Do Tortoises go "wild" after being put in an outdoor enclosure????

jmhoesch

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The reason I'm asking is that Mr. Pickles has been in his new outdoor enclosure for almost 2 weeks and he refuses to eat any of the greens we put in there. When he was in his tank he used to gobble up ALL his spring mix and any "treats" I put in there for him, twice a day. Ever since we set him "free" in his enclosure, I still put the spring mix in there but he won't touch it. I have NO idea if he's eating at all.

It's a jungle in the enclosure now. ALL the weeds, flowers and grasses we planted have almost over taken the enclosure. I don't see him eating but that doesn't mean he hasn't. He looks good, I think. He stomps around when it warms up in the morning. I still soak him twice a week in a warm bath and he seems to love that still but I used to hand feed him his treats on occasion and he won't even look at them now. It's nerve wracking for me. lol

This whole transition has been a lot worse on ME then it has on him, I'm sure. lol

Here he his stomping around his jungle............ he looks good..............right?

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Jacqui

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First off, I love your enclosure!

Second, almost all of mine do go for awhile, once they are first put out, wanting to live off the land. Then they start to come back around to wanting me to add goodies to their enclosures. There are of course a few that never stop wanting their goodies rather then going wild. Just as some of them, who were friendly inside, will decide they no longer need nor want me and stop that running towards me, when they first see my approach.
 

kathyth

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Lucky Mr. Pickles is probably just enjoying a natural graze. Mine love it and are the same in or out.
 

Levi the Leopard

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I think your guy is just fine. :)
Living outside is so different than living a boring life in an indoor box. Sorry folks but that's my opinion :p
Now that he is living the good life, he no longer has to look forward to the few stimulating moments.
Mr pickles and his outdoor digs are both awesome!
I could only wish that more torts were as lucky :)
 

jmhoesch

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Originally we had a "box type" of enclosure planned in the middle of the yard. My husband had it all marked and dug out. I looked over at the cactus garden we had and go, "I want him in THERE..............if I were a tortoise, I'd love to live there" My husband looked at me and was like, you sure? I'm like yeah.......we only have to make a few adjustments but he'd be happier in that for the rest of his life. Husbands like "okie dokie". I'm just a worry wort and since he REFUSES to go into his HUGE burrow that my husband made especially for him..........I think he doesn't like it. lol I don't think he has all his torti instincts. I'll find him at night just sitting out in the open. I'm like OMYGOODNESS you should be snuggled in your burrow for the night..........lol

When monsoon season comes in July, I'll be worried that he's gonna get too wet. His main burrow is on a hill and is water proof, but since he won't use it (yet) I'll worry he'll drown or something..............I know, I know................get a grip, he's fine. lol
 

TigsMom

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Think of it like when you go on vacation. A different climate, different bed and different foods, it takes a while for you to adjust to the new environment. Your tortoise has gone from climate control to mother nature's climate, a smaller enclosure to a mansion sized enclosure complete with live gourmet foods. Supplementing his normal diets of spring mix and treats will not be as demanding. It will take him some time to acclimate to outdoor living and as he does, his appetite will more than likely increase. You should start seeing him grazing in his new habitat and even begin to show excitement and eat some of the supplements soon (within the week). Keep offering small amounts of the spring mix and treats, he'll come around soon, I'll bet on it! He looks fabulous and so does his enclosure!
 

jmhoesch

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You all make me feel so much better! Thank you! I know I'm a paranoid freak torti mom, I just love all my animal babies and want them to live a long healthy life w/ us. We keep putting him all the way back in his main burrow at night. My husband is like, "you better learn to love this burrow I created for you, you little s***. lol Playfully, of course, but he keeps coming back out and wandering around and ends up under a purple bush in the corner, he seems to like.
 
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Maggie Cummings

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I personally would keep track of his weight if you're worried, and in the evening put him in the burrow, then block off the entrance. That will teach him where he needs to go at night. After a while he will start going in on his own.
 

TigsMom

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For help with Monsoon protection, maybe a thatch or palm frawn umbrella shaped roof (lol, tortoise sized patio cover) over the burrow and burrow entrance would look good, provide shade and protection from those heavy monsoon rains. The challenge will be making it strong enough to handle monsoon winds as well as rains. I usually just put a tarp over mine, but I really want to create a couple of tiki themed houses for both of my enclosures over the burrow entrances.
 

