I have read that you should not turn them too fast because it can put strain on their organs but how can I pick them up so they don't freak out?
I know it isn't the best thing to pick them up at all but now that I am trying to get them used to their new hide I have been bringing them to it nightly. I have tried to support the legs I have tried to support the body. It seems they just don't like it.
Any pointers would be great.
Chip
Ps for now they are about 8 inches soon to be too big to pickup at all.
I love my aldabs
I've had to pick up quite a few tortoises in my day, and the way to hold them that seems to keep them most peaceful is to place them on your chest as you carry them, that is, hold them against your chest as you would hold a human baby. But BEWARE!!! you might get pee'd on!!
Yvonne
support their weight. Usualy they hate being picked up. Mine start flailing their legs.
They should hate to be picked up. Remember in the wild if they are picked up they are usually dinner.
When I pick mine up I do as Yvonne stated which helps support their weight too, but then mine are small torts. The large DT I just haven't found a way that they like and I figure Nature made it that way so its OK. I pick them up as little as possible but when I do I know whats coming and try to get it done in as short of time as possible.
I always carry my tortoises in a cardboard box or a plastic tote. It doesn't have to be much bigger than they are. That way they feel very secure as they think they are on the ground and you don't have to worry about being peed on.
Danny
In the wild, if they are being picked up by the shell- it is a bad thing, so they flail and struggle and stress out.
Supporting their legs helps- but tortoises KNOW that gravity works and the can easily see depth, so if they see the ground way down their, they know they are at risk.
Holding them against your body is about the best- they feel supported, cannot easily see the height, and the pressure seems reassuring as well. (Body heat has to help also.)
Tubs or boxes are great, but there is something about the personal touch- even if we mammals get more out of it than our chelonian friends!
With a large species, you may want to start thinking about a box with wheels and a loading ramp!
My baby prefers to be held against my chest. If I carry him in the palm of my hand (he is pretty small), then I cup the other hand on top of shell. He seems to feel secure either way...