Red Foot Biting Everything? Help!

[SPfeiffer]

My Red foot Gypsy is biting everything.
I let him run around my house and have never had a problem in the past but lately he is biting everything and anything. I put food out thinking maybe he is hungry but he just wants to bite everything.
Do they naturally bite things in the wild to keep their beaks worn down. I have his filled and clipped by a vet.
I am just out of ideas? I don't want to always keep him in his cage because I know he likes running around and the vet said it was good to let him run around.

Any ideas?

Thank you for all your ideas and help in advance.

Stacey

 

[mojo_1]

My Red foot Gypsy is biting everything.
I let him run around my house and have never had a problem in the past but lately he is biting everything and anything. I put food out thinking maybe he is hungry but he just wants to bite everything.
Do they naturally bite things in the wild to keep their beaks worn down. I have his filled and clipped by a vet.
I am just out of ideas? I don't want to always keep him in his cage because I know he likes running around and the vet said it was good to let him run around.

Any ideas?

Thank you for all your ideas and help in advance.

Stacey

It's not good to let them roam around your house. They can pick up anything and eat it or even get sick from something they run across.

 

[SPfeiffer]

It's not good to let them roam around your house. They can pick up anything and eat it or even get sick from something they run across.

Thank you for telling me that. My vet asked me if I gave him time to walk around my house so I started doing that. I appreciate your help.

 

[mojo_1]

Thank you for telling me that. My vet asked me if I gave him time to walk around my house so I started doing that. I appreciate your help.

You need to give the tort it's own space, can you please tell us age and size of your tort? Also pictures help.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
In the wild they eat anything that looks more or less edible. From ripe papaya to dead goats. So what you see is a kind of natural behaviour.

Letting him explore and walk all day long is really beneficial for them, but it should be done only in safe enclosure. They need something like 10x10 feet or more (yes, room-size for grown-ups).

Roaming around the house is always unsafe. Your house is comfortable for humans, not for tortoise (he needs 82-84F and humidity of 80-90%). And there are too many hazards: he can eat any wrong stuff like dust bunnies, lost screws and power cords, he can be stepped on, hit by opened doors and so on and so on. I'm around on this forum for less than a year and have already seen many tragic stories of tortoises roaming free in the houses. Don't let yourself and Gypsy to go through this.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thank you for telling me that. My vet asked me if I gave him time to walk around my house so I started doing that. I appreciate your help.

No. Do not let any tortoise roam the house.
But if he can roam around outside with supervision or in a secure outdoor enclosure/pen, that'd be great.

 

[SPfeiffer]

You need to give the tort it's own space, can you please tell us age and size of your tort? Also pictures help.

He is 11 years old and as far as size I will have to measure him but he can reach up to the top of his about 2 feet long when he stands on his legs.
All my pics are on my phone so I will have to send pics later. I really adore him and he is very social and loves to follow me around and be by me.

 

[mojo_1]

He is 11 years old and as far as size I will have to measure him but he can reach up to the top of his about 2 feet long when he stands on his legs.
All my pics are on my phone so I will have to send pics later. I really adore him and he is very social and loves to follow me around and be by me.

Ok then he needs 10x10ft room for his own

 

[SPfeiffer]

No. Do not let any tortoise roam the house.
But if he can roam around outside with supervision or in a secure outdoor enclosure/pen, that'd be great.

When it is summer I have taken him outside in the grass but he does seem to like it. He hides. I thought he would enjoy the sunshine but he just crawls in the corner and hides. WA does not have very many days that are warm enough to bring him outside.
Thank you for all your help.
Stacey

 

[SPfeiffer]

Ok then he needs 10x10ft room for his own

I live in a tiny mother-in-law house so unfortunately that is impossible. That is why I let him roam around the living room when I am home. There is nothing for him to eat or get into but lately he has been biting at my shoelaces and the glass on the outside of the vase I keep on the floor and the bottom of my coach. He has never done this before. I find the change in behavior worrisome.

 

[Tom]

I live in a tiny mother-in-law house so unfortunately that is impossible. That is why I let him roam around the living room when I am home. There is nothing for him to eat or get into but lately he has been biting at my shoelaces and the glass on the outside of the vase I keep on the floor and the bottom of my coach. He has never done this before. I find the change in behavior worrisome.

