Dogs and torts?

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Right now, the only pets my wife and I have are a cat and two Russian tortoises. Growing up, though, I did have a dog, and I hope to get a dog or two someday when we have more space. However, I was also hoping to keep my Russian tortoises outdoors and breed them as well.

Based on all the horror stories I've read about tortoises' getting injured or killed by dogs, I certainly don't want to do anything that would jeopardize my torts. But I don't think it's fair to keep dogs or torts locked up all the time, either, for fear of their coming into contact. That could be stressful on the keepers, too.

For those of you who keep both dogs and torts, how do you do it? How do you make sure both species have enough room to thrive, without risking the welfare of the tortoises? I'd love to know.

 

[Tom]

My tortoises have their area, and my dogs have theirs. The dogs never have "access" to the tortoises without direct and constant supervision. Is not all that difficult really. Just divide your yard.

 

[Neal]

My solution would be to never have a dog.

One concern that has not been brought up during these dog and tortoise discussions is tortoise poop and dogs. I did have dogs and tortoises together at one point, and the only issue I had was the dogs would eat and play with the tortoise poop. The dogs would get it all over their fur, come inside and rub it all over the carpet. This of course creates a concern for your own health as well as any children you may or may not have, not to mention any possible issue of the dogs ingesting tortoise poop.

If you can't keep them completely separate at all times, it's got to be one or the other unless you're willing to do extra work, like lock up the tortoises when the dogs go outside or vise versa.

 

[johin]

I have a nice dog which breed is german shepherd,
now nearly I decid to own a torts in my form house just for amuzment and
change our animal environment. but how and where from I own it.

 

[Jacqui]

Outside my dogs and the tortoises all have their own areas and can not mix. The cats are another story. Inside while my tortoises have their own enclosures all with secure lids because of the cats, there are times when a tortoise will be sitting out in an open plastic tub of one sort or another. I have also had a time or two, when the tubs might get tipped over and for a short while have an escaped tortoise roaming the house. This has been the way it has been for the last 20 some years. The dogs inside the house just never pay any attention to the tortoises. They have always been taught touching or even looking closely at a tortoise is a no no. I don't know if it helps or not, but none of them are big chewers either. I believe if you can teach a dog to not touch food that is sitting on a counter (or any where) or not to eat something until they are told they may, then you should be able to teach a dog not to touch your tortoise.

 

[wellington]

I totally agree with Jacqui. All my animals are trained to not bother each other. The second they are brought into my home, they are not allowed to react to another animal. I don't even let them look at them in a dominant manner. That said, I of course would never let my dog be alone with any of them either. I have dog, cat, bird, lizard, tort. Have had, rats, hamster, hedgehog. Never a problem. You just don't ever let it start and know that each other is off limits. As for torts and dogs outside, very simple. As Tom said, they have their own areas. My dog can get into my tort area if she wanted too, however, I don't allow it. If she even looks like she wants to step over the barrier, she is told no. It's not hard at all. Get a dog. I love my tort, but there is nothing better, nor a truer friend then a dog.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Neal, I have dog-sat a few times, and I did notice that the dogs like to eat the dried tortoise droppings. I don't worry about this, though. After all, it's just some leftover, mostly digested plant matter, which may even be beneficial to the dog. If you factor in all the things dogs put into their mouths, I don't think tortoise scat is a blip on the radar.

 

[Floof]

Like Jacqui and Wellington, I make it a point to train my dogs to leave the other animals alone. I put in a LOT of hours on the "leave it" command, then had them apply that to the scaly animals. Stump won't even stay close to a tortoise--if my little leopard tortoise gets within 12" of him, he'll leap up and go lay somewhere else! It also helps that neither of them are keen on chewing things up...

As far as the outdoor enclosure goes, I'm the type to be overly paranoid about predators, anyway, so I'm designing my outdoor enclosure to include a hardware cloth lid. Naturally, this will work just as nicely to keep the dogs away from the tortoise, as well (should either of them miraculously gain the ability to scale a 1.5-2' high wall, that is!).

 

[jtrux]

Right now my tort is too small to be left outside but when it is I leave the dog inside. When I finally do keep mine outside im gonna have a completely enclosed enclosure because I have more to worry about from foxes and raccoons.