# Desert Tortoise Prefers Indoors. What to do?



## cmsg

The back story: 
I recently adopted a friends 40-50 year old DT (friend moved to Hawaii). I had a few months to prepare our yard by planting native desert vegetation that I found recommended online. I slowed down on the weeding and let the nut sedge, Bermuda grass, spurge and things grow. I also seeded the yard with dandelions, planted a grape, etc. 

I spent a couple days constructing a very stable cinder block and concrete burrow with a 6 foot entrance and the main 'house' under about 3 feet of sandy soil. It has 30 percent grade slope into the 'house', which is about 3'x3'. One side of the yard is shaded by a 70 foot Eucalyptus tree so it stays much cooler and there is an old Sago Palm, which he does use to rest under, if he must. I also made him a second burrow in a different section of yard and this one has a north facing entrance. The larger burrow faces west. 

My problem is that he much prefers spending most of his time indoors and only goes out to forage a bit. I got him to spend one night in his small burrow and one night in his large burrow. On other nights he has slept under the Sago Palm, where it is cooler and protected. 

His routine is to get up around 7:00 a.m. and cruise the yard nibbling different plants. And around 9:00 a.m. he is at the sliding door on a patio scratching at the glass. I let him in and give him a snack of watercress or some kale and then he makes his rounds through the house. After the rounds are complete he heads for a small table next to a couch and promptly plops down and goes to sleep under the table. I try to get him to go back out but he just stands at the glass looking mournful. 

Is this normal behavior for a DT? Should I be worried that he doesn't seem to want to stay outside? I checked the temp in his burrow and it stays about 80 degrees, the same as what I have the air conditioner set at. The outside air is fluctuating from about 100F to 112F. 

Any thoughts or advice will be most welcome. I really want to do what is best for this magnificent little guy. Thank you!


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## 68merc

I love it!
Only thing I can think is, DON'T LET HIM IN THE HOUSE. Simple as that.


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## dmmj

Boy he has got you trained well, stop letting him in, problem solved. They belong outside.


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## Tom

Ditto. Put up a piece of plywood as a visual barrier so he can't see into the house or scratch up your door. Sounds like you have created tortoise paradise out there and he will soon begin to love it.

Where are you with temps that high?


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## cmsg

Thank you!!! This is a really great suggestion. I am definitely going to try this. It's difficult for me to sit there and watch him endlessly stare into the house clawing away at the glass. I'm not very good at tough love, I guess. 

I live in Rancho Mirage, CA which is 11 miles from Palm Springs. The tortoises native range is very close to this area. It gets crazy hot here. 

Thank you again for your brilliant suggestion! 




Tom said:


> Ditto. Put up a piece of plywood as a visual barrier so he can't see into the house or scratch up your door. Sounds like you have created tortoise paradise out there and he will soon begin to love it.
> 
> Where are you with temps that high?


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## cmsg

Tough love but you are correct. Thank you for replying. 



68merc said:


> I love it!
> Only thing I can think is, DON'T LET HIM IN THE HOUSE. Simple as that.


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## cmsg

Yes he does. Very well trained. I think this may take awhile to do the re-training but I absolutely agree that he belongs outdoors. Thanks for replying!



dmmj said:


> Boy he has got you trained well, stop letting him in, problem solved. They belong outside.


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## Yvonne G

Hi cmsg:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

All I can say is that's one lucky desert tortoise!

*What would you like us to call you?*


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## wellington

Hello and WELCOME


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## dmmj

Would it be possible to just block access to the area with the door?


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## ascott

That is fantastic!!! Funny is another word that came to mind while I was reading and laughing.....

Yes, tough love.
Yes, block the door.
BUT PLEASE make sure that you keep an eye on his hydration while doing the tough love....he has been use to coming into the house (which is alot cooler especially if on the floor directly) so his change up to the outdoors (which is a better place) will be a bid dryer on him...so maybe an extra offering of a juicy food each day and a sprinkler turned on for him will give him some cool relief to look forward to...where did he live before? I mean was it near where he is now?

You know, if it were all about what "I" wanted, my house would be full of tortoise mucking about at will....lol...but I am in the frame of mind that what they need is what is good for them so I know better....so outside is their home full time (except for brumation in winter)....

