Wild birds a threat?

[Dcatalano]

Gaby has an outdoor enclosure but it’s not covered. I’m wondering if I should cover it with some fencing because we have red tailed hawks nesting nearby and magpies (savage) in the tree next to the enclosure.
Has anyone had trouble with birds of prey or other scavengers hurting your torts?

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings. I wouldn’t think that tortoises are on the menu in Colorado. But, you could easily get some “bird netting” like they use over berries. Doesnt need to be 100% , but a netting overtop will keep anything from swooping in & grabbing an easy target.

Something like this - of course, aluminum pie tins hung from a line would probably work too.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sta-Green-Actual-14-ft-x-14-ft-Bird-Netting-Black-Polypropylene-No-Dig-Garden-Extruded-Mesh-Rolled-Fencing/50119483

 

[Jacqui]

How big is your tortoise?

 

[Dcatalano]

How big is your tortoise?

He’s about 6 inches long, a full grown Russian.

 

[IvantheRussiantortoise]

I have heard about red tailed hawks picking up small dogs and chickens, but I don’t know if they would care about tortoises.

 

[zolasmum]

I wouldn't take any chances - just get some netting anyway! Even if a hawk couldn't lift a tortoise, they could still cause a nasty injury.
Angie

 

[Dcatalano]

I wouldn't take any chances - just get some netting anyway! Even if a hawk couldn't lift a tortoise, they could still cause a nasty injury.
Angie

Agreed. I know magpies eat small birds and raid nests, so in addition to hawks the proximity of the magpie nest has me worried.

 

[Tom]

Gaby has an outdoor enclosure but it’s not covered. I’m wondering if I should cover it with some fencing because we have red tailed hawks nesting nearby and magpies (savage) in the tree next to the enclosure.
Has anyone had trouble with birds of prey or other scavengers hurting your torts?

I flew wild caught retail hawks for falconry for 5 years. I have one tortoise pens all over my ranch and none of the hawks so much as looked at a tortoise. I would have the hawks on perches overlooking all the tortoise enclosure and the tortoises would be motoring around doing their tortoise business, and it was never a problem. I have red tails that nest annually in big pine trees less than 100 feet from my tortoise pens. The hungry adults feeding their ravenous babies never looked at any of my tortoises. Same with our large ravens. Once a tortoise is larger then 4-5 inches, I don't believe wild birds to be a threat to them. Anything is possible, but some things are just exceedingly unlikely. Pet dogs, ants, rats, coyotes, and raccoons are much greater threats in my experience, and I have seldom had issues with any of those either. Had an ant problem once, and I lock my tortoises inside their night boxes every night, so that protects them from the rats and nocturnal predators and scavengers.

Hanging netting might be a little inconvenient at times, but it will reduce the chances of a problem and you might feel better with the extra layer of protection. While I don't think the hawks or magpies will bother him, there is also no harm in being extra careful. Any sort of netting or barrier will also deter other possible predators like dogs.

 

[Dcatalano]

I flew wild caught retail hawks for falconry for 5 years. I have one tortoise pens all over my ranch and none of the hawks so much as looked at a tortoise. I would have the hawks on perches overlooking all the tortoise enclosure and the tortoises would be motoring around doing their tortoise business, and it was never a problem. I have red tails that nest annually in big pine trees less than 100 feet from my tortoise pens. The hungry adults feeding their ravenous babies never looked at any of my tortoises. Same with our large ravens. Once a tortoise is larger then 4-5 inches, I don't believe wild birds to be a threat to them. Anything is possible, but some things are just exceedingly unlikely. Pet dogs, ants, rats, coyotes, and raccoons are much greater threats in my experience, and I have seldom had issues with any of those either. Had an ant problem once, and I lock my tortoises inside their night boxes every night, so that protects them from the rats and nocturnal predators and scavengers.

Hanging netting might be a little inconvenient at times, but it will reduce the chances of a problem and you might feel better with the extra layer of protection. While I don't think the hawks or magpies will bother him, there is also no harm in being extra careful. Any sort of netting or barrier will also deter other possible predators like dogs.

Thanks for your insight. Much appreciated!

 

[Maro2Bear]

I have heard about red tailed hawks picking up small dogs and chickens, but I don’t know if they would care about tortoises.

Just teasing here a bit, but those “small” dogs must have been really small. Red Tailed Hawks feed on small things like mice, voles, bunnies. I really don’t think a RT hawk can carry off a small dog. Bet is off with eagles & vultures. 😀

 

[Dcatalano]

Just teasing here a bit, but those “small” dogs must have been really small. Red Tailed Hawks feed on small things like mice, voles, bunnies. I really don’t think a RT hawk can carry off a small dog. Bet is off with eagles & vultures. 😀

A red tail hawk had one of my chickens, and had killed several of my neighbor's chickens as well. Luckily I came home in time to intervene. They don't always carry their food away, but will kill and eat it in place.
Gaby is much smaller than a chicken!

