floors?

[sportychick]

Can I let my tort crawl on my living room floor? There's nothing he can get.into and there's always someone watching him. He can not get.put to his bigger space because its too cold and no sun.

So to give him more.room for exercise I figured why not

 

[Tom]

Here are the reasons why I won't do that:
1. Too cold, unless you live in the tropics with no A/C.
2. It may look clean, but there are all sorts of potentially dangerous things down there. Hair, buttons or trinket pieces, old food crumbs, chemical cleaning residues, dead bugs with insecticide residue on them (even if you don't use pesticides, your neighbors might, and the bugs don't always die on immediate contact), food or candy wrappers, etc... the list is endless. If you have kids, the list is beyond endless...
3. There is a big risk of mechanical injury. Its just a question of time and complacency before you tortoise is stepped on, kicked, or hit by an opening door. Things can fall or be dropped accidentally. I knew someone who cut their ferret in half because it climbed into the linkage of a recliner...

To me the benefit does not outweigh the substantial risk. They can just do more laps in their enclosure until warm weather comes. Or since you are stuck inside anyway, how about designing and building a BIGGER indoor enclosure?

 

[sportychick]

Here are the reasons why I won't do that:
1. Too cold, unless you live in the tropics with no A/C.
2. It may look clean, but there are all sorts of potentially dangerous things down there. Hair, buttons or trinket pieces, old food crumbs, chemical cleaning residues, dead bugs with insecticide residue on them (even if you don't use pesticides, your neighbors might, and the bugs don't always die on immediate contact), food or candy wrappers, etc... the list is endless. If you have kids, the list is beyond endless...
3. There is a big risk of mechanical injury. Its just a question of time and complacency before you tortoise is stepped on, kicked, or hit by an opening door. Things can fall or be dropped accidentally. I knew someone who cut their ferret in half because it climbed into the linkage of a recliner...

To me the benefit does not outweigh the substantial risk. They can just do more laps in their enclosure until warm weather comes. Or since you are stuck inside anyway, how about designing and building a BIGGER indoor enclosure?

Hi, I am looking into a bigger enclosure but this was an idea on the mean time on cooler days until then. I do not have A/C and I just cleaned the floor its just an area for him to move around more.

 

[ascott]

What size is his indoor enclosure? I would hold off on letting him truck around your house....now, I do know if a room has been tortoise proofed....a short jog about will likely work out fine....but remember....tortoise are creatures of habit....if you begin a behavior with him...be will work it into "his" routine and may get a bit pissed off if you find times you are not able to do this with him..so just figure what will work for your tort and you and create a safe environment with which ever way you go....you know?