YOU CAN DOOOO IT!!!!!


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## azkeyrealtor

Hi,

I laughed when I read this post.. this is my TILLY TO A T!!!!! He has the very best of everything outside! He scratches at the sliding glass door. I let him in and he enjoys his burrow under the guest bed. 

He enjoys outside but he enjoys inside too. My SONORAN DT is about 40 to 50 years old and he sleeps in his burrow but I sure enjoy his visits and naps inside. It's 114 here and the VET could tell that he is enjoying the 78 degree temps inside. He also said that he lives around 3000 feet so it could be warmer than what they are supposed to be in the wild this time of the summer. 

If you must break him maybe put the sprinkler on for him and he'll like that outside. Or wake him from his nap in the house and put him outside in his burrow. Gee... in this heat I fill up a baby pool about an inch to 2 inches and let him soak in the cool water and he's been doing really well. Desert Tortoises can get dehydrated and who knows you may have one that lived in a higher altitude. Ask your DT Vet that you have about this one. My VET said it's ok that Tilly visits us inside.  It's hard to turn away that sweet face of our guy. Here he is in our closet... one of 2 inside favorites for the lil man.... BTW.. when we went on vacation I had a house sitter watch my Tilly and he didn't know her so he didn't even bother coming to the sliding glass door to come in.


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## knighterson

Hi and welcome! I'm new to this forum and tortoises too, there's great info here though! I'm kind of a neighbor to you, I'm in north Indio and I have a baby sulcata. Enjoy your tort!


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## cmsg

azkeyrealtor said:


> Hi,
> 
> I laughed when I read this post.. this is my TILLY TO A T!!!!! He has the very best of everything outside! He scratches at the sliding glass door. I let him in and he enjoys his burrow under the guest bed.
> 
> He enjoys outside but he enjoys inside too. My SONORAN DT is about 40 to 50 years old and he sleeps in his burrow but I sure enjoy his visits and naps inside. It's 114 here and the VET could tell that he is enjoying the 78 degree temps inside. He also said that he lives around 3000 feet so it could be warmer than what they are supposed to be in the wild this time of the summer.
> 
> If you must break him maybe put the sprinkler on for him and he'll like that outside. Or wake him from his nap in the house and put him outside in his burrow. Gee... in this heat I fill up a baby pool about an inch to 2 inches and let him soak in the cool water and he's been doing really well. Desert Tortoises can get dehydrated and who knows you may have one that lived in a higher altitude. Ask your DT Vet that you have about this one. My VET said it's ok that Tilly visits us inside.  It's hard to turn away that sweet face of our guy. Here he is in our closet... one of 2 inside favorites for the lil man.... BTW.. when we went on vacation I had a house sitter watch my Tilly and he didn't know her so he didn't even bother coming to the sliding glass door to come in.



Hi and thanks for your response. Those are all really good points to consider. I had not even considered that he might have come from a higher elevation. I'll have to do some research on how to tell the different subspecies apart. 

He is regularly using his burrow now and faithfully grazing in the backyard. His routine still includes an attempt to come in the house. Yesterday I did let him and he just made his rounds and then walked back to the slider! I was so happy that he seemed to want back outside and not sleep under the table. I was getting worried that he wasn't getting enough sunshine. But I will get him a soaking pool, upon your suggestion, as he does seem to enjoy the sprinklers quite a bit. It has cooled down here a bit and not getting above 105 F but I'm sure a nice soak will be welcomed. 

I find it hilarious that your Tilly wouldn't come to the door with a stranger house sitting! That is one smart tortoise. But I guess after being around that long one learns a thing or two.

Has your DT ever tried to burrow his way out of your yard? The fellow I'm caring for (Bloomster) hasn't expressed any interest in burrowing but he does stare at the slits between the fence posts, sometimes. He'll just stand and look sideways at it for awhile and then move on. I'm considering filling up the slits with a wood paste but I'll wait and see how curious he becomes before I do that. This guy has a ton of space and barely uses the whole yard. He seems to favor one side over the other even though there are primroses and grapes growing on the ignored side. 

