Free Roam (inside)

[IowaGuy28]

Its getting to that point where my Tilley needs more space to "graze" openly while I build his new enclosure. I'm gonna start with my own room being his new stomping grounds, he's maybe 7inch big and my room is about 15x15 so plenty of space. No hazards. Question is, is there Any way to avoid his bathroom messes happening on my open (wood) floor? Maybe this is a Newb question. Any advise or suggestions? Hell, I even considered making a tort door on his enclosure now so he can take his own baby steps

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Sorry! Phone glitched and posted twice...

 

[IowaGuy28]

Its getting to that point where my Tilley needs more space to "graze" openly while I build his new enclosure. I'm gonna start with my own room being his new stomping grounds, he's maybe 7inch big and my room is about 15x15 so plenty of space. No hazards. Question is, is there Any way to avoid his bathroom messes happening on my open (wood) floor? Maybe this is a Newb question. Any advise or suggestions? Hell, I even considered making a tort door on his enclosure now so he can take his own baby steps

 

[kathyth]

You can lay down rubber lining like the material for a pond or tarp on the ground. Im sure others have great ideas on what to place on the floor. I would run it partially up the wall and put substrate and lighting, for heat and UVB

 

[Tom]

Do you want to get into the hazards that you are not thinking about, or should I just leave it alone? I don't recommend you do what you are proposing. I've seen it lead to disaster many times.

To answer your other question, I know of no way to potty train a tortoise. You could soak them first to try to empty them out, but often the walking will make them go more.

 

[mainey34]

Mine is usually out to roam freely most of the day. If the weather is nice they are outside. If not they are in. I soak them in the morning. This is usually when they go potty. Now we have had accidents. But few and far between.

 

[IowaGuy28]

Educate me on your hazards please

 

[Tom]

Okay. Here goes:
1. It's too cold down there. Lay naked on the floor for a few minutes and watch how quickly you get cold. Now imagine if you were not producing any of your own heat.
2. Things will fall onto the floor in any normal house. Buttons, coins, cigarette butts, crumbs, hair, pen caps, screws and nails, dust bunnies, chipped pieces of plastic, wrappers, etc... The list is endless and variable. Many tortoises end up needing surgery to remove such foreign objects from their gut. No matter how careful a person is, something is going to hit that floor and your tortoise might decide to eat it.
3. Escape into other unsecured areas of the house is possible.
4. Things can fall on them. Knocked over speakers, chairs, things that are dropped, etc.
5. Over time people tend to become complacent and many tortoises have been kicked or stepped on.
6. Doors can unexpectedly fly open and whack them.
7. Electrical cords.
8. Carpet fibers. Sometimes these are tracked in from other rooms. They can be eaten or they can wrap around limbs and cut off circulation.
9. They are more susceptible to attack or harassment from other pets down there.

I'm sure I could think of more. The bottom line is that even if you are careful, it's still a lot of unecessary risk. Simply putting them into a large properly designed enclosure that is heated and set up just for them reduces the chances of any of these things greatly. I used to let mine roam on the floor. That's how I know it can be a problem. I personally encountered some of these problems and the vets I've worked with tell me an endless stream of mishaps and maladies. The longer you do it, the more likely you are to see one or some of these problems, but by then it's too late.

Hope this helps.

 

[IowaGuy28]

Thank you for the Intel, my main concern was the cold wood floor so I wasn't surprised that you stated that hazard. Taken all into consideration, Tilley can wait another 2-3 months or until his/her new enclosure is built.

 

[cruiser12]

I have heard of people using "tortoise diapers" but i havn't ever used them so you may want to do some more reserch. otherwise when i let mine out i just lay a whole bunch of garbage bags out on the floor, or if im shorter on time, newspaper.