Tips to get a Tortoise to use a Nightbox

[MillerJ]

Its not about self-preservation. Its that for millions of year they evolved in a place where the temps are never wrong for them. When we move them to a foreign land with a different climate, they simply don't possess the mental mechanisms that say: "Its too cold here. I should move to that wooden box with the heaters inside...". If there was a cool spell in the wild, they'd park under a bush and simply wait for it to warm up later that day or the next.

True. I was just thinking he learned where the food dish is and the heat lamp inside, so teaching him where heat and food is outside shouldn't be that hard. Boy was I wrong.

 

[MillerJ]

My Otis has a tunnel that provides him shade as well as a house ready for heat in the winter. He tends to sleep in the tunnel during the day and now that it is summer, sleeps in it at night. I have not had him in the winter yet (he's a recent rescue). In the winter I will move him to the house where the heat is.

So all this discussion being said, do I need to move my Otis into his house at night in the summer or only in the winter?

I am by no means an expert like Tom or Yvonne, but here are my thoughts. At night some critters depending on your area come out that could hurt the tort not very likely plus it could happen during the day as well. My biggest reason for locking him up at night is to do my 3rd check of the day. I check water, temps, his overall appearance, fencing etc. Then I can sleep well at night knowing nothing is going to get him, he isn't going to run away, and he won't get too cold.

 

[MillerJ]

Well still haven't got him up the ramp other then when I place him on it. I'm not giving up yet, but I've accepted that him may never willing go up it on his own. I just plan to make a few more hides that are overbuilt. I figure if he doesn't want to use the nightbox, if he at least gets under a hide during bad weather I'd feel better. Not that he doesn't have a makeshift home as a part of his skeleton [emoji6]

 

[dmmj]

Tortoises are the most stubborn animals in the pet trade. If for some reason your tortoise decides it doesn't want to use it, it will never use it.

 

[kazjimmy]

Your tortoise has to be older to remember the way home.

 

[Lyn W]

Well still haven't got him up the ramp other then when I place him on it. I'm not giving up yet, but I've accepted that him may never willing go up it on his own. I just plan to make a few more hides that are overbuilt. I figure if he doesn't want to use the nightbox, if he at least gets under a hide during bad weather I'd feel better. Not that he doesn't have a makeshift home as a part of his skeleton

You have to be careful that rats don't get to him. My tort has a foot missing, possibly because of a rat attack, I don't know for sure but it's very likely. He doesn't hibernate so it would have been done at night. There are numerous stories about rats chewing tort legs so if I were you I would make sure he is in a secure box at night even if he won't go in himself yet.

 

[MillerJ]

You have to be careful that rats don't get to him. My tort has a foot missing, possibly because of a rat attack, I don't know for sure but it's very likely. He doesn't hibernate so it would have been done at night. There are numerous stories about rats chewing tort legs so if I were you I would make sure he is in a secure box at night even if he won't go in himself yet.

If you read all of the posts I advise other members to lock Torts in a nightbox, 1 to check on them 2 to get them to a space with controlled temps. The post you responded to was specifically about bad weather when I'm not there to bring him in. I was talking about making multiple safe hides for him to get out of bad weather. Also as a frame of reference my tort is pushing 40lbs I'm more worried for small animals getting near my tort then my tort. I'm pretty sure he has been staring daggers at my neighbors toy dog.

 

[Tom]

Tortoises are the most stubborn animals in the pet trade. If for some reason your tortoise decides it doesn't want to use it, it will never use it.

I've had some stubborn ones, but I haven't found your statement to be true. All of them eventually learn it. Some of them just take more time and effort.

 

[Tom]

Your tortoise has to be older to remember the way home.

I have not found this to be the case. I've had young ones learn it just fine.

 

[Tom]

Well still haven't got him up the ramp other then when I place him on it. I'm not giving up yet, but I've accepted that him may never willing go up it on his own. I just plan to make a few more hides that are overbuilt. I figure if he doesn't want to use the nightbox, if he at least gets under a hide during bad weather I'd feel better. Not that he doesn't have a makeshift home as a part of his skeleton [emoji6]

In my experience, this is not a problem solved in a day or two. Its taken me as long as two months of daily effort in some cases. In one case, I had to make a wall around the ramp/door, put the tortoise on the ramp, prop open the flaps, and wait for the tortoise to realize there was nowhere else to go as night fell. Sometimes it worked best of the tortoise was in direct sun at the end of a hot day. They HAD to go in the box to get out of the sun. USE CAUTION with that method.

Over time I begin to expand and back up the wall a bit until the tortoise is half off the ramp and then all the way off the ramp, but still nowhere else to go. Sometimes you reach a set back and the tortoise will crawl into the corner by where the ramp connects to the box. Back up a step or two if that happens and in time, they form a behavioral pattern of going into the box on their own. You have to be more determined and more persistent than the tortoise. I'm a mean stubborn SOB, so this part is easy for me, but some people have trouble sticking to it. As with any animal behavioral problem, it can take time and persistence to make it work, and to figure out how to make it work. Be innovative. Look at the problem with fresh eyes. Ask other people to look at the problem and see what they come up with. Animal training requires patience, ingenuity, persistence, and a flat out refusal to fail.

 

[MillerJ]

In my experience, this is not a problem solved in a day or two. Its taken me as long as two months of daily effort in some cases. In one case, I had to make a wall around the ramp/door, put the tortoise on the ramp, prop open the flaps, and wait for the tortoise to realize there was nowhere else to go as night fell. Sometimes it worked best of the tortoise was in direct sun at the end of a hot day. They HAD to go in the box to get out of the sun. USE CAUTION with that method.

Over time I begin to expand and back up the wall a bit until the tortoise is half off the ramp and then all the way off the ramp, but still nowhere else to go. Sometimes you reach a set back and the tortoise will crawl into the corner by where the ramp connects to the box. Back up a step or two if that happens and in time, they form a behavioral pattern of going into the box on their own. You have to be more determined and more persistent than the tortoise. I'm a mean stubborn SOB, so this part is easy for me, but some people have trouble sticking to it. As with any animal behavioral problem, it can take time and persistence to make it work, and to figure out how to make it work. Be innovative. Look at the problem with fresh eyes. Ask other people to look at the problem and see what they come up with. Animal training requires patience, ingenuity, persistence, and a flat out refusal to fail.

I'm still working on it I built a 8x8 pen around the nightbox. Had a bit of a setback the weather got cold and we had another set of thunderstorms with hail so he has been in his bedroom in the house for two days. I'm going to get him back out today when it warms up a bit.

 

[Tom]

Here is what I'm talking about. Start with this:



After some success, slowly expand the walls to something like this:

 

[MillerJ]

Here is what I'm talking about. Start with this:
View attachment 275563


After some success, slowly expand the walls to something like this:
View attachment 275564

At night before dusk I do something close to that with cinder blocks. During the day I let him have the 8x8 so he can get to his water.

 

[kazjimmy]

I have not found this to be the case. I've had young ones learn it just fine.

How young?

 

[Tom]

How young?

One year olds.