Roaming tortoise?

[Turtle001]

So I know most people let their tortoise go around the house out of their enclosures but I was wondering if those of you who let them roam let them go anywhere (like carpet and such) I love my tort but I'm worried he will go to the bathroom on my carpet or something thanks for the Advice and input I really appreciate it (also with the diseases that often accompany reptiles do you disinfect your floors too) thanks!

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

I think most people here would recommend not allowing tortoises to roam around indoors outside of their enclosure at all.

 

[wellington]

Actually most of us don't let our tortises roam the house. It's not a good thing to do. Can be a bad thing for a tortoise to do this, too many things they could get hurt on and eat that they shouldn't. They should have a proper size enclosure with the heat and humidity needed and the roaming should be done outside in a safe enclosure.

 

[Jodie]

Nope. Never let my tortoises roam in my house. They stay in their safe appropriate enclosures.

 

[dmmj]

never roam the house too many dangers too many chances for them to poop.

 

[Turtle001]

Thanks so much @dmmj @Jodie @wellington @SarahChelonoidis this was very helpful. And sorry I guess that was kind of a dumb question. Thanks again! I'm fairly new to tortoise owning I have done lots of research but just wanna give my tort the best enviornment!

 

[dmmj]

Thanks so much @dmmj @Jodie @wellington @SarahChelonoidis this was very helpful. And sorry I guess that was kind of a dumb question. Thanks again! I'm fairly new to tortoise owning I have done lots of research but just wanna give my tort the best enviornment!

its not a dumb question you asked
We answered that's what we do here.

 

[christinaland128]

Not a dumb question at all! tortoises don't really require entertainment like cats and dogs! You can provide different kinds of stimulation for him inside his enclosure.

Every now and then you can add a different type of rock, or plant. If you make your enclosure large enough, you can put the ramp inside so he has other places to go! If you check out our thread on indoor enclosures there are a couple examples.

Here's mine... I had to train them to go up and down the ramp, this I achieved by using food! They figured it out in a week. But like any climbable object you have to keep an eye on your babies. but as you can see they like to hide under the ramp. Thus leading me to my next remark. If you let them roam your house, that's exactly what they'll do, is end up lodging themselves under or in something, because they like to do that. So might as well skip the roaming and let them hide as they prefer.

 

[Bogie=babyDINO]

Never hesitate to ask a question!! There will always be another tortoise lover that will want to answer!!

 

[Turtle001]

@christinaland128 @Bogie=babyDINO thank you these were very Postive and helpful I really appriciate it!

 

[Gillian M]

Not at all a stupid question. After all, each and everyone of us began from 'zero.'

By the way, I was told the same thing as far as allowing a tort to roam around the flat.

 

[MPRC]

I am one of the few who let's my tortoise have supervised roaming time. I do not recommend it. Vern is allowed in my office on cold days where he cannot be outside. His indoor enclosure is sub-par and we are waiting to close on a house so I have not built something new.

I vacuum the floor first and preheat the ambient temp of the room to at least 77F. (I love that we get free heat included in our rent). In my office next to my desk where he likes to sit is a heated hide spot (It's an open boxed in area with a heat mat) that stays around 85-88 depending on the ambient temp.

If you insist upon trying this practice that has proven dangerous and sometimes fatal please consider the following things.

- Vern is a large tortoise who does not lose body heat quickly like smaller types and younger torts.
- I only have him out for short periods.
-There are no stairs, cupboard doors or shelves that he can fall down, get stuck in or knock down on to himself.
- I do not have dogs, children or other free roaming pets who can injure or harm him.
- All of my electrical wires are covered to prevent curious tortoise taste tests.
- I live in the country with my boyfriend. We don't have guests or other people going in and out to leave doors open, trip over, shut off the heat or otherwise inadvertently injure him.
- He comes out and settles in his spot and sits. Once he decides he's had enough he goes to the door and then I bring him back to his enclosure where he has UVB, heat, humidity, water and food - all of the things he needs to be healthy.

