# Tortoise leash and outfits?



## Trisha0023 (May 24, 2015)

Silly question maybe. I had seen someone with a tortoise leash that clips around their shell. Anyone know where I can get one? Just for exploring outside without losing him. Also I keep seeing outfits for them. Like a stegosaurs and such anyone have them or make them?


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## leigti (May 24, 2015)

I have not seen a tortoise leash. But I have seen people that tie balloons to them or one person used a big rubber band and connected a little orange safety code to the tortoise. I would be a little afraid that they would get tangled in the leash.


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## Trisha0023 (May 24, 2015)

Thanks. I'm sure my daughter would always be holding the leash balloon is a good idea!


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## jaizei (May 24, 2015)

Trisha0023 said:


> Silly question maybe. I had seen someone with a tortoise leash that clips around their shell. Anyone know where I can get one? Just for exploring outside without losing him. Also I keep seeing outfits for them. Like a stegosaurs and such anyone have them or make them?



The 'cozies' are made by @biochemnerd808
https://www.facebook.com/MossyTortoise


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## dmmj (May 24, 2015)

We humuliate our dogs and cats like this, must we also do to them?


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## Trisha0023 (May 24, 2015)

Yes, yes we must. It's cute and fun!


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## Gillian M (May 25, 2015)

leigti said:


> I have not seen a tortoise leash. But I have seen people that tie balloons to them or one person used a big rubber band and connected a little orange safety code to the tortoise. I would be a little afraid that they would get tangled in the leash.


 Wouldn't it hurt the tortoise? I'd be to scared to do it.When I take my tort out for 'a walk' I follow it literally step by step!


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## johnsonnboswell (May 25, 2015)

Walking where? The sidewalk is not suitable. No leash attachment is truly secure. In plain sight under constant supervision, that's okay for a short while. But a tortoise walks quickly for a few minutes, finds shelter and stays there for a long time. If you stop watching, it can disappear.

Tortoises do not want to walk on leashes. They don't want guidance. A leash may seem like a fun idea, but not to a tortoise. It can't replace a secure outdoor habitat. 

You can try it, but it's not a long term solution for exercise & outdoor time. I did the balloon on a rubber band and supervised outdoor time routine before my habitats were built. It was frustrating, anxiety producing, and boring; and they didn't get nearly enough outdoor time.


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## Turtulas-Len (May 25, 2015)

A while back there was a member that where he/she lived had a local ordinance that stated all pets had to be leashed,when in a public area (yes even torts) as I remember it. I believe another member made leash's that worked and would make the tortoise walking in public legal. But I can't remember the who, what, where, or when, this was posted. I know this is silly but I have seen dumber laws, ordinances, rules, etc, pertaining to animals, and they keep coming up w2ith more.


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## leigti (May 25, 2015)

There are some stupid laws in this country that's for sure. I transport my tortoise in a 3 gallon Rubbermaid bin to take her to the vet. I wouldn't take my tortoise to a park because of possible chemicals. Also you don't know when an unleashed dog could come up and grab your tortoise. That may sound far-fetched so to speak well that was a bad pun, anyway but it actually happens to me. I had my tortoise out on the front porch getting some sun and this pitbull all of a sudden came running up. I grabbed my tortoise and kicked the dog in the head. I love animals but not when they are going after my animals. So now my tortoise is never out front, always in the backyard behind a 6 foot fence.


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## Lyn W (May 25, 2015)

Don't want to be a party pooper but I'm afraid dressing any animal up leaves me cold - but each to their own. I would be too worried to walk mine in a public place too in case the grass may have parasites from dog/cat or other animal faeces that could make torts sick.


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## Tidgy's Dad (May 28, 2015)

It seems to me to be one of those things that's sweet and cute for people, but of no particular benefit to the tortoise.


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## ZEROPILOT (May 28, 2015)

I'm not as against this as most "guys" might be and I'll tell you why...Anytime I let any of my Redfoot loose in the yard they take two steps and become invisible!
And they are large.
An orange cone might be good. Not a sweater and boots, though...


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## Tom (May 28, 2015)

Turtulas-Len said:


> I know this is silly but I have seen dumber laws, ordinances, rules, etc, pertaining to animals, and they keep coming up w2ith more.



And there is the problem. They are out of control...


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## Tom (May 28, 2015)

Tidgy's Dad said:


> It seems to me to be one of those things that's sweet and cute for people, but of no particular benefit to the tortoise.



Well said and I agree.

Dressing up a tortoise and having this sort of "fun" may have one hidden benefit that we are all missing though. The more a person loves their animal the better care that animal can expect to get. So if Trisha finds herself more endeared to her tortoise because she can dress it up and take it for a walk, then I see no harm in it, as long as she's careful with where she does it for all the above stated safety reasons.

