Tortoise keep trying to crawl out of enclosure

J

jylee1997123

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Is the enclosure too small for him? I already covered the sides of the enclosure with duct tape. Should I cover the whole enclosure? I made sure the temp is suitable for him and humidity is fine too. UVB and Basking light is provided too. And of course a log for him to hideMVIMG_20180521_193911.jpgMVIMG_20180521_194210.jpgMVIMG_20180521_193740.jpgMVIMG_20180521_193704.jpg
 

Marianna

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Maybe the enclosure is not too small (yet) but t breaks my heart when I see pictures of tortoises having to live under circumstances like these.
Of course he wants to escape. Would you want to live, locked up in a room with just a bed and a bath?
First of all, for now and the future, give the little creature space, space and more space outside and second: try while he still has to live in the box, to create a habitat in there as close to nature as possible. Put plants or little shrubs to hide under, rocks and wood to climb over, make tunnels and some height differences, anything you can think of that will give him fun to explore. Testudo's are very active tortoises and walk miles per day.
This way you will both end up very happy!!
 
J

jylee1997123

Guest
Maybe the enclosure is not too small (yet) but t breaks my heart when I see pictures of tortoises having to live under circumstances like these.
Of course he wants to escape. Would you want to live, locked up in a room with just a bed and a bath?
First of all, for now and the future, give the little creature space, space and more space outside and second: try while he still has to live in the box, to create a habitat in there as close to nature as possible. Put plants or little shrubs to hide under, rocks and wood to climb over, make tunnels and some height differences, anything you can think of that will give him fun to explore. Testudo's are very active tortoises and walk miles per day.
This way you will both end up very happy!!
Thanks for advice. I am looking for plants these days for it too. Any ideas what plants is suitable for it? I read about spider plants / etcs. But I only see them planting on soil. I wanna plant it on wood bark, is it possible? Also i saw people saying spider plants are easy to die..
 

Yvonne G

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You've done everything right! Size is great! Paper visual barrier around the lower portion of the enclosure! Nice hiding place! Good substrate! A+ for you!!! BUT. . . he's just a little tiny baby. Baby tortoises are prey. So they try to go find a place to live where they feel safe and secure. In your tortoise's case, that would be a nice area with lots of bushes to hide under so the big bad boogie man can't see him. Your enclosure places him right out in the open. What I like to do for baby enclosures is buy a few weighted aquarium plants (fake) and place them around the habitat. I particularly like the palm tree type because they have fronds that the babies can hide under. Something like this would be nice:

782021cc592b787602d9c71d93bb0af3.jpg


You bury the base of the plant down into your substrate to hold it in place.

Cute little tortoise. You're doing a great job with him.
 

Marianna

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I don't know how deep your substrate is but you can leave the plants you purchase in their pots and just dig them in the soil. Besides olive trees, fir trees, prickly pear, cypruss, wild almond trees aso I have in my outside enclosure ao spiderplants, succulents, rosemary, spirea and lavender. All of them hardly need water. I even have box, bay and native wild shrubs and weeds that are supposed to be poisonous according to "the tortoise table". So don't worry if you buy fe a lavender and a rosemary plant that might be sprayed with pesticides as they will not be touched by tortoises anyway. My enclosure is as close as natural as can be because testudo's live here in the wild and the so called poisonous weeds/plants are everywhere here in Greece. They are the only ones untouched in the summer. Tortoises are clever!!
 

Tom

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I don't know how deep your substrate is but you can leave the plants you purchase in their pots and just dig them in the soil. Besides olive trees, fir trees, prickly pear, cypruss, wild almond trees aso I have in my outside enclosure ao spiderplants, succulents, rosemary, spirea and lavender. All of them hardly need water. I even have box, bay and native wild shrubs and weeds that are supposed to be poisonous according to "the tortoise table". So don't worry if you buy fe a lavender and a rosemary plant that might be sprayed with pesticides as they will not be touched by tortoises anyway. My enclosure is as close as natural as can be because testudo's live here in the wild and the so called poisonous weeds/plants are everywhere here in Greece. They are the only ones untouched in the summer. Tortoises are clever!!

While tortoises in the wild seem to make the correct decisions about what plants to eat, tortoises in captivity sometimes do not. The result is death. Toxic plants and plants with pesticides should not be in a tortoise enclosure where they have access to it. Further, toxic plants that are native to an area is one thing, but when we start moving plants and animals around the world and on to different continents, it a whole different story.

