Bluetooth Tracking Device

Levi the Leopard

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I recently purchased a tile Bluetooth tracking device. Most people use it to find their car keys or a misplaced purse. I am using as a security measure to find an escaped tortoise.....should he escape again :rolleyes:

Long story short I'm renting a furnished vacation home while we search to buy a house. The home is on a 63acre vineyard and although there is no fenced yard there is an unused dog run I get to put Levi in for grazing.
0105161413a.jpg

It's not setup properly to be a full time tortoise enclosure but it's not mine, so I can't modify it...
I do watch temps when he's out there, checked the perimeter and I lock the baby gate/door when he is in there. For 2 months it's been ok.

Well, I missed a hole in the fence and he escaped.

Lost for 3 days I had to search 63 acres, find him before the property dogs, before the rain came back and before the tractors went through the rows mulching up the vine trimmings.

He was far from the house in a field behind some of the grape rows
The stinker..
0318161326.jpg

I was lucky....So lucky!!! and Levi is back, safe and sound.

I talked to the owners and although I can't make major changes I can do little fixes.
I put about 80 giant garden staples along the bottom of the fencing. I used grape vines and other woods to weave through the bottom of the fence and patched up the hole.
It seems unlikely he could get out again BUT for extra piece of mind I wanted to be able to track him.

The tile device connects to my phone with an app. It uses the Bluetooth connection to give me a proximity meter and the device itself produces a little jingle.

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And rather than just a white box we printed him a custom license plate so it, looks cool??..LOL

0321161715b.jpg

This is only temporary, so it's attached with hot glue. I wanted to be able to remove it if necessary and once we buy a house, he'll have a secure, solid walled enclosure and won't need this anymore.

0321161722a.jpg

I avoided the new growth areas and so far it's staying on. We even tested it a few times within the dog run and it works great.

If they ever come out with a tiny, reliable tracking device, I'd consider adhering one permanently. But for now this works and I feel a little better having it on him while we are here.
He doesn't seem to mind it... Haha

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wellington

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I am so glad you found him. As I was reading this my heart dropped when I came to the he got out part, even though I figured this was in the past of this thread.
I love the idea. Is it water proof? How far does it work? It would be great to have an injectable chip for this.
Hope you don't ever have to use it for real.
 

Cheryl Hills

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Great idea. Now if someone could just come up with a small one that could be attached, just think of the money they could make. A tracking device that could be used for all torts, since they like to scare us and disappear. It would put a lot of people's minds at ease and you could locat your lost torts much faster.
 

Big Charlie

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The license plate is adorable! Someone suggested using something similar awhile ago but I don't think anyone had tried it yet. but I'm glad you found him! I lost Charlie when he was little. We lived on 117 acres at the time. I couldn't find him. Miraculously, he showed up at the back door a few days later. He wasn't traumatized at all. Still, it was very scary. Now that he is huge, there aren't many holes he could fit through and there aren't any in our yard.
 

Levi the Leopard

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@wellington can you fix my title please? :( it always doubles... :rolleyes:

I forget the range...100ft maybe? But it's not super far.
What's nice is even if he was out of range, you could walk around and once it picks up the signal you'd hear the little jingle, and the green proximity meter would help you too, so you'd know you were close...all that would still be more helpful than simply using your eyes and getting on hand and knees in the bushes LOL
We hid it out of range a few times and that's what we did to find it.

Waterproof, probably not. That's another reason this thing couldn't be long term.

He was hiding in a thick plant today when I went to get him. I used the Bluetooth and right away knew where to get him ;) without having to check all his usual hiding spots.
 

Loohan

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Cute tort. But from my limited experience with hot glue, i have found it to be brittle and break loose easily. I would use silicone seal. Although that might be messier to remove later, it will eventually come off.
 

Levi the Leopard

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my experience with hot glue, i have found it to be brittle and break loose easily.

I would use silicone seal. Although that might be messier to remove later, it will eventually come off.

Yes, hot glue is not going to last long.

I had a 3 legged CDT in CA. We adhered a ball bearing to his plastron to function as the missing leg. I attached that with hot glue as well so it could be removed for soaks etc.
As long as I re applied it frequently, I didn't have the chance to fall off.