This is not how I choose to "enjoy" my tortoises, but if someone else likes it and they are using some caution and common sense, I'm not opposed to the idea.


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## Lexiii (May 28, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Not a sweater and boots, though...



LMAO!


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## Kapidolo Farms (May 28, 2015)

dmmj said:


> We humuliate our dogs and cats like this, must we also do to them?


I can only use the like button once with your comment. Like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like so here are few more.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/lets-play-barbie.83088/

It's not a 'silly" question. It's a really good question. It reflects your projection so well.


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## Gillian M (May 28, 2015)

johnsonnboswell said:


> Walking where? The sidewalk is not suitable. No leash attachment is truly secure. In plain sight under constant supervision, that's okay for a short while. But a tortoise walks quickly for a few minutes, finds shelter and stays there for a long time. If you stop watching, it can disappear.
> 
> Tortoises do not want to walk on leashes. They don't want guidance. A leash may seem like a fun idea, but not to a tortoise. It can't replace a secure outdoor habitat.
> 
> You can try it, but it's not a long term solution for exercise & outdoor time. I did the balloon on a rubber band and supervised outdoor time routine before my habitats were built. It was frustrating, anxiety producing, and boring; and they didn't get nearly enough outdoor time.


 Thanks very much your advice which I appreciate.


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## TortoiseTops (Mar 10, 2016)

Trisha0023 said:


> Silly question maybe. I had seen someone with a tortoise leash that clips around their shell. Anyone know where I can get one? Just for exploring outside without losing him. Also I keep seeing outfits for them. Like a stegosaurs and such anyone have them or make them?


I make and sell tortoise clothes to help keep them warm and keep an eye on them when outside grazing and exercising And it's just fun! You can contact me if you are interested. I make all colors and sizes.


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## DutchieAmanda (Mar 10, 2016)

TortoiseTops said:


> I make and sell tortoise clothes to help keep them warm and keep an eye on them when outside grazing and exercising And it's just fun! You can contact me if you are interested. I make all colors and sizes.
> View attachment 167309
> View attachment 167309
> View attachment 167310



Tortoises are cold blooded and therefore tops don't keep them warm. 
They look cute though


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## ZEROPILOT (Mar 11, 2016)

TortoiseTops said:


> I make and sell tortoise clothes to help keep them warm and keep an eye on them when outside grazing and exercising And it's just fun! You can contact me if you are interested. I make all colors and sizes.
> View attachment 167309
> View attachment 167309
> View attachment 167310


Oh, sweet Lord!


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## Speedy-1 (Mar 11, 2016)

*Ha Ha ! Well I am not into it myself , but its not hurting anything ! So I say have fun with it ! *


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## ZEROPILOT (Mar 11, 2016)

It is a fun topic. True.


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## Rue (Mar 11, 2016)

It would be handy to help keep an eye out on them...if you take yours out to graze....keeps them visible...


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## madge1234 (Mar 11, 2016)

Hello!

I also make tortoise cozies. I was inspired to do so when I lost my tortoise last summer, and I received permission to make them from Katie Bradley (the originator of the tortoise cozy who has "retired" from cozy-making). Luckily, my pet was eventually found!

Now my tortoise wears one when she roams outdoors so I can easily spot her, and she also wears one when she roams indoors so nobody steps on her. Definitely not for warmth! More for safety and for looking really cute. 

This is a link to my Etsy shop, in case anyone is interested!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheTortoiseCozyShop


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## Rue (Mar 11, 2016)

Still giggling at the Yoda tortoise...


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## Deee (Oct 20, 2017)

leigti said:


> There are some stupid laws in this country that's for sure. I transport my tortoise in a 3 gallon Rubbermaid bin to take her to the vet. I wouldn't take my tortoise to a park because of possible chemicals. Also you don't know when an unleashed dog could come up and grab your tortoise. That may sound far-fetched so to speak well that was a bad pun, anyway but it actually happens to me. I had my tortoise out on the front porch getting some sun and this pitbull all of a sudden came running up. I grabbed my tortoise and kicked the dog in the head. I love animals but not when they are going after my animals. So now my tortoise is never out front, always in the backyard behind a 6 foot fence.


"I grabbed my tortoise and kicked the dog in the head" hahahaha this was me a few weeks ago when a lizard ran up to Frankie. She held her own though. Wasn't traumatized. She just hid in her shell until the lizard was gone then she was back out playing.


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## Team Gomberg (Oct 20, 2017)

I'm not a "play Barbie" gal with my tortoise BUT I HAVE used a leash on my tortoise. 
I did not do it to be cute or to play dress up but to make sure I didn't lose him during an event. 