Thanks again for your response! It helps a lot being that I'm a total novice at this.


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## cmsg

emysemys said:


> Hi cmsg:
> 
> Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!
> 
> All I can say is that's one lucky desert tortoise!
> 
> *What would you like us to call you?*



Thank you!


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## cmsg

wellington said:


> Hello and WELCOME


 Thank you so much!




ascott said:


> That is fantastic!!! Funny is another word that came to mind while I was reading and laughing.....
> 
> Yes, tough love.
> Yes, block the door.
> BUT PLEASE make sure that you keep an eye on his hydration while doing the tough love....he has been use to coming into the house (which is alot cooler especially if on the floor directly) so his change up to the outdoors (which is a better place) will be a bid dryer on him...so maybe an extra offering of a juicy food each day and a sprinkler turned on for him will give him some cool relief to look forward to...where did he live before? I mean was it near where he is now?
> 
> You know, if it were all about what "I" wanted, my house would be full of tortoise mucking about at will....lol...but I am in the frame of mind that what they need is what is good for them so I know better....so outside is their home full time (except for brumation in winter)....
> 
> YOU CAN DOOOO IT!!!!!



Thanks for the great response and sorry about not responding back sooner. For some reason the notifications from this forum end up in my spam box. 

He was found in El Centro, CA, which is roughly 100 miles from here and even hotter as it's 50 feet below sea level. While a friend of mine was doing a lizard count for the government he just wandered up from an irrigation ditch and immediately went up to the group and started sniffing their feet. Not wild DT behavior. So he was adopted as there was so tag or ID number on him. It is assumed that he was released by someone as nobody tried to claim him. Apparently this happens quite a bit, which is most unfortunate. He probably wouldn't have lasted long as the entire area of El Centro is agricultural. He would have been plowed under by a tractor or eaten pesticides.

So on the subject of juicy foods, do you think it's okay to give him bits of watermelon? I gave it to him once and he adored it but then read online that it wasn't the best. He loves figs, too but I haven't fed him too many. I'm still unsure about his diet. So far his favorite is Kale but I limit that as well. In the yard he loves spurge and Gazania, leaves and flowers. He occasionally nibbles on the different grasses and nut sedge. I planted cantaloupe and he does eat the leaves, sometimes. He likes the Globe Mallow, leaves and flowers. He definitely enjoys the Cheese Mallow leaves. 

I just want him to be healthy and happy. Thanks again! Cheers =)


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## reticguy76

I believe quite a few torts can have the occasional fruits and such. Dt's are different (at least in my eyes), weeds and grasses and greens seem to be the ideal diet, with no fruits of any kind, other than cactus pear fruits. I cant get my dt, cooter, to eat much else other than bok choy. To each tort their own.


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## badkitty

haha At least I'm not the only one. My desert tort native to AZ loves to come inside and visit everyone, she has a favorite corner she likes to take a nap in. She recently climbed over 2 cinder blocks and scratched at the back door til I let her in. I think they have great personalities and they love their human family!


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## ascott

In _some ways_ I am old school when it comes to CDTs....during the middle of summer (this time of year forward for the next couple of months) I will offer watermelon, romaine lettuce, red and green leaf lettuce, dandelion greens and flowers to the CDTs here...I do not offer watermelon every day, but at least once a week or every other week...but I do make the lettuces part of their daily offerings in addition to the grazing that they do....I like to offer them the lettuces due to it gives huge a great boost in water "into" them and the lettuces do have benefits as well (you can look up their nutritional values and confirm this)...and I also add in bell peppers this time of year (uh, just because they like em on this item)....I brumate the CDTs here so my entire goal from when they wake from their winter rest is to get them going and eating, basking, soaking and all is targeted towards a healthy tort for when winter comes around again....

From time to time I will collect each of the CDT and bring them inside to make sure they are aok...hydration, color, shell condition, eye condition and just to chill a bit with them....and during this time I truly do enjoy their time indoors---they seem to find the coolest spots to go to and sprawl out and take a siesta.....


