Free Play Time?

[kaitbrennan]

As Pancake gets better, I want to let him get out and stretch his legs as much as possible. Winter is coming, and as such I won't be able to take him outside for several months. What could u do to make a "tortoise safe" play space for him?

 

[stinax182]

well if you can't bring him outside for fresh air and sunshine, his play space should be his indoor enclosure. tortoises don't play, the only reason we bring them outside is for the benefits i listed above. the best you can do for him is make his inside home look and feel like the outside one maybe change everything around in it, add a hide and some plants or even expand on it! that's what i did! a lot of tortoises owners, myself included, have to deal with depriving their torts of what we know they love the most....but only for a couple months!

 

[Talka]

I let Sheldon wander the bonus room with 3 people watching him, the area freshly vacuumed for an obsessively long amount of time, and all possible exits to dangerous places blocked off. It's a 2nd floor room so the floor is always warm for him. He spends a solid 30 minutes (about 3 times a week) walking circles around us, climbing on small things (stuffed animals, towels, other harmless items) and generally having a blast. If I don't do this, he spends hours clawing at the same spot in his enclosure, which I've posted pictures of and have had universally approved by forum members so I know he's just itching for some roaming time.

First and foremost, unless your tortoise keeps trying to escape and is practically begging to be let loose, do NOT let him wander. Try to spice up the enclosure first before outside playtime becomes an option. Second, if he's gonna be outside the enclosure, the area he'll "play" in has to be WARM and ABSOLUTELY SPOTLESS. He could get hurt by eating hair, breathing dust, or getting into a tight spot and having things fall on him. Third, be aware he could take a poo anywhere, even on you. In general, it is not a good idea to let your tortoise wander around freely.