Equine concepts in tortoise husbandry?

[Mad_Moose]

Probably a really out there discussion point - I keep seeing tortoises likened to horses in this forum in terms of how they should be kept space wise, being a long time equestrian and animal scientist by education (but a very new tortoise keeper) I was wondering if anyone had thoughts about theoretically using equine strategies in tortoise care to encourage movement in slightly smaller spaces (like paddock paradise type setups, where you purposefully make the animal travel a farther distance to get to a specific resource in the enclosure, create a cyclic travel pattern with one resource on one end and and a second on another, blocking the "direct paths" of travel so they have to go around, or create a "moving target" for their feed with enrichment items - like feeder balls, or smaller food caches scattered around different spots in the environment)

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Probably a really out there discussion point - I keep seeing tortoises likened to horses in this forum in terms of how they should be kept space wise, being a long time equestrian and animal scientist by education (but a very new tortoise keeper) I was wondering if anyone had thoughts about theoretically using equine strategies in tortoise care to encourage movement in slightly smaller spaces (like paddock paradise type setups, where you purposefully make the animal travel a farther distance to get to a specific resource in the enclosure, create a cyclic travel pattern with one resource on one end and and a second on another, blocking the "direct paths" of travel so they have to go around, or create a "moving target" for their feed with enrichment items - like feeder balls, or smaller food caches scattered around different spots in the environment)

Hello!

Many of the "tricks" you have mentioned are actually used in tortoise enclosures:
1. Blocking line of sight - so tortoise can't see the other end of the pen to encourage explorative and foraging behaviour. Achieved with walls, plants, substrate elevations, ramps and so on. Also small re-arrangements.
2. Growing plants for encouraging grazing and foraging behaviour.
3. Scattering foods or changing food bowls location
4. Providing temperature and lightning gradients so tortoises move to thermoregulate.
5. Pure exercise things like hamster wheels for smaller species.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

There are two reasons why I have made this comparison in the past:
1. Tortoises need locomotion for healthy digestion, like horses.
2. Larger hay eating species grace similarly to horses, and many people don't realize how much room is needed to provide a grazing area outdoors. A too small area for grazing will result to a muddy mess where nothing grows, similar to horses.

create a "moving target" for their feed with enrichment items - like feeder balls, or smaller food caches scattered around different spots in the environment)

Many use feeder balls which roll on the ground, I myself have one of those "hamster hay balls" that I hang to make my tortoise to reach for his food.