Have you ever considered that maybe the wild ones that we see walking around are the ones who figured out what not to eat. If one of their siblings ate the wrong thing, they'd be dead. Maybe this accounts for some of the 300-1000 that die in the wild for every one that makes it to maturity?

I support your idea of making the enclosures look and feel nice for the tortoises, but I don't support throwing caution to the wind and giving tortoises access to toxic plants. Experience has repeatedly taught me that this is a deadly mistake.
 
J

jylee1997123

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You've done everything right! Size is great! Paper visual barrier around the lower portion of the enclosure! Nice hiding place! Good substrate! A+ for you!!! BUT. . . he's just a little tiny baby. Baby tortoises are prey. So they try to go find a place to live where they feel safe and secure. In your tortoise's case, that would be a nice area with lots of bushes to hide under so the big bad boogie man can't see him. Your enclosure places him right out in the open. What I like to do for baby enclosures is buy a few weighted aquarium plants (fake) and place them around the habitat. I particularly like the palm tree type because they have fronds that the babies can hide under. Something like this would be nice:

782021cc592b787602d9c71d93bb0af3.jpg


You bury the base of the plant down into your substrate to hold it in place.

Cute little tortoise. You're doing a great job with him.
Thanks for the suggestion, I am not a fan of fake plants though.. Are fake plants really better in this situation? If yes I'll go grab some tomorrow. Or do you have any kinds of alternative?
I don't know how deep your substrate is but you can leave the plants you purchase in their pots and just dig them in the soil. Besides olive trees, fir trees, prickly pear, cypruss, wild almond trees aso I have in my outside enclosure ao spiderplants, succulents, rosemary, spirea and lavender. All of them hardly need water. I even have box, bay and native wild shrubs and weeds that are supposed to be poisonous according to "the tortoise table". So don't worry if you buy fe a lavender and a rosemary plant that might be sprayed with pesticides as they will not be touched by tortoises anyway. My enclosure is as close as natural as can be because testudo's live here in the wild and the so called poisonous weeds/plants are everywhere here in Greece. They are the only ones untouched in the summer. Tortoises are clever!!
Thanks for replying, I will try what Yvone G suggested and see how it goes, hopefully he wont try to get out again. :)
 

Tom

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Thanks for the suggestion, I am not a fan of fake plants though.. Are fake plants really better in this situation? If yes I'll go grab some tomorrow. Or do you have any kinds of alternative?

Thanks for replying, I will try what Yvone G suggested and see how it goes, hopefully he wont try to get out again. :)

There are several problems to overcome with live plants:
  1. They will be eaten or trampled.
  2. Plants bought at most outlets are grown with systemic pesticides that can't be washed off or removed. The toxins are absorbed into the plant's tissues. This keeps the decorative plants looking pretty for market and the sellers don't intend for them to be eaten or kept in animal enclosures. These plants can remain toxic for one year after purchase.
  3. Many plant species need strong lighting to be kept indoors.
  4. Most plant species need some sort or soil to grow in, and bought-in-a-bag soil shouldn't be used under tortoises.
Some Solutions:
  1. Buy pesticide free plants from "organic" nurseries.
  2. Buy plants intended for human consumption.
  3. Keep the plants in pots to protect them from the hungry active little tortoises.
  4. Grow your own plants.
  5. Get cuttings from established plants that are chemical free from friends, family and neighbors.
I've tried to use plastic plants in my enclosures, and my tortoises all try to eat them. Same with long fibered sphagnum moss. So I like Yvonne's suggestion, but care must be taken to ensure the tortoises don't try to eat the plastic plants. Some will, and it appears that some won't, though I've never seen one that won't in my enclosures.

I'm all for giving tortoises lots of cover and making things look nice, but safety also needs to be considered.

@Markw84 has offered safe and effective suggestions on this topic in the past. Maybe we can get him to comment here.
 
J

jylee1997123

Guest
There are several problems to overcome with live plants:
  1. They will be eaten or trampled.
  2. Plants bought at most outlets are grown with systemic pesticides that can't be washed off or removed. The toxins are absorbed into the plant's tissues. This keeps the decorative plants looking pretty for market and the sellers don't intend for them to be eaten or kept in animal enclosures. These plants can remain toxic for one year after purchase.
  3. Many plant species need strong lighting to be kept indoors.
  4. Most plant species need some sort or soil to grow in, and bought-in-a-bag soil shouldn't be used under tortoises.
Some Solutions:
  1. Buy pesticide free plants from "organic" nurseries.
  2. Buy plants intended for human consumption.
  3. Keep the plants in pots to protect them from the hungry active little tortoises.
  4. Grow your own plants.
  5. Get cuttings from established plants that are chemical free from friends, family and neighbors.
I've tried to use plastic plants in my enclosures, and my tortoises all try to eat them. Same with long fibered sphagnum moss. So I like Yvonne's suggestion, but care must be taken to ensure the tortoises don't try to eat the plastic plants. Some will, and it appears that some won't, though I've never seen one that won't in my enclosures.

