Tortoise great escape

[swdavis28]

In case you doubt the ability of tortoises to travel long distances and scale difficult obstacles, you might want to read the interesting article below:

Tortoise does a runner - a mile across busy town

Tommy the tortoise crosses busy roads, a town centre and even a bridge in bid for freedom

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Maggie3fan]

I don't need a newspaper article to tell me about an escape artist...I have May Knobbins... lol

 

[wellington]

Yep, I have my own escape artist. He climbed straight up a tree one time. That's when I knew he was trouble.

 

[Yvonne G]

Not to speak ill of the dead, but - I'd escape too if I had to live in that small pen like he's in. 40 years?? Poor tortoise!

 

[TammyJ]

Not to speak ill of the dead, but - I'd escape too if I had to live in that small pen like he's in. 40 years?? Poor tortoise!

Ahhh... which tortoise is that? Not getting this...

 

[TammyJ]

Ahhh... which tortoise is that? Not getting this...

Tammy! She means poor Tommy. OK?

 

[Yvonne G]

Ahhh... which tortoise is that? Not getting this...

The tortoise in the linked newspaper article.

 

[TammyJ]

The tortoise in the linked newspaper article.

I agree it's unfortunate and I would try to escape too!

 

[Gillian M]

Not to speak ill of the dead, but - I'd escape too if I had to live in that small pen like he's in. 40 years?? Poor tortoise!

This does make me feel guilty, very guilty at times. Therefore, I take Oli out for "walks" in the hot sun every now and then, which he seems to really enjoys.

 

[Gillian M]

I agree it's unfortunate and I would try to escape too!

Too bad.

I would too.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Years ago. Decades ago...Even before the internet. I was babysitting a Russian tortoise for a family member. Of course I did the logical thing. I tossed him into the entirely too small enclosure that housed my Redfoot pair. Kept as a pair. Together.
Nice, right?
After watching in horror the Russian tortoise chase my RF around, biting at them viciously, I moved him into a 55 gallon aquarium while I hastily nailed together a wooden temporary pen.
(Of course back then we thought a 55 gallon aquarium was sufficient also)
This pen was literally two 4x8 plywood sheets. Cut in half to be a 4x4 foot square. With 2x4 in the corners.
I drug it out into the back yard. Lifted up the structure. Slid him underneath and proceeded to toss some food in there for him. I'm sure it was something healthy for a Russian. Like fruit.
Not even an hour later I found him climbing up over the four foot wooden wall and was about to drop the four feet to the grass below.
It still amazes me today.
Oh, yeah....he went back into the aquarium after that and remained there for 4 days. Probably eating ICEBERG and Bananas under a light bulb....
Who knew?

 

[Tom]

Years ago. Decades ago...Even before the internet. I was babysitting a Russian tortoise for a family member. Of course I did the logical thing. I tossed him into the entirely too small enclosure that housed my Redfoot pair. Kept as a pair. Together.
Nice, right?
After watching in horror the Russian tortoise chase my RF around, biting at them viciously, I moved him into a 55 gallon aquarium while I hastily nailed together a wooden temporary pen.
(Of course back then we thought a 55 gallon aquarium was sufficient also)
This pen was literally two 4x8 plywood sheets. Cut in half to be a 4x4 foot square. With 2x4 in the corners.
I drug it out into the back yard. Lifted up the structure. Slid him underneath and proceeded to toss some food in there for him. I'm sure it was something healthy for a Russian. Like fruit.
Not even an hour later I found him. He had climbed up the four foot wooden wall and was about to drop the four feet to the grass below.
It still amazes me today.
Oh, yeah....he went back into the aquarium after that and remained there for 4 days. Probably eating ICEBERG and Bananas under a light bulb....
Who knew?

My first box turtle in 1979 lived in a 20 long, on kitty litter, with a hot rock that would burn up twice a year or so, and we fed it mostly mighty dog canned food with occasional lettuce and tomato, all on the advice of the local vet. I used to take it out in the front yard to let it free roam, and I lost it more than once out there.

 

[Beasty_Artemis]

I tried to keep my first baby sulcata in a large enclosed enclosure with an adult Russian on wood chips. I still regret not knowing better back then. Petco gave me poor advice on reptile care!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I tried to keep my first baby sulcata in a large enclosed enclosure with an adult Russian on wood chips. I still regret not knowing better back then. Petco gave me poor advice on reptile care!

They still do

 

[Ink]

My three toed would escape her outdoor enclosure. I would be crying, my grandpa looking around the yard. However found that my german shepherd could find her hiding in the hostas.