My thoughts exactly. If the room temp in the apt. is 22, I'll bet the floor is significantly cooler.
Check your floor temp Princess Jay, not the air temp 5 feet up on the wall.
My thoughts exactly. If the room temp in the apt. is 22, I'll bet the floor is significantly cooler.
Check your floor temp Princess Jay, not the air temp 5 feet up on the wall.
For me, I don't let Nank roam (I've described his mobile area that's a plastic tub) and in our downstairs living room we have our wood stove, which heats the whole house, the tub when not being used gets stored next to the stove so its always nice and warm for him... in fact I think we have our thermostat/heat kicked off since it warms the whole house (and thank goodness! in power outages I never have to worry about keeping him warm!)
HotdogKnight
Active Member
Thank you for posting this, i'm still new to this and I knew the dangers of having a tort loose in the house but I still didn't expect that to go the way it did; and with such fragility.
Heather H
Well-Known Member
Thank you for posting this. Taught me a lesson. Tuxy now has a playpen ( plastic tub) for when he is not in his enclosure. I put repti turf down. I also have a clamp light for it. It has a hide in it. I'm thinking of planting grass and weeds in it. He can't go outside right now. 2 foot of snow and all. Lol I'm sorry for the loss of this baby. I promise I will not let my baby roam the floor.
Welcome to the forum! I too was told NOT to let my beloved (Greek) tort to roam around my flat, although the poor thing keeps trying to get out of its encloosure and I watch it trying to climb out lke a little 
monkey! "Don't they get bored of those enclosure?" I think. I have a strong feelin that they do as they "right" place is in the.....wild and definitely not a flat.
According to my experience they don't get bored or try to climb out, if the enclosure is big enough and well structured.
That would be a good idea, though I'd expect it to be heart-breaking.
I agree with you and that's exactly what I do: I allow my beloved tort to roam around for a while and I can assure each and every one of you in the forum that I follow it step by step, taking care that I do not kick it by mistake. As I already mentioned the poor thing struggles to get out of its enclosure. It hurts me to see that, believe me. At the same time, if you allow your tort to roam around, you have to be their like a bodyguard.
Some people just have to learn the hard way....
(I'm not referring to the op who maybe didn't know this was a bad idea...I AM referring to those who read these stories yet still do it..)
(I'm not referring to the op who maybe didn't know this was a bad idea...I AM referring to those who read these stories yet still do it..)
Just a reply to the thread title…
Some people just have to learn the hard way....
(I'm not referring to the op who maybe didn't know this was a bad idea...I AM referring to those who read these stories yet still do it..)
"But, but, but... It won't happen to ME..."
Poo, my ferret story doesn't add anything to thread.
I love how the dad is smiling at his baby in the aquarium, it's just kind of psychotic lol.
I love how the dad is smiling at his baby in the aquarium, it's just kind of psychotic lol.
How big is the enclosure? If it hurts you, you should enlarge it, that would make your tortoise happier than to roam around on the floor. (I would give an adult tortoise at least 5 square meters, but more is always better.)
I'm sure most tortoises are much more active outside of their enclosure, but that doesn't mean they like it, it's just a sign of stress.
booshsmummy
Member
Wow, that's so awful. I really feel for the OP. I can't imagine how awful that must have been for her I'm so glad I've seen this thread. I took on Boosh not knowing an awful lot about tortoises (he was being neglected by my brother so I gave him a home and have been trying to learn as much as I possibly can so he can have the best home possible). He has a decent sized home and I started off letting him have a walk on the floor (with me walking behind him, never letting him out of my site). I have to admit I would have continued to do so if I hadn't read things about it online (here and elsewhere) so I am pleased I've seen it. He seems happy enough in the enclosure he has (which I will size up as he gets bigger) so it makes perfect sense that he doesn't need to walk around on the floor.
I'm so glad I've seen this thread. I took on Boosh not knowing an awful lot about tortoises (he was being neglected by my brother so I gave him a home and have been trying to learn as much as I possibly can so he can have the best home possible). He has a decent sized home and I started off letting him have a walk on the floor (with me walking behind him, never letting him out of my site). I have to admit I would have continued to do so if I hadn't read things about it online (here and elsewhere) so I am pleased I've seen it. He seems happy enough in the enclosure he has (which I will size up as he gets bigger) so it makes perfect sense that he doesn't need to walk around on the floor.
Thanks your advice. Honestly speaking I don't know how large/small the enclosure is, but I insist on one point: their right place is in the wild, neither the enclosure nor the floor, whether we like it or not-no offence, ok?
Of course you are right. But that's why we should try to give them an enclosure as similar to their natural habitat as possible (a lot of space, structure, plants, light,...). An outside enclosure would be the best.
The floor is exactly the opposite of the wild, so how can it be a better environment than a good and safe enclosure?
If your tortoise is not happy with the enclosure, you should change it to meet her demands. It's not a good solution to put her in an even worse environment instead.
The floor is exactly the opposite of the wild, so how can it be a better environment than a good and safe enclosure?
If your tortoise is not happy with the enclosure, you should change it to meet her demands. It's not a good solution to put her in an even worse environment instead.
No. Not okay. The wild is a very dangerous, inhospitable and unforgiving place. Many of them meet their doom in horrible painful ways, like being eaten alive. Hundreds or thousands of babies die for every one that survives to adulthood.
You can insist all you want, but if reincarnation is possible and I can come back as a tortoise, I would much rather come back as one of Tom's tortoises in a great big enclosure with the right temperatures, no predators, clean water and good food every day, than live out in the wilds of Africa trying to not get eaten by natives or have my legs chewed off by hyenas and lions, and then hoping there is not another terrible drought leaving me no food or water for months on end..., just hoping I can somehow survive just a little longer before the reaper comes a knocking...
And what do you mean you don't know how large or small the enclosure is? Isn't it right there in front of you?
Excellent Maggie!! Maybe there could be a stickie so this valuable lesson can be easily read.
That would be nice!
But I guess I would rather go through all those hardships in the wild with little chance of survival than to be kept in a not-so-great, small indoor enclosure and sometimes on the floor.
Sadly, most pet tortoises have to live like that...
