What do u do with a tortoise ?

[Liljae9263]

I’ve had dogs most my life and it’s easy to know what to do with them. They lay on the couch and cuddle with u, u take them for walks, u play tug or fetch with them, etc. but I have no idea what u do with a tortoise. I’ve seen people hold them in their lap while watching tv, or roam around the room but I also no free roaming is bad and all that can cause stress. So what do I do with him to spend quality time? Or do I just let him stay in his enclosure alone ? just Curious how other people spend time with their torts.

 

[Yvonne G]

It's not an interactive pet. I enjoy building enclosures, landscaping their yard, etc. I like hand feeding. Just making sure I've built them the best habitat I can is where my satisfaction is.

 

[EppsDynasty]

Well .........
We build real relationships with EVERY one we have (over 250 now) and spend real time getting to know them and their personalities. We enjoy touching and interacting with them BUT in a way they are comfortable with, we do not force them to do anything. Some of our torts want face on face time and others want to sit behind you with their butts touching you but you can't see them. What ever they want to do as far as interact .... that's the direction we go. Some are VERY hard to gain trust with and take months some are eager to be loved and want that from day one, each is different.

Find things that you enjoy doing but they enjoy being around you while it's happening. Here's a video ..

 

[Tim Carlisle]

I don't think its adequate to compare a dog with a tortoise. As Yvonne alluded, a lot of the fun comes with building enclosures et al. Personally, I've learned a bit about all kinds of trades by keeping a tortoise including construction, plumbing, concrete work, fence building, electrical, horticulture and landscaping, nutrition and dietary, sociology, first aid, heating and lighting gradients, anatomy and physiology, aquascape and hardscaping, budgeting, record keeping, electronics integration and automation, renewable energy sources, weather patterns, and more.

If you really engage yourself and are serious about it, tortoises are just as fun and [arguably] more challenging than dogs. They can be trained to an extent as well. You just go about it a bit differently. Mine always greets me at the same time and spot every day I come home from work. I've come to recognize his moods and if he's not feeling well. He follows me everywhere and "helps" when I do work in his enclosure. If you spend time with them, you learn to recognize the subtle signals they send you.

 

[TammyJ]

All this and Heaven too!
Actually, tortoises would rather you do absolutely nothing with them, but do everything good FOR them.
And that's the satisfaction and pleasure you will get from being a really good provider!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Target training is something I want to personally try:

 

[144 Grandpa Turtle]

I have100 Tortoises and I love to watch them eat I can watch them for hours. it's not just Tortoise people how about people with fish

 

[Tom]

I’ve had dogs most my life and it’s easy to know what to do with them. They lay on the couch and cuddle with u, u take them for walks, u play tug or fetch with them, etc. but I have no idea what u do with a tortoise. I’ve seen people hold them in their lap while watching tv, or roam around the room but I also no free roaming is bad and all that can cause stress. So what do I do with him to spend quality time? Or do I just let him stay in his enclosure alone ? just Curious how other people spend time with their torts.

What do I do with a tortoise? Feed it, care for it, soak it, keep it healthy, grow it up, and hopefully get it to reproduce so that other people can enjoy the same experience I got to enjoy. I also like to just sit and watch them go about their tortoise business in their large outdoor pens. That part is very enjoyable.

 

[COmtnLady]

I always liked mammals, thought I saw too many episodes of Ellie May Clampett at an impressionable age. Then one day this tortoise walked up to my granddaughter. But they live more rustically than this particular tortoise could survive so she came to my house... There was a steeper learning curve than bringing a new human into the troop, by which time she had me wrapped around her finger. She watches from her enclosure, bangs on the window if she needs something and I'm not paying enough attention at the moment, and I watch her go about her daily routines. I'm pretty sure her brain is larger than mine (because nobody cleans my bathroom for me, or rushes out to find my favorite food... and she had the foresight to pick that particular place and day to walk up to a short human). Fascinating, seriously different life-form than I'd known before, builds muscles in me as she's grown, and I got to meet/interact with all the really brilliant eccentric members here. Win-win all the way around. Now if I can just build a house where there's room for me, too, we will be all set.

 

[Ink]

I walk my tortoise around the yard, he follows me. It's very relaxing and fun for me great for him. I hand feed him as well.

 

[Liljae9263]

B4 I made this post, Franklin was pacing in front of the doors to his enclosure and he’s been doing this everyday around the same time. I thought it was a stress response. But after I made the post I put him in the soak and I sat next to him and read my book out loud. I’ve done this a couple times b4 but never paid close attention to if he was listening. This time I did though. At first he just stared at me while I read, like he was interested in the story. Then later he would stretch out in the warm water and rest his head on his leg. When I stopped reading to check on him, he shot his head up and stared at me. Idk if this is true but I like to believe he wanted me to keep reading and enjoyed story time after he went back in his enclosure, no more pacing. He went straight to his fav spot and napped. And today, no pacing. I wonder if he will pace when I get home?? Maybe that’s his way of telling me wants to see me ? I will keep testing to see !

 

[zolasmum]

B4 I made this post, Franklin was pacing in front of the doors to his enclosure and he’s been doing this everyday around the same time. I thought it was a stress response. But after I made the post I put him in the soak and I sat next to him and read my book out loud. I’ve done this a couple times b4 but never paid close attention to if he was listening. This time I did though. At first he just stared at me while I read, like he was interested in the story. Then later he would stretch out in the warm water and rest his head on his leg. When I stopped reading to check on him, he shot his head up and stared at me. Idk if this is true but I like to believe he wanted me to keep reading and enjoyed story time after he went back in his enclosure, no more pacing. He went straight to his fav spot and napped. And today, no pacing. I wonder if he will pace when I get home?? Maybe that’s his way of telling me wants to see me ? I will keep testing to see !

I often sit with Zola in his conservatory and read poetry to him - I think he particularly likes the rhythm of it - even more than listening to an ordinary speaking voice- though I do talk a lot to him in a normal voice too.
Angie

 

[EppsDynasty]

Story Time ……..
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