The reason that I allow this against the advice of many experienced people:
His previous owners treated him like a dog and let him have free reign of their home. He ate dinner off the floor under their table and they fed him what they were eating. They carried him around like a purse dog. He joined them for showers and slept in their room. While tortoises aren't social animals by nature I feel like he revels in time spent in the office where there is music and activity vs. hanging out in his enclosure acting like a tortoise like I would expect him to. I am slowly trying to get him excited about hiding under plants and wallowing in mud holes but it has been a process. Just getting him to eat tortoise foods was a months long battle. He eats better after having time out. When he is indoors he actively seeks us out and sits by our feet. Being out is not stressful for him like many animals.

Please be sure you are well educated on the dangers of free roaming before you consider it. I have personally found some pros among a long list of cons as to why it is a not a wise idea. Most people are not willing to risk it.

 

[smwboxer]

Not sure if this counts but mine will wait at the sliding glass door and come inside if it's left open. They pretty much just roam around the house before being escorted back outside. They do poop on occasion but we have tile flooring so it's a quick clean-up.

 

[enchilada]

well if you enjoy cleaning up tortoise poop smeared carpet, do it then

 

[dmmj]

Not sure if this counts but mine will wait at the sliding glass door and come inside if it's left open. They pretty much just roam around the house before being escorted back outside. They do poop on occasion but we have tile flooring so it's a quick clean-up.

They do poop on occasion. That made me laugh.

 

[MPRC]

Sometimes I'll feed Ruby a treat outside of her cage so I can take updated photos and so I can handle her a little and give her positive reinforcement. I swear as the treat goes in the same massive amount of poop comes out the other end like clockwork. Luckily she gets enough fiber. If our big guy poo'ed on the carpet I'd just burn the house down and start over.

 

[AnimalLady]

Ive seen people actually put female sanitary pads (like panty liners) stuck to the torts top shell, wrapping around the booty, and then stuck to the bottom shell. Like a tort diaper! haha, it was a good idea. i just dont think my tort belongs inside roaming my house. he'd probably eat a lego or some other random toy. my floor is also probably too cold for him. so when i want to interact with him i take him out of his pen and let him roam my back yard, with me all hoovering around him to make sure he doesnt escape!
i'm a helicopter tort mommy lol

 

[SGT Fish]

i actually keep mine in my kitchen. there are big glass sliding doors to the backyard so he suns himself there, he also spends a lot of time in his heated box in the corner, thats also where he sleeps. He spends as much time as possible roaming the back yard but that is becoming harder now that the weather is getting bad. I have wood floors so the poop and pee is easy cleanup, but as long as he gets a couple hours outside then he always poops in the yard. I also dont have anything for him to tip over or get into in the kitchen. my trash can is in the pantry and everything else is on the counter or table. Its my only option right now until i get my tortoise house built. I have a 2x

 

[Prairie Mom]

I was on the time a member posted on the forum wanting to know if her tortoise was dying at that exact moment. The tortoise had his head squished between a doorjamb. Members had to talk her through testing to see whether it was dead or alive. It was sadly losing brain activity while she was typing. When you love an animal, that kind of stuff sticks with you and I couldn't help but imagine what if I were in the poster's place.

That being said, we HAVE ALWAYS taken our tortoise out of her enclosure to interact with her. There are safer ways that minimize risk. We have kept a kiddie pool for this exact reason. Even under these circumstances, I give constant supervision because I have a house full of animals. The cats were really interested in our tortoise when she was small.

(photo taken in 2014)

 

[AnimalLady]

I was on the time a member posted on the forum wanting to know if her tortoise was dying at that exact moment. The tortoise had his head squished between a doorjamb. Members had to talk her through testing to see whether it was dead or alive. It was sadly losing brain activity while she was typing. When you love an animal, that kind of stuff sticks with you and I couldn't help but imagine what if I were in the poster's place.

That being said, we HAVE ALWAYS taken our tortoise out of her enclosure to interact with her. There are safer ways that minimize risk. We have kept a kiddie pool for this exact reason. Even under these circumstances, I give constant supervision because I have a house full of animals. The cats were really interested in our tortoise when she was small.
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(photo taken in 2014)

This is a great idea for the kids, thanks!