Since I'm not familiar with silicon adhesives (it just sounds so permanent) which one are you suggesting?
Obviously, I wouldn't want this tracking device to fall off but I also don't want it stuck permanently. Hot glue was the best option I could think of but I'm open to hearing about something else.
 

Loohan

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Plain clear silicone glue. I use the stuff in caulk tubes as it is much cheaper and will keep for months if you put a fat nail in the end and tape it well. Otherwise use the small tubes which have caps of deliberately-brittle plastic so that they crack, ruining the glue so that you have to buy more.

It is pretty hard to remove but since the carapace is alive and expanding, i think it would rub off over time.
You would probably have to use a blade to get the tag off, and then some glue would remain on shell for a while. most likely. It is very rubbery and you might be able to pull most or all of it off, depending on how long it's been on.
In any case, since it's clear, it would not be real visible.
 

Cheryl Hills

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I would think the silicon would work well. It stays pliable so it should move with the tort. And, should peel off. Maybe use the waterproof type. It should be worth a try.
 

Loohan

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I would think the silicon would work well. It stays pliable so it should move with the tort. And, should peel off. Maybe use the waterproof type. It should be worth a try.

I have never seen silicone seal that is not waterproof. I think if you get the clear stuff, it is probably pretty identical brand-to-brand.
Do not use some window caulk that contains only some fraction silicone.
 

Elohi

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I recently purchased a tile Bluetooth tracking device. Most people use it to find their car keys or a misplaced purse. I am using as a security measure to find an escaped tortoise.....should he escape again :rolleyes:

Long story short I'm renting a furnished vacation home while we search to buy a house. The home is on a 63acre vineyard and although there is no fenced yard there is an unused dog run I get to put Levi in for grazing.
View attachment 168315

It's not setup properly to be a full time tortoise enclosure but it's not mine, so I can't modify it...
I do watch temps when he's out there, checked the perimeter and I lock the baby gate/door when he is in there. For 2 months it's been ok.

Well, I missed a hole in the fence and he escaped.

Lost for 3 days I had to search 63 acres, find him before the property dogs, before the rain came back and before the tractors went through the rows mulching up the vine trimmings.

He was far from the house in a field behind some of the grape rows
The stinker..
View attachment 168317

I was lucky....So lucky!!! and Levi is back, safe and sound.

I talked to the owners and although I can't make major changes I can do little fixes.
I put about 80 giant garden staples along the bottom of the fencing. I used grape vines and other woods to weave through the bottom of the fence and patched up the hole.
It seems unlikely he could get out again BUT for extra piece of mind I wanted to be able to track him.

The tile device connects to my phone with an app. It uses the Bluetooth connection to give me a proximity meter and the device itself produces a little jingle.

View attachment 168318
View attachment 168319

And rather than just a white box we printed him a custom license plate so it, looks cool??..LOL

View attachment 168320

This is only temporary, so it's attached with hot glue. I wanted to be able to remove it if necessary and once we buy a house, he'll have a secure, solid walled enclosure and won't need this anymore.

View attachment 168321

I avoided the new growth areas and so far it's staying on. We even tested it a few times within the dog run and it works great.

If they ever come out with a tiny, reliable tracking device, I'd consider adhering one permanently. But for now this works and I feel a little better having it on him while we are here.
He doesn't seem to mind it... Haha

View attachment 168322

View attachment 168323

View attachment 168324

I am SO glad you found you're special beautiful boy. I know how shook up and you were and I hope he's full up on escape adventures and never escapes again and his tracking device is just a cool license plate/name tag.
 

Tom

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I think regular GE Sicone I will work well for this application. As long as you don't get it in the scute margins. It fully cures in 48 hours, so I'd do it in the morning so he can be outside in the fresh air for the first few hours.

This is the same silicone they use for fish tanks, so it's totally safe. It's completely inert once cured.

Once you remove the tile, the silicone will easily rub off with your thumb.
 

Tom

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GE silicone... Ok I'll check it out. Thanks.


Cuz this is what I want..totally removable!

Do some tests, like on wood or something. Its neat stuff. They sell it in caulking tubes for about $5 at Home Depot and Lowes. You'll need a caulking gun.

You might be able to find a smaller tube...
 
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