Going out of town. Need advice please.

[TaylorG.]

Hello everyone,

I am going to be going out of town for 3 days due to a family emergency, but I have no clue what to do with my adult russian tortoise Kobe. I have no one who can watch him. His enclosure does not have timed lights and he is used to getting fed 2X a day. Should I take him to a boarding place or would he be fine on his own for a few days? I have no clue what to do and do not want to harm my little guy. I also do not want to stress him out. Thanks, Taylor.

 

[gingerbee]

I'd go buy timers for your lights first. Make sure there's water in more than one place food dishes full in a couple places. I've had to do this and had no problems. Good luck.best thing would be to get someone to come in to feed water him.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Get a timer. Every hardware store sells them cheaply. You don't need anything fancy. Feed him well before you go and when you get back.

 

[Yvonne G]

Now, see? If your tortoise lived outside, where he belongs, going away for a few days wouldn't be a problem at all.

There's just no way in heck I'd go away and not make arrangements for someone to come over and check on my animals. Even if I have to pay a neighbor or a pet sitter to do it. There's just too much that can go wrong - trying to climb the fence and falls over on his back; tips upside down in the waterer; a stray dog jumps the fence and attacks the tortoise; indoors the light burns out or the timer breaks and stops working; the list goes on.

 

[Gillian M]

Now, see? If your tortoise lived outside, where he belongs, going away for a few days wouldn't be a problem at all.

There's just no way in heck I'd go away and not make arrangements for someone to come over and check on my animals. Even if I have to pay a neighbor or a pet sitter to do it. There's just too much that can go wrong - trying to climb the fence and falls over on his back; tips upside down in the waterer; a stray dog jumps the fence and attacks the tortoise; indoors the light burns out or the timer breaks and stops working; the list goes on.

I agree with that: those who don't have a pet-paricularly a tort-wouldn't know how on earth to look after it, feed it, handle it and so on. On the other hand, I believe a tort can manage alone for a couple of days, that is of course if all is setup with food, water, enclosure, and last but not least..temperature.

 

[Heather H]

Taylor is there anyone you trust to pet sit. when I go out of town I have a teenage girl come over. feed/water pets..... bring in the newspapers and mail.. is your tortoise your only pet?

 

[Prairie Mom]

Hi Taylor,
We have to do medical travel often and teach our pets (including tortoise) how to travel I just posted EXACTLY how we travel very long distances safely with our tortoise on this thread in the debate section: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/vet-visit-versus-cold-weather-what-do-you-do.112729/ - look for "Prairie Mom" 's post with accompanying gadget photo.

Please take a moment to check it out and don't hesitate to come back to me with any questions.

 

[Jacqui]

If it were summer, I would say leave him by himself. If you live where it gets cold, no way would I leave not knowing if some thing would cause the power to go off and maybe allow your tortoise to freeze. I would also, if you live in a cold area, not take him with you, especially with a family emergency where your mind is on family, not the needs of a tortoise. Travel can be hazardous and in cold weather more breakdowns happen. That said, my vote goes to leaving him with a boarding place, unless you sure somebody can't come over just to be sure the power is on and he is okay.

 

[AZtortMom]

Buy timers and get a pet sitter. This comes from someone who was a pet sitter for 20 plus years

 

[HotdogKnight]

A timer plug is definitely an investment, I bought one even for when I'm here just in case I fancy a lie in! I just got back from a weekend away and my housemate was more than happy to chuck in a few weeds and make sure Vince was right side up