# Enrichment Ideas?



## paarthurnax.tortoise (Oct 15, 2014)

I've been looking for habitat or toy ideas for enrichment.

My tortoise is a very picky eater, so food enrichment really isn't an option since he usually turns most new things away...

Does anybody have some good ideas?

He does have a big basking rock, a half log hide, as well as a giant log that he burrows under at night.

I was thinking about getting him a tiny disco ball thing? He seems to love staring at bright lights 

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## G-stars (Oct 15, 2014)

Lots and lots of edible plants. 


— Gus


----------



## russian/sulcata/tortoise (Oct 15, 2014)

plants the torts can eat them and hide in them. heres my russian enclosure


----------



## paarthurnax.tortoise (Oct 15, 2014)

I tried plants, but he usually just knocks them over and uproots them. Sometimes he wears their desiccated husks (the pots) as a hat. Any ideas on keeping them firmly rooted?


----------



## russian/sulcata/tortoise (Oct 15, 2014)

for my outside enclosure i use real dirt and deep substrate so they don't up root the plants. how big is your enclosure for him?


----------



## G-stars (Oct 15, 2014)

I've heard of planting them and then putting a barrier around it until it is established and well rooted. 


— Gus


----------



## pfara (Oct 15, 2014)

paarthurnax.tortoise said:


> I tried plants, but he usually just knocks them over and uproots them. Sometimes he wears their desiccated husks (the pots) as a hat. Any ideas on keeping them firmly rooted?



I usually keep the non-established plants in pots and bury the pot deep enough that it can't be knocked over but have the rim of the pot high enough that they can't walk in it. Eventually, I can take the plant out of the pot (sometimes) and put it directly in the substrate. My torts trample a good deal of plants over (mostly baby spider plants that I put in too early) but I'm lucky enough to have tons of back up plants as replacements. It also depends on the size and personality of your tort; large, professional demolition torts and plants just will never work out 

Oh, also try hanging plants. Torts can still hide/play/eat plants (like baby tears or lipstick vines) that drape down into the enclosure.


----------



## paarthurnax.tortoise (Oct 15, 2014)

pfara said:


> I usually keep the non-established plants in pots and bury the pot deep enough that it can't be knocked over but have the rim of the pot high enough that they can't walk in it. Eventually, I can take the plant out of the pot (sometimes) and put it directly in the substrate. My torts trample a good deal of plants over (mostly baby spider plants that I put in too early) but I'm lucky enough to have tons of back up plants as replacements. It also depends on the size and personality of your tort; large, professional demolition torts and plants just will never work out
> 
> Oh, also try hanging plants. Torts can still hide/play/eat plants (like baby tears or lipstick vines) that drape down into the enclosure.



Hanging plants sound like a great idea! I will definitely be checking out Lowe's this weekend to see what they have


----------



## Prairie Mom (Oct 15, 2014)

paarthurnax.tortoise said:


> I was thinking about getting him a tiny disco ball thing? He seems to love staring at bright lights





paarthurnax.tortoise said:


> Sometimes he wears their desiccated husks (the pots) as a hat.



Bright lights and disco balls! Wearing stylish hats! I think your tortoise is already trying to tell you what enrichment he needs...he wants to GET DOWN to some "Abba" and "Kool and the Gang" records! ha ha ha

I've seen several youtube videos of tortoises pushing around balls and seeming to enjoy it. I stuck a ball in front of my tort and she just walked around it. I swear she glared back at me for getting between her and her favorite flowers.

My garden is a small maze of raised beds and I've stuck goodies down garden paths for her to seek out and find. In general, my tortoise does really like to explore and I try to regularly "walk" her around parts of the yard she doesn't always have access to. She seems to enjoy our little outtings the same way my dog likes to walk through the neighborhood.


----------



## Yellow Turtle01 (Oct 16, 2014)

paarthurnax.tortoise said:


> I tried plants, but he usually just knocks them over and uproots them. Sometimes he wears their desiccated husks (the pots) as a hat. Any ideas on keeping them firmly rooted?


Hmm, yes, I just use fake now!
A cuttlebone can be fun! (and healthy) And yes, walks are always fun if you can get her to follow you! 
What type of tort is she? Russians love climbing and digging, so maybe a big diggy area, things the clamber over.


----------



## Tyanna (Oct 16, 2014)

Obstacles! Make him walk around and over things. Plants too, they'll love hiding in them.


----------



## Prairie Mom (Oct 16, 2014)

I really like @Yellow Turtle01 's idea of a digging area! Fun Also, I guess I don't really "walk" my tortoise. She wanders around contently and I follow her and admire her cute hind legs. (Tortoise behinds remind me EXACTLY of cute babies' legs with droopy diapers.) I think @Tyanna 's and @russian/sulcata/tortoise 's idea of plants to hide in and an obstacle course kind of set up sound fun to. -It would be good exercise any way.


----------



## paarthurnax.tortoise (Oct 16, 2014)

I just let Paarthurnax out loose in my bedroom tonight for a little "walk"! He seemed to enjoy climbing over all the piles of clothes and books I have on the floor. Don't worry; I was keeping a constant eye on him to make sure he wouldn't eat anything that he's not supposed to  I think I will do these walks more on a daily basis now. He loves it!


----------



## russian/sulcata/tortoise (Oct 16, 2014)

post some pics of his of the little guy


----------



## W Shaw (Feb 15, 2016)

Mine will kick a lightweight ball around -- the light, brightly colored ones made for cats. He approaches it, looks it over, then gives it a nudge with one hand, then follows after it. Also, regarding food enrichment, it doesn't need to be a new item. It can be a favorite item offered in a different way. Mine loves radicchio. When the head gets down to just a little ball left on the stem, I give him the whole thing and he spends a lot of the day rolling it around and chewing on it. I do the same with belgian endive (another of his familiar favorites). When he gets zucchini, I leave some of it in logs that take time for him to work on. Under supervision, familiar foods can be suspended above him, but I wouldn't leave him unsupervised with it, because most of the methods used to suspend it could pose minimal but possible safety issues. They're definitely interested in scents, so you can place scented objects in his enclosure, like a brightly colored ping pong ball scent marked with anything nontoxic. for example, you could rub a piece of cheese on it to leave a scent. or a tiny bit of vegetable oil scented with cinnamon or other spice. Not enough for him to eat it -- just enough to scent it -- and not all the time. The idea is just to occasionally have a random object appear that has both visual and scent-based aspects to investigate.

Since he likes lights -- what about a prism suspended in a nearby window that will cast rainbows in his enclosure on sunny days?


----------



## Yvonne G (Jul 19, 2018)

very old thread


----------

