may not listen) this seems like a good suggestion, bring the tortoise safe out to you in a small controlled area.
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
I also have a comment for those like me who see the tortoise as more of a pet than wild animal, I know there's people who feel both ends of that.
Speaking from someone with a Russian tortoise, and likes to spend time with him, I still take him out of his "home," and others still can too, I have one of the plastic totes, like under the bed height and still quite large, it used to have mulch (until I witnessed the cat, right in front of me pee in it... and it was covered when Franklin wasnt in it) So now I have a microfiber type bath mat (not one of those with the fuzzies) and cover up a side by sliding an old shirt onto one end as a make shift hide. I call it his "mobile home" is what he goes to the vet in too-trauma free. He doesn't use it often, but when I do it is for a movie night or something and i'll put him on me and he'll nap... or turn around and stare at the TV, I know he cant "watch" TV but he sure seemed to enjoy the colors and sounds of Ice Age! Then if I have to get up or he's antsy that night and I assume being on me is stress, he gets put into the enclosure that s usually sitting next to me, then he'll just sit watch or plunk into a corner or hide if its a scary movie: I swear this dude is a movie fanatic even if he isn't really watching the reactions to similar movies are similar! I mean I know of no one who does this, but we do, not often of course, in fact the only time I've done it this semester of school was Halloween night. But I mean there are safe ways to be with your tort than to let him wander the floor.
Instead of telling people not to (since many may not listen) this seems like a good suggestion, bring the tortoise safe out to you in a small controlled area.
Many months when I first was given Bob I "played" with him. Inside the house, on my bed and out on the lawn. I spent 70% or so of my time with him. He was about 5 pounds then. I personally think that was the start of his social personality. I'd put him on the dummy seat in my Camaro and take him places with me. I did everything wrong, I broke all the rules. But he was 5 years old, NOT a hatchling. Plus he's a Sulcata, mostly a very forgiving species. BUT hatchlings are hard to raise. Especially if some 'breeder' (she says sarcastically) has started them dry. I would never recommend a newbie to get a hatchling.
On the other hand, there's my sister who has been involved in tortoise rescue for 35 yr or so. She breeds Leopards, and Manouria emysemys; Burmese mountain and black tortoises. Maybe just the Mountain ones. She has Aldabrans, and colonies of this and colonies of that. She has Dudley a 120 pound Sulcata, I think he's in his 20's maybe 25 or older.
The point of this is she believes chelonia are wild animals, not pets and she treats hers as such. Most of mine are pets, and we bond and they always look forward to seeing the "Food Goddess"...and guess what??? Neither of us is wrong....
signed,
The clumsy sister
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
It wouldn't allow me to edit, after I ran over the 10 minute limit. Jeez I'm a slow thinker...I think the black Manouria are called "phayeri"
Her tortoises think she's the "Food Goddess" too, there's mostly just no bonding or affection. I mean no disrespect to my sister. She got me started in reptiles and taught me most of what I know and I am still learning from her. We simply treat our animals different...
"cept for her Misty...
Her tortoises think she's the "Food Goddess" too, there's mostly just no bonding or affection. I mean no disrespect to my sister. She got me started in reptiles and taught me most of what I know and I am still learning from her. We simply treat our animals different...
"cept for her Misty...
I've never had a hatchling, while I think the idea of watching them grow and all is adorable I know too much can go wrong and how delicate they are. I don't know if i'd do what I do with Nank with a hatchling, since I know the temp of the room is warm enough but humidity isn't there.Many months when I first was given Bob I "played" with him. Inside the house, on my bed and out on the lawn. I spent 70% or so of my time with him. He was about 5 pounds then. I personally think that was the start of his social personality. I'd put him on the dummy seat in my Camaro and take him places with me. I did everything wrong, I broke all the rules. But he was 5 years old, NOT a hatchling. Plus he's a Sulcata, mostly a very forgiving species. BUT hatchlings are hard to raise. Especially if some 'breeder' (she says sarcastically) has started them dry. I would never recommend a newbie to get a hatchling.
On the other hand, there's my sister who has been involved in tortoise rescue for 35 yr or so. She breeds Leopards, and Manouria emysemys; Burmese mountain and black tortoises. Maybe just the Mountain ones. She has Aldabrans, and colonies of this and colonies of that. She has Dudley a 120 pound Sulcata, I think he's in his 20's maybe 25 or older.
The point of this is she believes chelonia are wild animals, not pets and she treats hers as such. Most of mine are pets, and we bond and they always look forward to seeing the "Food Goddess"...and guess what??? Neither of us is wrong....
signed,
The clumsy sister
Since Franklin's a pet store guy he was completely anti-social when I got him, and would get so scared when I even looked at him he'd poop. I used to take him out more often and "play" with him and now he's still timid but social to me, and almost only me. I've taken Nank for rides, in his "mobile home" and he's spent the night with me over a friends in that, heck he even got to visit with my friend who lives at school one day! (that was cute, she's like me and hates warm, but cranked up the heat in her apartment like crazy for him while he was "visiting" and I was in class) I'm not saying any of these were necessarily "right" but he's also become more social, not Bob social but still social. And Russians being one of the very forgiving species has probably helped (I mean really, I had him on sand and eating tomatoes the first month with him before finding this site!)
