# Vacation, what do you do with your torts?



## xfollowthereaperx (Jun 5, 2009)

My Tortoise Brain Gorger is a little pain when I go somewhere. We'll be gone for a day and I figure that in the wild Torts can't eat every day because of the sometimes lack of food so I figured it was okay but I'd like to get a second opinion. I was wondering. I have two options:

1. Take him to another person's house and leave him there. Only problem is the car ride and moving him. I don't think my tortoise likes this and may cause stress.

2. Leave him at home without food for a day (is there food I can leave out for him.)


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## Crazy1 (Jun 5, 2009)

I love the name. Brain Gorger If I am correct his/she is about 5 months old now. If you are only going for a day I would make sure he has water and place food just before you leave. Then if he/she is awake I would feed when I get home. 
Brain Gorger should be fine for one day.


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## dewbert (Jun 6, 2009)

One day should be fine. I just leave the food and water in their normal places.

For longer trips: I go on week-long trips pretty regularly. I've written up a "creature care" book for my wife (sometimes my mom) who take care of the beasts while I'm away. It includes each critter's name and a picture of it (so they know they're dealing with the right one). It includes their temp requirements, food and water requirements. I also prepare all of the food in advance. So, there's a little series of ziploc bags and plastic containers in the fridge. I label them things like "Monday--Petunia" "Tuesday--George and Lucille", etc. That way all my wife (or mom) has to do is go the fridge, get the right containers and follow the photo-enhanced instructions.


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## richalisoviejo (Jun 6, 2009)

I have a cat and two SulcataÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s now. I think one day would be fine but I have a neighbor lady living next door, retired. She has the keys to my place and takes care of the cat and now knows how to feed and soak the little SulcataÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s when IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m out of town. I leave tomorrow for a week and IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m not worried one bit knowing Nancy will be there.


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## Yvonne G (Jun 6, 2009)

Vacation??? What's that?

Yvonne


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## tortoisenerd (Jun 6, 2009)

My tort has been fine on two occasions for two night each. I was worried sick though! I just fed extra the day we left and the day we got back, so only one day without food. If he ate dry Mazuri that would work great since he won't gorge himself--only eats what he wants and leaves extra daily.

We're planning a trip for a week and a half, but still over a year out. I'll probably have a friend watch him at her house, and get him a tub instead of his tort table (if he grows much more the travel tub I have for him will be too small!). I'll probably stay for an hour and get him set up and check the temps, and baggie up food. Leave some instructions with what to do daily like change the water and feed and clean up messes, and the vet's number. I think I do a lot more for him on a daily basis than actually required! He's a self-soaker so a little less work. She probably wouldn't even need to handle him if she didn't want to.


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## Isa (Jun 7, 2009)

When I go on vacation, my parents come over to take care of Hermy . So I can leave knowing Hermy will be really well taken care of and will be happy when I come back. 
I never left Hermy alone for 24H but If I had no choice, I would.


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## Madortoise (Jun 21, 2009)

We are leaving our 3-1/2 y.o. D.T. for a wk with our niece who volunteered to take care of her. I'll be supplying w/a couple of bags of spring mix and calcium supplement, and a portable cage that I bought for this occasion (plastic bottom and cage on top). I'll miss her dearly and will probably be calling to check in on her. Creature care book is a good idea, Dewbert!


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## soundwave (Jun 21, 2009)

I'm fortunate enough to have a wonderful reptile store that tortoise-sits for me. They take awesome care of other reptiles.


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## DoctorCosmonaut (Jun 22, 2009)

Well if I leave always make sure the last thing i do before going is change the water and put out fresh fruits and veggies. If I am going to be gone for more than two nights (since my girl can go a day without food), I get a friend to come over in feed her food... if they aren't available... I just can't take much of a vacation. lol


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## galvinkaos (Jun 23, 2009)

They go with if we are gone more than 24 hrs without my son Lee being home. He is very good with them. We never go anywhere but our 2nd house and they have a vacation table there. I have left them with extra food for us being 24 hour away from home. 

Dawna


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## Stazz (Jun 23, 2009)

We're going away for three weeks soon, and my friends will be looking after Tallula. I have typed out a MASSIVE looong list of what to do, what to feed, do's & don'ts etc.....a small essay of bullet points haha. I know she'll be safe with them.


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## sadie tortoise (Jul 6, 2009)

sometimes we have to leave sadie for 3-5 days. We live in a city and don't know anyone nor trust anyone yet so she has to be left alone. We usually spoil her for a few days and change out all her bedding, give her extra attention and some treats (a cherry or apple slice). then when we leave we change the water and turn off her light. We leave her heating pad on so he can stay warm but with the light off she won't require as much food and just sleeps most of the time. You can buy the dry food from the pet store and leave some of that too. Sadie won't eat that unless she is really hungry so if she needs it she'll eat it. Then when we get home the light comes on and she is definetly ready to eat but she has always been fine. She gets treats again when we come home and she gets to snuggle with us on the couch (she loves that)


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## Nay (Jul 6, 2009)

Hi, I'll chime in also. First I thought it's best to try and mimic the wild, and someone here does not even feed their torts daily to begin with(Ed??? Maybe) It promotes many things and elimates some of the propensity for obesity.. Sounds funny for a tort, but we like to see them eat!!Unless they are babies I think.
We leave a couple times a year for a few days and I will do what Doctor Cosmonaut does and the last thing I do is feed and clean.. My lights are on timers and they seem to really not miss me,(Oh that hurts, but .....)
Na


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## Maggie Cummings (Jul 6, 2009)

Richard...guess I missed that but you got 2 Sulcata? I thought you were going to wait until you got a larger yard, or something? Have you posted pictures?