 

[jeff kushner]

LMAO...YES you should cover it! I used to "feed" the White tails and Reds we have around my home, with squirrels shot out of my Boysenberry tree placed on a stump. Last summer I watched (& think I posted pics here) of a White tail that cut between the branches of our forest to pluck a squirrel off a branch...they are very smart and amazingly fast!

When I put Matilda (eastern box) outside, I put a cover on her home....because I know our birds!

Good luck!

 

[Tom]

LMAO...YES you should cover it! I used to "feed" the White tails and Reds we have around my home, with squirrels shot out of my Boysenberry tree placed on a stump. Last summer I watched (& think I posted pics here) of a White tail that cut between the branches of our forest to pluck a squirrel off a branch...they are very smart and amazingly fast!View attachment 344137

When I put Matilda (eastern box) outside, I put a cover on her home....because I know our birds!

Good luck!

I'd never heard of a white tailed hawk. I looked it up. Cool, They look similar to the Auger hawks from Africa. The internet says they are down in Southern Texas, but you had them up your way too?

 

[Tom]

Just teasing here a bit, but those “small” dogs must have been really small. Red Tailed Hawks feed on small things like mice, voles, bunnies. I really don’t think a RT hawk can carry off a small dog. Bet is off with eagles & vultures. 😀

Eagles will eat coyotes, so yeah... Dogs are at risk for sure. But I've never seen a vulture that would touch anything alive. Have you? I've worked with several species of vulture and I've always been curious about it. None of the ones I've messed with would touch living prey. Turkey vultures, yellow headed vultures, cinereous, cape, and white backed. Some of those would certainly go to work on living human flesh, but not a live rat or mouse. I'm going to ask my friends who own these guys about this. Now you've got me curious...

 

[Dcatalano]

LMAO...YES you should cover it! I used to "feed" the White tails and Reds we have around my home, with squirrels shot out of my Boysenberry tree placed on a stump. Last summer I watched (& think I posted pics here) of a White tail that cut between the branches of our forest to pluck a squirrel off a branch...they are very smart and amazingly fast!View attachment 344137

When I put Matilda (eastern box) outside, I put a cover on her home....because I know our birds!

Good luck!

Thanks Jeff. I appreciate you sharing this.

 

[Maggie3fan]

I have hawks, turkey vultures, coyotes, and the list goes on, around my house...the vultures only eat carrion, and my personal torts are too big, so they only come check things out and fly off. But in the Mojave desert the common Raven has been a major threat to the demise of Gopherus agassizii...Calif desert tortoise...
when the hatchlings come out of the nest, there's Ravens to have them for breakfast, also the birds pick up any tortoises they can...fly to the top of a telephone pole, or those windmills, and they FLING the captured tort towards the ground, using utmost force, tort cracks or breaks and the bird flies down and eats the entrails. Raven, Crows, and the US Air force are the biggest causes of the demise of the desert tortoises in The Mojave
They are my favorite tortoises and this was one I kept when I lived in California...

 

[Maggie3fan]

Eagles will eat coyotes, so yeah... Dogs are at risk for sure. But I've never seen a vulture that would touch anything alive. Have you? I've worked with several species of vulture and I've always been curious about it. None of the ones I've messed with would touch living prey. Turkey vultures, yellow headed vultures, cinereous, cape, and white backed. Some of those would certainly go to work on living human flesh, but not a live rat or mouse. I'm going to ask my friends who own these guys about this. Now you've got me curious...

Tom...what bird makes a loud SREEEEEEccchhh...I have owls too and once in the 16 years I've lived here saw an Owl dive after a box turtle.

 

[TammyJ]

Tom...what bird makes a loud SREEEEEEccchhh...I have owls too and once in the 16 years I've lived here saw an Owl dive after a box turtle.

Peacock. Macaw. Lol. Lots of birds make a really loud SCREEEECH.🙉

 

[TammyJ]

Peacock. Macaw. Lol. Lots of birds make a really loud SCREEEECH.🙉

Tammy. Stop being Silly.

 

[Sarah2020]

I am in the UK and we have reintroduced kites who swoop on anything. I have 1 inch wire over the top of the enclosure and that works for keeping out cats and birds etc .. just for peace of mind, as it leave him to it for hours if the weather is nice. It also works in reverse, to keep Speedy in and safe as they are escape artists!