Roaming

[toritot55!]

Hello,

I just got my tortoise 2 days ago. I live in Chicago and for most time out of the year, can not keep my tortoise outside. I have a 40 gallon tank (I have now learned that glass is not the best so looking into tank wall paper) and he seems to kind of move around but curious to explore more. I want to take him out of his tank and supervise him roaming around my room for an hourish daily. Is this okay to do?? If I am look the entire time and making sure there isn’t anything he can chew? Will this confuse the tortoise in anyway?

Also I have a heat and uv lamp and wanted to know how long I should have them on for if my house temp is 70F.

 

[Tom]

What species and what size?

There is nothing wrong with glass tanks, but they are too small for anything but a baby.

Tortoises should never be roaming loose on the floor. No matter how safe you intend to make it, they will find a way to harm themselves, and its too cold down there too.

Your heat and UV lamp should be on for 12-13 hours a day to simulate the sun. There are a few few exceptions to this depending on species, season, and whether you intend to hibernate the tortoise, or not. Room temp is irrelevant. What matters is the temperature in the enclosure, relative to the species being kept. Different temperature requirements for different species.

Read this for general info:

Beginner Mistakes

To comment on Tom's article, go here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-split-Beginner-Mistakes#axzz1tG8s05M5 Over the years many of us, myself included, have made many of these mistakes, and we have certainly seen them made many times by others. With springtime upon us and many new...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Yvonne G]

Another thing to think about: Once a tortoise is shown that there is more to the world than what's inside his four walls, he's never content again to be cooped up inside those four walls. He'll always want out - climbing the sides, digging in the corners, driving you crazy!

Just get him the biggest container you can afford and set it up with lots of plants and sight barriers. Make it interesting for him. The Christmas Tree Storage bin mfg'd by Iris is a great size for a small tortoise. Incidentally, what species of tortoise do you have?