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## Madortoise (Jul 12, 2009)

Well, I survived being away from my tort. Just returned from a 5 day vacation. Penelope was entrusted to a teenage niece and sister-in-law with a fat creature manual-highlighted for important read, a bag of spring mix, calcium mix, aloe plants, cactus and etc. The niece was so good she even texted me updates & pix of Penelope eating hibiscus titled "look mommy I'm having so much fun."
When I returned home, however, to my dismay I found a left over food they stuffed with the rest of things--a bag of spinach! Why? I'm quite sure I crossed out all the food I didn't want them to feed including kale and spinach. I'm going to let it go because apparently she is fine and I'm reading that a few days of feeding spinach is not detrimental. It didn't take her much to be oriented back home. She was busy running around in our backyard under the sun today.


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## tortoisenerd (Jul 13, 2009)

It might be easier to give a list of safe food (and drop off a bag of washed and ready to eat greens) than a lot of reading material including unsafe foods. I agree that a little spinach is just fine.


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## Madortoise (Jul 13, 2009)

tortoisenerd said:


> It might be easier to give a list of safe food (and drop off a bag of washed and ready to eat greens) than a lot of reading material including unsafe foods. I agree that a little spinach is just fine.



Yes, I should have kept it simple. I'll know better next time.


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## Madortoise (Jul 14, 2009)

...and the funny thing is, Penelope is eating everything now indiscrimately. She used to be a finicky eater (spoiled) eating only prime fresh part of spring mix, hibiscus, grape leaves, dandelion flowers...not even looking at the weeds growing near her pen. Well, now that I got her back she's gnawing at everything in her sight...fiscus fruits, mallows and all that's on the ground...I even caught her and yanked a bad stuff like wisteria leaf out of her mouth. This never happened 9 months of my having her. Real interesting...


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## Seiryu (Jul 15, 2009)

Madortoise said:


> ...and the funny thing is, Penelope is eating everything now indiscrimately. She used to be a finicky eater (spoiled) eating only prime fresh part of spring mix, hibiscus, grape leaves, dandelion flowers...not even looking at the weeds growing near her pen. Well, now that I got her back she's gnawing at everything in her sight...fiscus fruits, mallows and all that's on the ground...I even caught her and yanked a bad stuff like wisteria leaf out of her mouth. This never happened 9 months of my having her. Real interesting...



I wonder if it was because she mostly had spinach, and didn't like it much or got tired of it fast. So now these things that she didn't necessarily like before are seeming like very tasty things compared to it!

Godsend in disguise


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## tortoisenerd (Jul 15, 2009)

My tort's appetite and food interests also change rapidly. Some days he will like something he used to not like, will refuse a favorite food, or eat twice as much one day than another one.


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## auerdoan (Jul 15, 2009)

xfollowthereaperx said:


> My Tortoise Brain Gorger is a little pain when I go somewhere. We'll be gone for a day and I figure that in the wild Torts can't eat every day because of the sometimes lack of food so I figured it was okay but I'd like to get a second opinion. I was wondering. I have two options:
> 
> 1. Take him to another person's house and leave him there. Only problem is the car ride and moving him. I don't think my tortoise likes this and may cause stress.
> 
> 2. Leave him at home without food for a day (is there food I can leave out for him.)


 --------------------
I didnt see you mention the type of tort u have but u did mention the age


this may take time to establish and may be possible with warmer weather like here in California.
but have you ever thought about the fact that torts did live at one time and still do live outside eating ...guess what plants that grow in dirt!

but i would first do my research on the types of plants for proper health and to satisfy that little guy that depends on you to supply him with a good home

a set up that would meet all of ur torts requirements may take some to set up, But you may get a kick out of the experience and enjoy seeing ur tort live in a environment like his native home.

Good Luck -Auerdoan


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## Madortoise (Jul 15, 2009)

[/quote]

I wonder if it was because she mostly had spinach, and didn't like it much or got tired of it fast. So now these things that she didn't necessarily like before are seeming like very tasty things compared to it!

Godsend in disguise 
[/quote]

Yeah, I figured that she now knows how good she has it here! No more spinach!  In Japanese, there's a saying: if you love your child to let him/her travel (for the child to grow up.) It almost feels like that for me, having had her to stay w/relatives for a while. If it's just one day, however, I would definitely just leave her at home. Too much trouble setting up portable cages (for inside and outside) in someone's house or to have someone come tort-sit.


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