LLLReptile

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Just wanted to chime in that your enclosure is gorgeous! You've gotten a lot of great responses here, and one of the best was the one to help 'train' him about where to go at night. I know around here, there is a fear of wild animals or stray dogs/cats getting into enclosures at night, so a blocked off sleeping burrow is a safety feature as much as it is a comfortable place for the tortoise to sleep.

-Jen
 

Yvonne G

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One thing to keep in mind is that Russian tortoises seldom use a burrow/dog house/etc. They much prefer to bury themselves in the dirt. And they push the dirt behind them so they are darned near impossible to find once they're buried. You might be able to train him using Maggie's method, but don't count on it. It might make the burrow more attractive if you were to pack it with leaves or something for the tortoise to burrow into.
 

Neal

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Wow, great enclosure! I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to save your picture for future reference when I get to the point of constructing new pens. Could you provide a close up picture of the rock structure in the middle?

I hope you don't mind if I make a comment about it since you were looking more for dietary advice, but looking at your backyard, your neighbors house, and reading your monsoon comment, I assume you're in AZ? I am also guessing from the way the shadows are positioned that this enclosure is on the Southeast corner of your lot? That enclosure is going to get very got soon and will be exposed to direct sunlight for the hottest parts of the day. You have some decent shade that will work really good for now, but you might consider placing a shade screen, adding more shade structures of some type, or even running an irrigation line to the pen if one is not already there. Just food for thought. Maybe you've thought this out already, but just trying to be helpful.
 

jmhoesch

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Sure, no problem Neal. There's already irrigation going through out the entire enclosure. Also, that burrow in the middle is well insulated. It's hot out there now but it's a lot cooler inside that burrow. I'll show you pics of the building of it.................. Inside there's a mixture of dirt and organic mulch for him to dig into once he's in there...........And yes, we're in AZ Just outside of Tucson. That burrow is positioned and built so the sun is NEVER directly into that burrow. It's "L" shaped and although the sun might hit the doorway, it will never hit the back of that burrow. My husband was a bit OCD when researching "how to build a tortoise burrow above ground" lol O and went back and looked at EVERY burrow I could find on this site. I saved a lot of them for reference too! We HAD to have plants in that would be good for the southwest and thrive, but that he would love to eat as well. We will be adding a few new flowering bushes in the next month.

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Neal

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That's brilliant. The tortoise should be quite comfortable over summer.

Thank you for starting this thread.
 

jmhoesch

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I put a couple of pieces of strawberry out there and put him right in front of it. He almost walked right by it, then he stopped..............sniffed then he scarfed every bit of it down. He's sitting out there, his whole face mushed w/ strawberries, happy as pie. I just wish I'd actually SEE him eating the green out there............would make me feel better. I do see remnants of the white stuff that they do when they poop, so I guess he's eating something............
 

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Your enclosure is fabulous and your husband built a perfect burrow! :)
 

jmhoesch

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Thank you! I wish Mr. Pickles knew how awesome that burrow is. He won't stay in it! lol It's over 100 degrees here and it's cooler in that burrow but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO we shove him in there and watch him stroll right out and park himself under a bush. ugh!
 

Sheldon the russian tortoise

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I have the same exact problem..... Just put him out there about last week and I dont ever see him eat! He won't even eat treats :-( I don't know how to get him to eat... He seems happier in his new outdoor encolure though can anyone give ME advice
 

jmhoesch

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We STILL have that problem! He's been out there nearly a month now and I have NEVER seen him eat anything. I'm guess he DOES because he'd be dead now and when I give him baths 2-3 times a week he does do little poops in there. I still put spring mix in his dish along w/ weeds that I've picked and mixed in with it and as far as I know, it all goes uneaten. He even passes up his special treats, like strawberry or apple pieces. When I give him baths, I check him all over. His eyes are bright, doesn't seem to have lost any weight, he stomps around his enclosure like bigfoot, usually in the mornings before it gets too hot, then he plants himself under his favorite purple bush.

I see pictures of torti's just sitting in there food dishes eating away and here's mine, won't do any of that. I dunno, he must eat in secret. lol I'm trying not to worry, don't think they'll starve themselves. His entire enclosure is overgrown w/ ALL KINDS of weeds, grasses and flowers. We have to go searching for him every time we want to find him.
 

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