# Tortoise Enrichment?



## BH-Tortoise (Jun 26, 2011)

Hello all 

After a bumpy ride with my Greek spur thigh tortoise Eddie, he is finally starting to become healthy again 

Now he's out and about a bit more I'm beginning to wonder if he ever gets bored and I was wondering if there are anyway of making the enclosure more exciting for eddie? 
The pictures attached are how the enclosure currently looks. I do intend on adding a plant pot with dandelions buried so he has some plant life in their 

Thanks,
Ben.


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## coreyc (Jun 26, 2011)

I would add a plant or two maybe a rock or a log something for him to crawl around[/align]


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## Jacqui (Jun 26, 2011)

My favorites are various types of plants. Think some to climb into, some for hiding under or behind, and some to chew on. Do you have your substrate all flat and even? If so build hills and valleys in it. Just one type of substrate? Use a couple of different ones in different spots. How about sticks, logs, and rocks to climb over (be sure he can get back onto his feet if he were to fall off onto his back). How about a small bright colored, chew proof ball to push around?


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## BH-Tortoise (Jun 26, 2011)

Thank you both very much  I just put in the pot of dandelions and he went straight over and had a munch on them  my substrate was all flat but in order to bury the pot I have had to create a hill which looks good  Over the next few days I think I will add a stick or two and a rock and a ball certainly sounds like a good idea!

Thank you both so much for so many good ideas


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## Madkins007 (Jun 26, 2011)

If we look at enrichments by category, we can...

HABITAT CHANGES-
- places to climb on or over, or dig into
- plants to hide under, explore, or snack on
- different surfaces to walk on- soil, cypress, stone, etc.
- broken-up lines of sight. In other words, he should not be able to see the entire habitat
- occasional changes and rearrangements- mix things up, add a new hide and take one away, add a big rock or stump and remove it later.
- consider a temporary pen in a new location 
(Important- the changes have to be balanced with security- changing too much too often would be very stressful!)

DIETARY ENRICHMENTS
- hide food- scatter mushrooms around the habitat, park some food in awkward to reach places
- offer unusual but healthy treats. For Red-foots, this could be something like a whole small melon. Aim for things they have to work at a bit to enjoy.
- (gotta go, but you get the idea. By the way, some torts like to play with things like Whiffle balls.


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## Neal (Jun 26, 2011)

I like the suggestions by Mark. I like to change things around about every week or two. Not everything in their enclosures, but I'll move a plant or rock to the opposite side. They tend to stay more active for about a week when I change things up, but when I don't for a long period of time, they will just stay in their hides all day.


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