Roaming?

[green man]

Hello, I was curious about allowing my tortoise to roam about my room/house. Supervised of course. But is this preferable for them? Is it annoying or would it cause anxiety of some sort? I was curious because I haven't seen any threads about the merits/dangers of allowing a tort to roam about. Personally I am afraid he will be too curious and swallow something up he shouldn't have, cause some impaction.

I have a 3 month old Russian by the way. So I am doubly unsure about allowing him to have a waddle about.

Any insights would be great!

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

A 3 month old Steppe tortoise is pretty tiny...about the size of a quarter, maybe. Easy to lose, so be vigilant!

 

[wellington]

Most do not recommend it, for the same reason you stated. Finding something, trying to eat it, and causing problems. Also, the floor is colder then the rest of the room, as heat rises, so in the colder temps, it will be much colder on the floor, especially for a little one.

 

[Tom]

I recommend against it for the following reasons:
1. The already stated impaction risk. There are too many tiny little things that fall onto our floors. Hair, lint, buttons, dust bunnies, thread, food crumbs. It's just too risky.
2. Temperatures. It's pretty cool down there. Probably not a big deal for a Russian for a short time, but worth noting.
3. They are too easily lost. The smaller the tortoise, like yours, the more of a concern.
4. Other pets....
5. High risk of injury from being stepped on or squished by a door. Of course this won't happen the first time or two, but the more you do it, the less vigilant you become. This is just human nature.
6. Electrical cords. One bite and your tortoise and your appliance are done.

It is much safer to construct them their own safe, controlled area. If you want him to have room to roam, build a great big outdoor enclosure and or make the indoor one much bigger.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Most do not recommend it, for the same reason you stated. Finding something, trying to eat it, and causing problems. Also, the floor is colder then the rest of the room, as heat rises, so in the colder temps, it will be much colder on the floor, especially for a little one.

 

[green man]

Okay, this is all confirming my concerns about it. Thanks for all of the info!