Everyone has their own right way to think of their tortoise, Franklin came into my life due to depression and wanting something to need me and not die like my fish, he's never not been a pet in my eyes, but I completely understand the natural approach I do it to all my fish, planted tanks real wood, sand. Theyre all right in my book as long as you care for them in the right and safe way, and realize they're not little teacup dress up animals... except on Halloween, then a slight costume is ok
they're not going to be trained and not going to listen to you, so yes essentially i'm loving on a wild animal but if he was still "wild" in my book he'd still poop when I look at him, now to this day he's never had an accident while on me, but I still wouldn't blame him if he did.
A heart-breaking end for the poor tort.
Why not start a thread called "Mistakes Made By Owners Of Tortoises" like Terryo suggested? I do realize that they could hurt some people but that would NOT be their aim. Such threads would help each and everyone of us avoid such mistakes.
Why not start a thread called "Mistakes Made By Owners Of Tortoises" like Terryo suggested? I do realize that they could hurt some people but that would NOT be their aim. Such threads would help each and everyone of us avoid such mistakes.
- Joined
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I was tooI was upset when I had read about that baby tortoise to.
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It seems that a lot of us have gotten into tortoise keeping without realistic expectations of what we were getting into and not first making sure that we could provide everything needed for the very first day up to many decades later, when the animals is still alive and dependent on us. Tortoise purchasing should not be done on impulse. It should be researched to decide what would best suit your housing and environmental situation, etc.
I don't admit it often, but my Nank was an "impulse" pet, one day I said "I want a tortoise" less than a month later I had brought home the tank and a week later my little guy joined my family. But I realize he wasn't complete impulse buy, I did do my research, I knew tortoises got large, my Petco (I know, I know) had redfoots and Russians, it wasn't actually the size of redfoots that was the reason I ended up with a Russian, it was that they needed protein... no thank you (that opinion has changed with me wanting a bearded dragon) I got him because I had been told a 20L tank was enough for a Russian... which is still a problem since I had no room for much bigger, and still don't, so in the winter Nank lives a very boring life, and I made the Repti-Sand mistake (for less than a month before I found this forum and quickly changed that out!) But I came into it knowing he needed heat and lights, and that was right from the beginning. As a quick buy I did know he was going to be with me for life and i'd plan around him for housing and people I live with. But he was always in a proper house, though I was guilty of letting him run on the floor (while being watched of course) and the entire yard (also supervised/followed) he now goes into our old sandbox when he's outside (its grown weeds its been unused so long) this coming summer that box is getting dirt and a top so he can stay out all day. Sometimes people who buy on impulse turn things around, heck Nank is happy as ever even though he's not in the greatest current house (think of where he could be though!) I never think anything about people who buy on "impulse" here since they're here, they will learn
literally this place is most certainly the reason I still have a living breathing tort!
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/mary-anne-must-be-dehydrated.36385/
Maggie, I believe you referred earlier to Mary Anne/Torty Mom, aka; piddle pants....lol....I do miss her.
Maggie, I believe you referred earlier to Mary Anne/Torty Mom, aka; piddle pants....lol....I do miss her.
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
Oh my gosh yes, Lordy she was funny. I miss all the laughing from that group. Wonder what happened to make her leave TFO?
If I recall correctly...that was about the time things began to become a little snarky here on the Forum.....also, she did teaching and a bunch of other stuff that took up time....????
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
Snarky here ? No...!
Or was it when that guy from Hawaii who took offence at my Dale Earnhardt Fear 3 flag he said was a Confederate flag and I was insulting them all by having a sign of racism. Stupid. It's NASCAR for pete's sake, not civil rights or lack of same...
I think it all started with Maryanne when her close friend and neighbor became very ill. She had to care for her and didn't have much time after that for the Forum.
Princessjay
Member
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2014
- Messages
- 34
Is it ok to let them wander around even if they are fully supervised? I cordon off an area in my flat (my flat is really warm above 22 degrees most of the time) and always keep an eye on her. She loves exploring and looking at things. She likes climbing over the door stop and back again (quite entertaining to watch), I put her climbing toys and I think she really enjoys it. I never let her out of my sight even for a moment and its never for more than 30 mins a day.
Is this ok? If I need to leave to room, I put her back in her enclosure. I find when she is inside her enclosure she just lies there or goes to sleep. Ive checked the temperature, enclosure set up (including size its quite big) but she just seems to love wandering around my living room.
Is this ok? If I need to leave to room, I put her back in her enclosure. I find when she is inside her enclosure she just lies there or goes to sleep. Ive checked the temperature, enclosure set up (including size its quite big) but she just seems to love wandering around my living room.
A lot of the time, when you see a lot of activity out of the tortoise when it's let loose, it's because they are afraid. They scurry around trying to find a safe place to be.
If you set up a little "exercise" area on the floor...someplace fenced in where the tortoise is confined to that one area, it would be ok. But I wouldn't allow the tortoise to be free in the house under any circumstances.
If you set up a little "exercise" area on the floor...someplace fenced in where the tortoise is confined to that one area, it would be ok. But I wouldn't allow the tortoise to be free in the house under any circumstances.
Do you have a temp gun? Take a reading on your floor when the room temp is 22.
To answer your question, no. Its not safe for them to roam around loose. Even when supervised. There are too many hazards and even the most vigilant person with the best of intentions will relax over time and become more complacent. Just not worth the risk.
Why do you feel the need to let your tortoise roam? Is it because the enclosure "feels" too small? I would direct all that time and effort into making the enclosure bigger and better. Make it huge. Add hills and valleys. Potted plants, rocks and logs. Your tortoise will feel safer and be safer in its own enclosure with the proper amenities and temperatures.