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## cmsg

Wow! I can't believe she was able to climb over cinder blocks!? She must be quite large and strong. Since I am using cinder blocks as a barrier I'll really have to keep an eye on my tough guy. 



badkitty said:


> haha At least I'm not the only one. My desert tort native to AZ loves to come inside and visit everyone, she has a favorite corner she likes to take a nap in. She recently climbed over 2 cinder blocks and scratched at the back door til I let her in. I think they have great personalities and they love their human family!


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## reticguy76

Ive been reading that anything other than native weeds, flowers and some greens are a big no-no. 

I find it interesting that quite a few keepers feed peppers and melon. I used to give my sulcatas canned organic pumpkin. 

Thoughts on canned pumpkin for dt's ??


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## ascott

> canned organic pumpkin.



Would think this is fine...like once a week or every other week...it is good to clear their pipes and it is a yummy treat....as long as you keep your CDTS well hydrated I would not hesitate to offer this, and I love the organic products for the torts....

ooopppsss...meant to attach this to my post a moment ago...but forgot to hit the button...hahahaha...you will see that vitamin A benefits are off the chart with this food....also water content is good and there is a sprinkling of other other good items....yes, there is sugar content as well so once a week or every other week....

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2602/2


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## reticguy76

Yeah, I do a combo soak/outside time (until I get his/her, permanent outdoor enclosure all set up), 3-4 days a week for a couple hours each day. He/she loves it outside. Inside, he/she mosey's around the enclosure and stuff, but outside in his/her soaking tub, Cooter is moving around non-stop and so active. 
Ive pretty much gone by Az Game and Fish diet guidlines. They pretty much say, native weeds/flowers and some dark greens (which mine loves loves bok choy!), but ive just seen more and more people even once a week offering some fruits, peppers, etc.


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## azkeyrealtor

Ahhh THANK YOU!!!! We just love our lil fella!! We enjoy watching him enjoy the yard and cool off in the sprinkler and visit us now and then inside!


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## badkitty

cmsg said:


> Wow! I can't believe she was able to climb over cinder blocks!? She must be quite large and strong. Since I am using cinder blocks as a barrier I'll really have to keep an eye on my tough guy.
> 
> 
> 
> badkitty said:
> 
> 
> 
> haha At least I'm not the only one. My desert tort native to AZ loves to come inside and visit everyone, she has a favorite corner she likes to take a nap in. She recently climbed over 2 cinder blocks and scratched at the back door til I let her in. I think they have great personalities and they love their human family!
Click to expand...


Yes she is big about 11 lbs we are not sure how old she is. She is a very determined tort so we will be adding a third cinder block soon.


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## azkeyrealtor

When we were getting prepared to adopt Tilly we had to actually take pictures of our gate to make sure that Tilly couldn't burrow under the gate or make any attempts of leaving. We have a concrete slab in front of our gate so that Tilly doesn't burrow as well as a rubber plastic brush/sweeper thing we purchased at Home Depot so he couldn't get under the gate. These guys are TOUGH!!! When Tilly wants to get to something he sure will.... He moved a 3 gallon jug of water to get to a spot... he also was able to open our shed door when my husband left it open slightly. Tilly found a nice hiding spot in there but we quickly purchased a lock because we don't want him in the shed with our lawn mower and lawn equipment. 

A few weeks ago after a nice soak in the play pool and bobbing his head and drinking Tilly went and ate some wonderful grass and weeds and ya know what?? He dropped his white stuff. I called the vet and said that was a good thing.. he was getting enough water to release his extra. So don't be scared if you see some white powder around the yard that resembles an ashy white substance. 

Love hearing torte stories.. these creatures are the BEST!!!! 

Take care!!!

Has your DT ever tried to burrow his way out of your yard? The fellow I'm caring for (Bloomster) hasn't expressed any interest in burrowing but he does stare at the slits between the fence posts, sometimes. He'll just stand and look sideways at it for awhile and then move on. I'm considering filling up the slits with a wood paste but I'll wait and see how curious he becomes before I do that. This guy has a ton of space and barely uses the whole yard. He seems to favor one side over the other even though there are primroses and grapes growing on the ignored side. 

Thanks again for your response! It helps a lot being that I'm a total novice at this. 

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