I'm all for giving tortoises lots of cover and making things look nice, but safety also needs to be considered.

@Markw84 has offered safe and effective suggestions on this topic in the past. Maybe we can get him to comment here.
Looks like fake plants is a better choice then, just need to hope that the tortoise won't much the plastic xD
Thanks a lot everyone for the suggestion. Will try and see how it goes, hopefully everything will be fine after the changes <3
 

Tom

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Looks like fake plants is a better choice then, just need to hope that the tortoise won't much the plastic xD
Thanks a lot everyone for the suggestion. Will try and see how it goes, hopefully everything will be fine after the changes <3
Keep in mind that it is also pretty normal for tortoises to be active and stomp around their enclosures. Even if your enclosure was 10x10 feet, your little guy would still march around the perimeter looking for a way out. In time they learn and accept their boundaries.
 

Yvonne G

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Looks like fake plants is a better choice then, just need to hope that the tortoise won't much the plastic xD
Thanks a lot everyone for the suggestion. Will try and see how it goes, hopefully everything will be fine after the changes <3
Baby tortoises don't have a strong 'bite.' They may try to take a bite of a plastic plant, but the plastic is too strong for them. I use plastic plants all the time in my baby habitats. No problem at all. Here's my baby YF enclosure with a plastic plant that has been through many, many baby enclosures. It's over 10 years old and starting to fall apart:

YF baby 3-20-18.jpg
 
J

jylee1997123

Guest
You've done everything right! Size is great! Paper visual barrier around the lower portion of the enclosure! Nice hiding place! Good substrate! A+ for you!!! BUT. . . he's just a little tiny baby. Baby tortoises are prey. So they try to go find a place to live where they feel safe and secure. In your tortoise's case, that would be a nice area with lots of bushes to hide under so the big bad boogie man can't see him. Your enclosure places him right out in the open. What I like to do for baby enclosures is buy a few weighted aquarium plants (fake) and place them around the habitat. I particularly like the palm tree type because they have fronds that the babies can hide under. Something like this would be nice:

782021cc592b787602d9c71d93bb0af3.jpg


You bury the base of the plant down into your substrate to hold it in place.

Cute little tortoise. You're doing a great job with him.
What is this plant name called btw? I cant seem to recall any stores selling such thing. trying to search online but I dont know the names
 

Marianna

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Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
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While tortoises in the wild seem to make the correct decisions about what plants to eat, tortoises in captivity sometimes do not. The result is death. Toxic plants and plants with pesticides should not be in a tortoise enclosure where they have access to it. Further, toxic plants that are native to an area is one thing, but when we start moving plants and animals around the world and on to different continents, it a whole different story.

Have you ever considered that maybe the wild ones that we see walking around are the ones who figured out what not to eat. If one of their siblings ate the wrong thing, they'd be dead. Maybe this accounts for some of the 300-1000 that die in the wild for every one that makes it to maturity?

I support your idea of making the enclosures look and feel nice for the tortoises, but I don't support throwing caution to the wind and giving tortoises access to toxic plants. Experience has repeatedly taught me that this is a deadly mistake.
 

daniellenc

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You've done everything right! Size is great! Paper visual barrier around the lower portion of the enclosure! Nice hiding place! Good substrate! A+ for you!!! BUT. . . he's just a little tiny baby. Baby tortoises are prey. So they try to go find a place to live where they feel safe and secure. In your tortoise's case, that would be a nice area with lots of bushes to hide under so the big bad boogie man can't see him. Your enclosure places him right out in the open. What I like to do for baby enclosures is buy a few weighted aquarium plants (fake) and place them around the habitat. I particularly like the palm tree type because they have fronds that the babies can hide under. Something like this would be nice:

782021cc592b787602d9c71d93bb0af3.jpg


You bury the base of the plant down into your substrate to hold it in place.

Cute little tortoise. You're doing a great job with him.

@Yvonne G have any of yours successfully eaten them? I am wanting to do this but terrified he'd take a chunk out and become impacted.
 