My kids participate in a local garden class every summer. We know all the gardeners and they are an organic, pesticide free place. It's a small, local place. They have a lot of mallow (my torts favorite weed to eat) on the grounds and we harvest it for him weekly. At the end of the summer, we all gather together for a garden party to harvest produce and eat lunch. I bring Levi to the party, leash him up and all the kids LOVE taking turns holding the leash as he walks through the garden munching on mallow and other weeds. 

Levi isn't stressed by it, he walks around eating in the same manner he does at home. The leash isn't 100% escape/slip off proof but he's not left alone tied up either. 

I just used a dog collar around his shell. Nothing special, but at least the "I looked away for only a second and he was gone" scenario won't happen.

If you have an area that you can KNOW is safe for your tortoise to eat and your kid wants to hold a leash to prevent an "oops where'd the turtle go" incident, then do it. 

To answer your original question, there are no special tortoise leashes that I've found. So get creative.


These are photos from the 2016 summer party. I didn't take him this year because the weather was cold and cloudy on the day of the party. Levi wouldn't have enjoyed that.


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## the Turtle Shepherd (Oct 20, 2017)

if you must have one you can easily make one yourself from no sew thick felt  glue or stitch, voila  a little dino no crochet skills necessary as a mom i bet you have lots of felt laying around from all the previous years of halloween costume making  good luck


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## Reptilian Feline (Oct 21, 2017)

I think that a harness with leash for a tort could be made of soft leather from an old jacket and a regular dog leash. I would model it after the plastron with two straps on either side between front legs and head, two straps (broader from the sides and two straps from between back legs and tail. Then fatseners over the shell to keep snug and a ring to attach the leash. It ought to be easy to put on and soft enough if the legs rub against it on occation and safe so it won't slip out front or back. If needed, that's what I would do.


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## Redfool (Oct 22, 2017)

Is that one of those thunder leashes that calms pets like they have for dogs? My RFs could use one when they go out of control crazy. [emoji259][emoji217]


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## mylittlecholla (Oct 30, 2020)

Tom said:


> Well said and I agree.
> 
> Dressing up a tortoise and having this sort of "fun" may have one hidden benefit that we are all missing though. The more a person loves their animal the better care that animal can expect to get. So if Trisha finds herself more endeared to her tortoise because she can dress it up and take it for a walk, then I see no harm in it, as long as she's careful with where she does it for all the above stated safety reasons.
> 
> This is not how I choose to "enjoy" my tortoises, but if someone else likes it and they are using some caution and common sense, I'm not opposed to the idea.


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## mylittlecholla (Oct 30, 2020)

Interestimg thread, glad Trisha raised the question. 

It never occurred to me to dress up my tortoise or walk her on a leash, but having recently seen a couple of ads and videos I wondered whether it was safe and humane. Glad to hear that in general Tom think it might be okay because of the tender love/better care factor.

One of those colorful turtle sweaters the other member was mentioning seems like it might be helpful, though far from foolproof, means of reducing the chance that she get lost in the yard. 

My husband tried the balloon thing buy affixing it to her with a loop of scotcn tape; Didn't work of course; tape didn't stick. I didn't want him to try a stronger tape that would leave some adhesive on her shell. Besides you can't take your eyes off her for even a few seconds, balloon or no balloon. 

Amazing how fast she can go when she spots some great looking shelter under a gigantic old lavender bush under which we might never find her again, or worse, step on her and crush her while cutting the bush down to the roots in our efforts to recover her.

Nightmare-o-rama,

I don't think I'd want to harness and leash a tortoise as small as my Cholla is now, nor would I dare to take her, ever, on a walk in public, where there are way too many dangers. E.g.: in three separate instances
over the past fifteen years large, loose dogs have attacked and severely injured my own dogs,* who were just walking with me and minding their own business. (The vet bills were steep, but my dogs survived, thank God.) But they were far better able to defend themselves than any tortoise would be.

But when Cholla gets big enough, a leashed stroll around the backyard to safely give her a change of scene, smells and nibbles sounds like a possibility to consider.

*my beloved dogs have passed on, except for an elderly chihuhua mix, a rescue with no teeth. But not even he gets to be near Cholla without extremely close supervision.


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## enchilada (Nov 3, 2020)

Small Tortoise: tape a balloon 
Gigantic tortoise : carrot ? on a stick


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## mylittlecholla (Nov 3, 2020)

Thanks! 


Team Gomberg said:


> I'm not a "play Barbie" gal with my tortoise BUT I HAVE used a leash on my tortoise.
> I did not do it to be cute or to play dress up but to make sure I didn't lose him during an event.
> 
> My kids participate in a local garden class every summer. We know all the gardeners and they are an organic, pesticide free place. It's a small, local place. They have a lot of mallow (my torts favorite weed to eat) on the grounds and we harvest it for him weekly. At the end of the summer, we all gather together for a garden party to harvest produce and eat lunch. I bring Levi to the party, leash him up and all the kids LOVE taking turns holding the leash as he walks through the garden munching on mallow and other weeds.
> ...



