# Free Roaming



## reptile4life (Jan 5, 2010)

So I was looking on Craigslist and I found a Sulcata (2 years old) and I wanted to get it. I want to let it be able to free roam but I would have part of my room sectioned off with lights and such. Does anyone have any expierence with these. I am looking for a long term pet and I would really enjoy having one.


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## chandlerledray (Jan 5, 2010)

Yes, that will be fine. My sully, Franklin is 2 and a half. He loves his "free roam" time but it is still safe to have a table or some kind of closed in space for him.
Make sure he's healthy before getting him. 

If you're looking for a long term pet, getting a sully will be the right choice!!


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## reptile4life (Jan 5, 2010)

He is gonna be living with me in my dorm room for then next 6 months and then living in a house with me so it shoudl work out.


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## chandlerledray (Jan 5, 2010)

Then that's great, as long as he has all the necessary things, and of course love ;] then he's good to go!

Have you ever had a tortoise before?


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## reptile4life (Jan 5, 2010)

Yes I had a greek and a russian. What do you do about humidity?


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## chandlerledray (Jan 5, 2010)

As of right now, nothing. Just because I as of a few days ago built a table for them, so it's still in the process of everything, but I will probably get a rubbermaid and cut out a spot for them to crawl in and out easily and put a humidifier in there, enough to be humid but not all over their table.

I've always wanted a russian! so cute. :]

Another super simple thing to do is get a spray bottle and I do it 2 times a day just spray the areas (if they look dry) and torts, they will get hot under that light and a little fresh sprit will always be good. 
Some people just put water on the substrate to humidify it as well.


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## Madkins007 (Jan 5, 2010)

I'm kinda surprised none of the long-time keepers have spoken up yet. In general, free-roaming has some significant downsides, and of course there is the usual warning to potential Sulcata buyers about being aware of the challenges of a tortoise that you might not be able to lift as an adult and who can walk through drywall and chain-link fence if it wants to... and it often does.

But, I'll let them chime in if they are so inclined.


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## Yvonne G (Jan 5, 2010)

I'm not a big fan of allowing a tortoise to "free roam" in the house. There are exceptions, of course, however usually the floor is too cold for a cold blooded animal, there are too many bad things to eat on the floor (dust bunnies, small items of plastic, cords, etc) and all tortoises do better with a regular habitat. Now, if the school will allow you to fence off an area of your room, and you can put down a tarp or some such with substrate, a hiding place and lights and heater, then that's a different story. But just loose on the floor? No.

If you don't believe me that its too cold, then turn up your thermostat to 75 degrees or so and once the room has warmed up, take off your clothes and lay on the bare floor. (Lock the door first, your friends might look at you funny) A tortoise has to be able to warm up to at LEAST 80 degrees in order to digest his food. He also has to have a moist or humid environment in order to grow a smooth shell. I don't think the school would like for you to keep your floor wet for the tortoise. In the wild, they poop and pee in their burrow or in their resting place and this brings up the humidity for them. Plus, a tortoise peeing on the bare floor would be mighty awful. They don't just pee a thimble-full. They pee a LOT.

So, no, in my opinion, a tortoise should not be allowed free roaming.


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## Kayti (Jan 5, 2010)

When I first started getting into tortoises, this was also my dream. But then I did my research, and realized what a bad idea it was!

Just a couple issues you may not have thought about are

1) Have you looked into the pet policy of your dorm? What is your plan if someone finds your tortoise? I got busted my freshman year of college for having pets in my dorm room, I never found out how, but believe me, it sucked. I had to find long term care for my rat, and I had to move to a separate dorm across campus from all my friends. I also have a friend who went to a really lax school that was none-the-less unexpectedly fierce about enforcing their no-pet policy. It ended up causing a lot of stress and heartache for her. 

2) Free roaming a smaller Sulcata is an especially bad idea. They are still growing, so they need precise humidity levels to avoid pyramiding. This is really difficult/impossible to achieve without substrate. Also, like Yvonne said, they need higher temps to keep up a healthy appetite. A smaller tortoise would disappear under your bed or get stuck in a cold corner or a billion other chilly places. 

3) Just from allowing my smaller torts out of their enclosures occasionally, I can assure you that tortoises will attempt to eat anything they can fit in their mouths; including rocks, sticks, tacs, trash, and other potentially dangerous items. I really don't understand how they survive in the wild. When mine are out inside, they need to be constantly supervised. 

4) A Sulcata is not a tortoise to choose lightly! Definitely read up on the pros and cons of this species, and think long-term. 
Here's a good place to start:
http://www.sulcata-station.org/links.html

Good luck making your decision.


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## -ryan- (Jan 5, 2010)

I'm going to agree that it is not wise to allow any tortoise to free roam. With sulcatas especially you need to think about the fact that they are not only one of the largest tortoises, they also grow more quickly than most other species. In less than a decade you will likely not be able to lift it on your own. Keep in mind, it's not just a 100-150 pound boulder. It's a 100-150 pound boulder that has the muscular strength to lift itself up and down all day long every day. They have been known to break ankles if you are not watchful, and as has been said they can break through almost anything you put in front of them. If you are going to try to pen him off, you may need to build the pen out of brick! My largest tortoise is a 7 pound red footed tortoise, and honestly that is enough. I can't really tell him what to do or where to go, because he is surprisingly strong. He has shredded my hands before with his powerful claws. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a giant tortoise.

I will also say, as a student finishing his college education, just wait a while. You cannot give the animal the home it deserves in a dorm room. I live at home and have several rooms where I have my reptile enclosures, but I still do not want to get any more until I have a place of my own. If you care about the welfare of the tortoise you will do more research and wait until you are positive you will have the resources to care for him long term. I am not trying to be a buzz kill, but you're an adult and I think you know what the responsible choice is.


