do I need a covered enclosure in my backyard?

[mark1]

perhaps your dogs are different than mine ..........my dogs are all born here , they've seen, been around, the turtles here their entire lives, they know they belong here , they won't break into a pen to get a turtle , but I've had them break into a pen to get a squirrel , chipmunk , mole , mouse , ect... that had gotten in there .... only to end up with a turtle instead , the results were devastating to the turtle and me ....... my dogs do keep my turtles safe from raccoons , possums , cat's , anything that eats turtles , but I've found out the hard way that my turtles needed protected from the dogs , my pens while uncovered became more and more dog proof with every bad experience .........possibly your dogs are less prey driven , mine have always been partial to little animals , sadly even little animals they knew ...... don't know about your bulldogs , but I can tell you from experience a turtles shell is not protection from a big mouthed dog . a Bordeaux dogue can crunch up an 8-9 inch turtle as quick as they can get a good grip on it ..........

 

[Tom]

perhaps your dogs are different than mine ..........my dogs are all born here , they've seen, been around, the turtles here their entire lives, they know they belong here , they won't break into a pen to get a turtle , but I've had them break into a pen to get a squirrel , chipmunk , mole , mouse , ect... that had gotten in there .... only to end up with a turtle instead , the results were devastating to the turtle and me ....... my dogs do keep my turtles safe from raccoons , possums , cat's , anything that eats turtles , but I've found out the hard way that my turtles needed protected from the dogs , my pens while uncovered became more and more dog proof with every bad experience .........possibly your dogs are less prey driven , mine have always been partial to little animals , sadly even little animals they knew ...... don't know about your bulldogs , but I can tell you from experience a turtles shell is not protection from a big mouthed dog . a Bordeaux dogue can crunch up an 8-9 inch turtle as quick as they can get a good grip on it ..........

Thank you for sharing that Mark. I am fortunate to call several reptile vets here friends and I hear the horror stories all the time. You and I have both had to learn this the hard way. I hope that you sharing this will help anyone reading to not have to learn the hard way what we are talking about.

Like Yvonne, all of my dogs know to leave the tortoises alone while I am with them and directly telling them what to do. But they cannot gain access to the tortoise when I'm not there. Accidents are going to happen and that is why the dogs cannot be allowed access to the tortoise. A fence or some sort of barrier needs to be in place for when those family member accidents occur.

How many reading this thread think that you can raise a lion and socialize it with a lamb, and then trust the lion to be alone with the lamb? No difference with a dog and a tortoise.

 

[Tom]

You lock up EVERY tortoise EVERY night?

I do. Every single night 365 days a year. Me, or someone else makes sure each tortoise is in its box and securely latched in for the night. Then each box is opened in the morning. Too many things can happen to risk leaving them outside in the open all night.

One exception is when the sulcatas use their self dug burrows in summer. I still shine a light down the burrow and count them all to make sure all of them are either in a box or underground. I think they'd smash a raccoon or anything else that tried to get at them in their own burrow at night. They get very aggressive when they are down there. I won't go in with them.

If an occasional leopard doesn't put itself away, then I put it away. This is often how I keep track of who is laying eggs and where. If someone is not in the night box after nightfall, I know to go search the enclosure and see where they are laying their eggs. Then I have to wait however long it takes for them to finish and then put them in the box. Sometimes I have to go back out after midnight to put them away.

 

[teresaf]

Thanks everyone. I'll lock them up every night then. That's better than bringing them in at least. when I make the walls I'll figure a way to make them taller. the only problem with doing that in the first place was making a door. with two foot walls I could just step over. not with three foot walls though. When I get it done I'll post pics!

 

[Yvonne G]

[QUOTE="Yvonne G, post: 1453271, member: 3o have a dog, and I love her dearly. She is my faithful companion and goes with me everywhere (on the property, as she's afraid to get in my truck). If I go outside, she goes with me. I never, ever let her outside without me. If she has to go outside to do her business, I go with her. Do I trust her to not eat or chew a turtle/tortoise? Yes, of course. But instinct is instinct and turtles and tortoises are just little chewwies to a dog.

EXACTLY! if she got outside without you do you think she would tear up a tortoise? probably not. Because they belong and they're not shiney new toys. That's all I meant about socializing them to the tortoise.

You lock up EVERY tortoise EVERY night?[/QUOTE]

Yup. Every tortoise yard has a shed or shelter. For the desert tortoises and Texas tortoises I put a piece of plywood over their doorway and a couple cinderblocks in front of the plywood. I'm pretty lucky in that they all are in their sheds when I go out in the evening to close the doors. Once in a great while I have to search for a leopard, but it's no big deal.

 

[mark1]

i know my dogs aren't initially after the turtles , because they see the turtles everyday , the turtles don't excite them .....but I've seen them go over a 4 foot fence to get in the pen after a squirrel or chipmunk ..... when they have gotten a turtle I've come home to the pen all dug up like they were trying to get something underground , chipmunks and moles also live in the pens , they came upon a turtle and took it ...........