Worried about tape adhesive on my 3 yr old desert tortoise. Scotch tape: doesn't stick. Stronger adhesive tape: worried about it leaving sticky stuff on her shell.


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## mylittlecholla (Nov 3, 2020)

These pix of your Levi and kids are so darn cute.


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## Ember909 (Nov 3, 2020)

Tom said:


> And there is the problem. They are out of control...


For my possible future tortoise, I'm thinking of making a lightweight orange flag to put on it.


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## pawsplus (Nov 3, 2020)

mylittlecholla said:


> One of those colorful turtle sweaters the other member was mentioning seems like it might be helpful, though far from foolproof, means of reducing the chance that she get lost in the yard.
> 
> My husband tried the balloon thing buy affixing it to her with a loop of scotcn tape; Didn't work of course; tape didn't stick. I didn't want him to try a stronger tape that would leave some adhesive on her shell. Besides you can't take your eyes off her for even a few seconds, balloon or no balloon.


Do you not have a safe outdoor enclosure for your tortoise? I don't worry about losing mine--she is in her 8x50 foot pen. When she was smaller she had a smaller pen. Very easy to find her. It's not safe to let them wander in a large yard that is not completely secure.


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## mylittlecholla (Nov 4, 2020)

pawsplus said:


> Do you not have a safe outdoor enclosure for your tortoise? I don't worry about losing mine--she is in her 8x50 foot pen. When she was smaller she had a smaller pen. Very easy to find her. It's not safe to let them wander in a large yard that is not completely secure.


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## mylittlecholla (Nov 4, 2020)

Hi.  Thanks for your concern . My tortoise does have a safe outdoor enclosure, but she'll outgrow it soon, so we're making the plans for her permanent adult habitat.
You're right about not letting her wander. The balloon experiment my husband conducted was a one time thing.


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## VJRDuran (Nov 4, 2020)

Trisha0023 said:


> Silly question maybe. I had seen someone with a tortoise leash that clips around their shell. Anyone know where I can get one? Just for exploring outside without losing him. Also I keep seeing outfits for them. Like a stegosaurs and such anyone have them or make them?


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FRB3KN7/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20 Check sizes carefully. Or using this as a pattern you can make your own.


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## mylittlecholla (Nov 4, 2020)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Oh, sweet Lord!


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## mylittlecholla (Nov 4, 2020)

TortoiseTops said:


> I make and sell tortoise clothes to help keep them warm and keep an eye on them when outside grazing and exercising And it's just fun! You can contact me if you are interested. I make all colors and sizes.
> View attachment 167309
> View attachment 167309
> View attachment 167310


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## SJTort (Nov 4, 2020)

johnsonnboswell said:


> Walking where? The sidewalk is not suitable. No leash attachment is truly secure. In plain sight under constant supervision, that's okay for a short while. But a tortoise walks quickly for a few minutes, finds shelter and stays there for a long time. If you stop watching, it can disappear.
> 
> Tortoises do not want to walk on leashes. They don't want guidance. A leash may seem like a fun idea, but not to a tortoise. It can't replace a secure outdoor habitat.
> 
> You can try it, but it's not a long term solution for exercise & outdoor time. I did the balloon on a rubber band and supervised outdoor time routine before my habitats were built. It was frustrating, anxiety producing, and boring; and they didn't get nearly enough outdoor time.


What does your outdoor enclosure look like? I am planning on redoing mine.


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## SJTort (Nov 4, 2020)

TortoiseTops said:


> I make and sell tortoise clothes to help keep them warm and keep an eye on them when outside grazing and exercising And it's just fun! You can contact me if you are interested. I make all colors and sizes.
> View attachment 167309
> View attachment 167309
> View attachment 167310


Would you consider making one out of neoprene such that it would maintain some of their existing heat for short outside visits?


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## Marcella (Nov 13, 2020)

SJTort said:


> Would you consider making one out of neoprene such that it would maintain some of their existing heat for short outside visits?


I


SJTort said:


> Would you consider making one out of neoprene such that it would maintain some of their existing heat for short outside visits?
> [/QUOT
> I would love to see what you make.Am interested in leashes, too. I have a Sulcata (Uneaux) about 15 inches long and a red foot (Jambalaya) about 12 inches. I could whatever measurements you need and send pics, if you'd like.


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## KarenSoCal (Nov 14, 2020)

Posted by a member a while back. ? ??






First walk


We didn't make it far lol Yes that's a tortoise leash so I don't lose her and I can control the situation at all times.




www.tortoiseforum.org


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