Marianna

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Tom, mine were born in captivity here in Crete and I saved them from people that kept them in a tiny little box and fed them lettuce tomatoe and cucumber. Never had a bath and they were already getting bumpy.
I promised them and myself that I would do whatever possible to give them the life these creatures have lived for millions of years and deserve. I don't see them as pets although I adore them and my ultimate goal is to set them free again one day. We will travel then to the Peloponese to do so as there nature is less harsh than here. That is when they are at least 15 years old. They are 5 now. Next year they will get even more space to be able to find enough food. In the 5000 square feet they have now, they have eaten anything edible already (ecxept from the poisonous weeds and shrubs and plants I bought in gardencenters) and I started putting cactus pads mulberry and vine leaves in hidden places so they continue having to search for their food. Then the next step will be for them to choose a spot where they want to hibernate instead of in the facility I made for them. If all goes well, In 2 years time they will be quite large and then they can use all the land we have until the moment comes there chances to survive are pretty high.
I think we under estimate our tortoises instinct. I have already had the experience that one of them was blown away by a storm when it was 2 years old. Our greek neighbour found it on his land 6 months later in the hottest month of August (no rain here from May to September) where it had survived on sheep droppings. No water, no weeds, just arid red soil. But I suppose sheep droppings are a cheap alternitive for Mazuri anyway :)
I realize that my opinion might shock people, but for me the quality of life of any living creature is more important than the length.
 

Tom

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Tom, mine were born in captivity here in Crete and I saved them from people that kept them in a tiny little box and fed them lettuce tomatoe and cucumber. Never had a bath and they were already getting bumpy.
I promised them and myself that I would do whatever possible to give them the life these creatures have lived for millions of years and deserve. I don't see them as pets although I adore them and my ultimate goal is to set them free again one day. We will travel then to the Peloponese to do so as there nature is less harsh than here. That is when they are at least 15 years old. They are 5 now. Next year they will get even more space to be able to find enough food. In the 5000 square feet they have now, they have eaten anything edible already (ecxept from the poisonous weeds and shrubs and plants I bought in gardencenters) and I started putting cactus pads mulberry and vine leaves in hidden places so they continue having to search for their food. Then the next step will be for them to choose a spot where they want to hibernate instead of in the facility I made for them. If all goes well, In 2 years time they will be quite large and then they can use all the land we have until the moment comes there chances to survive are pretty high.
I think we under estimate our tortoises instinct. I have already had the experience that one of them was blown away by a storm when it was 2 years old. Our greek neighbour found it on his land 6 months later in the hottest month of August (no rain here from May to September) where it had survived on sheep droppings. No water, no weeds, just arid red soil. But I suppose sheep droppings are a cheap alternitive for Mazuri anyway :)
I realize that my opinion might shock people, but for me the quality of life of any living creature is more important than the length.
This sentiment sounds lovely on a typed page, but hold a few dead tortoises in your hands, and you might see it differently. A poisoned tortoise has no quality or quantity of life. Your sample size is two tortoises of a temperate species living in an environment close to and similar to their native environment. My sample size is thousands of tortoises from all over the world and a wide variety of housing situations.

It is lovely and admirable that you recused these tortoises from a bad situation, but it is still bad advice to tell people to expose their captive tortoises to toxic and potentially deadly plants.

As a professional that deals with all manner of exotic animals on a daily basis, I know all about animals and their instincts. It is a full time daily job keeping animals from hurting or killing themselves because they are following their instincts. I am glad that your two tortoise are alive and well, but what you are advocating here has killed more captive tortoises than I can count.

Further, taking it upon yourself to release captive animals back into the wild is a HUGE mistake. Captive animals are exposed to all sorts of pathogens and disease organisms. Many time they are asymptomatic, but they carry their "bugs" wherever they go. It is believed that this is how the mycoplasma infection was introduced to our Desert Tortoise populations here in California and Nevada. Someone with a big heart and good intentions returned a pet tortoise "back to the wild", "where it belongs", and the result was the decimation of a species that we are still fighting today. There is a strict protocol for breeding, growing and reintroducing species to the wild. It is a very lengthy, difficult and expensive process. It is not something a private pet keeper should be undertaking. The result of your fantasy of your tortoises living happily ever after in the wild could very well bring extinction to the tortoises native to that area.

The point here is not to insult or berate you. I have no desire to make a good person feel bad. The point is to make you aware that what you are advising and what you are planning to do with your own tortoises is a bad idea. A very bad idea.
 
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