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## dmmj (Jan 5, 2010)

emysemys said:


> I'm not a big fan of allowing a tortoise to "free roam" in the house. There are exceptions, of course, however usually the floor is too cold for a cold blooded animal, there are too many bad things to eat on the floor (dust bunnies, small items of plastic, cords, etc) and all tortoises do better with a regular habitat. Now, if the school will allow you to fence off an area of your room, and you can put down a tarp or some such with substrate, a hiding place and lights and heater, then that's a different story. But just loose on the floor? No.
> 
> If you don't believe me that its too cold, then turn up your thermostat to 75 degrees or so and once the room has warmed up, take off your clothes and lay on the bare floor. (Lock the door first, your friends might look at you funny) A tortoise has to be able to warm up to at LEAST 80 degrees in order to digest his food. He also has to have a moist or humid environment in order to grow a smooth shell. I don't think the school would like for you to keep your floor wet for the tortoise. In the wild, they poop and pee in their burrow or in their resting place and this brings up the humidity for them. Plus, a tortoise peeing on the bare floor would be mighty awful. They don't just pee a thimble-full. They pee a LOT.
> 
> So, no, in my opinion, a tortoise should not be allowed free roaming.



You make dust bunnies, small plastic items, and cords sound so yummy, now I am hungry


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## Maggie Cummings (Jan 5, 2010)

chandlerledray said:


> Yes, that will be fine. My sully, Franklin is 2 and a half. He loves his "free roam" time but it is still safe to have a table or some kind of closed in space for him.
> Make sure he's healthy before getting him.
> 
> If you're looking for a long term pet, getting a sully will be the right choice!!



That's terrible advice. It is not good to have a tortoise free roaming across the floor. Sulcata especially need humidity to prevent pyramiding and you can't create the needed ambient humidity if the tortoise is on the floor. Also some boisterous college student can come bursting in the door and step on the tortoise and kill him. So in my not so humble opinion it is lousy advice to tell a new keeper he can have a tortoise on the floor. Also you need to find out if this poster knows how big Sulcata get before you tell him a Sulcata is the right choice.


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## chadk (Jan 5, 2010)

I'm thinkning this is a bad idea as well. Your college years tend to involve lots of moving around and little time where a big tort will have access to a nice big yard to roam, graze, dig, and just do big tortoise things. A much better idea would be to get a little russian tort or the like that can live in a tort table that is much more mobile. 

Moving a big tort around is going to stress it.

Also, free roaming in a place you don't own is not good. They pee and poop a LOT and have no issues dragging it around and smearing it in just for fun. Not good.


Have you taken the "sulcata challenge" yet?


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## Stephanie Logan (Jan 5, 2010)

*PLEASE DO SOME RESEARCH HERE BEFORE YOU BUY A SULCATA*!
http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-11012.html

*READ THIS "SULCATA REALITY CHECK*"!
http://harpoandfriends.homestead.com/Harpostory.html

And I do wish you the best of luck in choosing an appropriate tortoise pet and making his life everything it should be.


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## Rhyno47 (Jan 5, 2010)

I occasionally let my torts wander in my room. but i have protected my room like you would for a baby. Also i only let them out for an hour or so. I sometimes scatter food around as a form of enrichment.


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## Meg90 (Jan 5, 2010)

To have him live on the floor is a REALLY bad idea. Have you ever smelled tortoise urine? It smells like PEE. Ever caught a whiff of tort poop, or had the pleasure of trying to clean it off of any sort of surface? It stinks, and it STICKS.

I can only imagine the amount of damage a large tort would do to a dorm room just with its daily bodily functions.

Then comes the task of "tort proofing"--say goodbye to wires, books, knickknacks and anything else on your floor, or where the animal could reach it. Also, how would you provide lighting, and yet allow it to be fire safe?

And what about the animals needs? They need substrate to walk on and burrow into. A hide to feel safe in, plants and other textures to enrich their existence--a "territory" to claim for themselves.

A sulcata, and any tortoise is and SHOULD BE a lifetime commitment. They live a very long time. Its not something to be taken on lightly.

And I know nearly all dorm rooms only allow FISH. Most will not even let you keep a terrarium, with geckos or snakes. I cannot foresee that your college would even allow free roaming tortoises on their properties, especially since you are just RENTING the room.


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## harris (Jan 6, 2010)

emysemys said:


> once the room has warmed up, take off your clothes and lay on the bare floor. (Lock the door first, your friends might look at you funny)



Ok. That one made me laugh out loud.


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## Annieski (Jan 6, 2010)

My son and his 2 roommates--senior year at U of Michigan. Lived in an apt. and had the same idea. Got Mortimer from a "flee market" and told how "EASY" this would be. Then came graduation--- and Morty came home to me in NJ. Taking care of her is as difficult as being a BRAND NEW MOTHER. Even when you get everything right--- it is still not the same as living in Africa. When Morty came to me she weighed 6.5 ounces. That was April 2009--- now she weighs 8.5 pounds and is in our basement so it can be 93 degrees and she is safe in her Housing. She will continue to grow and GRow and GROW---upwards of 75 pounds. And don't dismiss the vet bills if something goes very wrong -- I paid 400.00 to have a CAT scan done for a prolapsed cloaca. AND i feel thankful I was able to find a vet that specializes in reptiles and she is "only" 40 minutes away from my home. Maybe you should do more research and find a more durable type pet that can start out in a dorm, and once you are better situated after college--- rethink the Sulcata.


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