It is not safe to let him roam loose in the house and it cannot be made safe. Your tortoise is very likely to get sick, injured or killed if you keep doing this. He needs a large closed chamber enclosure and he needs to stay in it. The biting/sampling behavior just makes it all that much more likely he will invest something that he shouldn't and get blocked up.

Please don't argue and get defensive. Almost everyone does. Tortoises die this way all the time and we see it here several times a year. We don't want your tortoise to die. Think about it. No one would do this if they thought it wasn't safe. No one wants to intentionally kill their tortoise, but yet their tortoises die on the regular. They didn't learn this lesson until it was too late. You are learning this lesson BEFORE it is too late.

What are you using for UV in the enclosure? This might explain the new behavior. Do you have a UV meter? What size is the enclosure?

RFs like heavy shade. Its not surprising that your tortoise hides when it is outside.

 

[zovick]

When it is summer I have taken him outside in the grass but he does seem to like it. He hides. I thought he would enjoy the sunshine but he just crawls in the corner and hides. WA does not have very many days that are warm enough to bring him outside.
Thank you for all your help.
Stacey

Your tortoise is hiding when you put him outside because Red Foot Tortoises do not like bright sun. They come from rain forest habitats and like dappled sun/shade with plenty of bushes, branches, trees, etc., to hide under. They don't like roaming around on a wide open lawn.

Additionally, if there isn't enough shade available, the tortoise could get overheated by the sun. That can cause death of the animal in a very short time.

 

[SPfeiffer]

It is not safe to let him roam loose in the house and it cannot be made safe. Your tortoise is very likely to get sick, injured or killed if you keep doing this. He needs a large closed chamber enclosure and he needs to stay in it. The biting/sampling behavior just makes it all that much more likely he will invest something that he shouldn't and get blocked up.

Please don't argue and get defensive. Almost everyone does. Tortoises die this way all the time and we see it here several times a year. We don't want your tortoise to die. Think about it. No one would do this if they thought it wasn't safe. No one wants to intentionally kill their tortoise, but yet their tortoises die on the regular. They didn't learn this lesson until it was too late. You are learning this lesson BEFORE it is too late.

What are you using for UV in the enclosure? This might explain the new behavior. Do you have a UV meter? What size is the enclosure?

RFs like heavy shade. Its not surprising that your tortoise hides when it is outside.

I completely understand that you want the best for animals. I am not arguing with you. I of course love my tortoise and will take all of the advice that is given. Thank you for your help.

 

[Tom]

I completely understand that you want the best for animals. I am not arguing with you. I of course love my tortoise and will take all of the advice that is given. Thank you for your help.

Excellent. Thank you. We just want to help.

What sort of UV bulb and heating and lighting are you using? What size is the enclosure? What substrate? Let's see if we can figure out your behavioral issue.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I live in a tiny mother-in-law house so unfortunately that is impossible. That is why I let him roam around the living room when I am home. There is nothing for him to eat or get into but lately he has been biting at my shoelaces and the glass on the outside of the vase I keep on the floor and the bottom of my coach. He has never done this before. I find the change in behavior worrisome.

Can you make a dedicated tortoise room? Or a dedicated tortoise only area in a room? Then go over it with a fine toothed comb like you would to "baby proof" an area.

 

[Len B]

When I see a behavioral change like you are experiencing the first thing I think of is a calcium deficiency. Do you offer cuttle bone for him to chew on?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I would agree on calcium or mineral deficiency. Sometimes it cause unexpected behaviour like eating pebbles or small stones. Might be dietary or due to lack of UVB exposure.

Considering dedicated space: any chance to put a portable greenhouse for him in the house? While "tortoise room" is a great thing, I understand it's not sometimes possible. A smaller but well designed enclosure with proper environment conditions will work better than partitioned "baby-proofed" human living room.

 

[Jennpaints]

As others have pointed out, it’s not the safest to let them free roam unless they have a dedicated space. I’ve read too many horror stories about tortoises eating things they shouldn’t.