Help?!?! Russian tortoise has escaped!

Kat Smith

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Aug 22, 2016
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2
hi everyone,
I've had my little tort for a few years now and he's escaped a few times before but never for more than a couple hours. He's been missing for a day now and he spent one night in the cold (52 degrees) :( :( It seems he's has dug under the wood panel that keeps him in the boundaries. We have sent out papers to our neighbors just in case they find him. He is so important to my family and we hope we will find him. Any advice on how and where to find him??? His name is Coconut:) anything helps!
 

Gillian M

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hi everyone,
I've had my little tort for a few years now and he's escaped a few times before but never for more than a couple hours. He's been missing for a day now and he spent one night in the cold (52 degrees) :( :( It seems he's has dug under the wood panel that keeps him in the boundaries. We have sent out papers to our neighbors just in case they find him. He is so important to my family and we hope we will find him. Any advice on how and where to find him??? His name is Coconut:) anything helps!

Hi and welcome to the forum!;)

So sorry to hear that your tort escaped.:( He may be hiding somewhere around, as you mentioned that he has done it already. :( Please calm down and check the places you know he "likes." Torts like to dig and hide.

Sincerely hope you find him soon, and please keep us updated. Keep up hope.:)
 

Kat Smith

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Aug 22, 2016
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Thanks for the support, I just set out about 7 food trays filled with his favorite food "PUMPKIN!":) hope this will help!
 

wellington

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Keep looking around and let people in your neighborhood know. My Russian went missing about a month ago. I have his outdoor enclosure lined with fencing and then grass and dirt on top. Mine can't dig out at all. However, he did find a portion of his fencing had pulled up a bit and he was able to squeeze under it. They find any weak spot. A neighbor a block over found him the next afternoon. Luckily people in the neighborhood know about the crazy tortoise lady, me:D
They can and will travel far. The nights into the 50's is not that bad for him like it would be others. He will want to warm up the next day and that's when he wil be more easily found. Mine was found crossing a road around 1:30-2:00. Good luck and keep us informed.
 

tortoise5643

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Keep looking around and let people in your neighborhood know. My Russian went missing about a month ago. I have his outdoor enclosure lined with fencing and then grass and dirt on top. Mine can't dig out at all. However, he did find a portion of his fencing had pulled up a bit and he was able to squeeze under it. They find any weak spot. A neighbor a block over found him the next afternoon. Luckily people in the neighborhood know about the crazy tortoise lady, me:D
They can and will travel far. The nights into the 50's is not that bad for him like it would be others. He will want to warm up the next day and that's when he wil be more easily found. Mine was found crossing a road around 1:30-2:00. Good luck and keep us informed.
They can also stay close, I once lost a Russian and found it over a month later 5 feet from the cage. Just keep looking all around and hopefully you'll find him soon. If he's full grown, a 52 degree night won't kill him.
 

GingerLove

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I bet he dug somewhere nice and cozy for the night and kept warm. Look under leaves, rocks, etc. my tortoise likes to hide under bits of wood around the yard, even tree stumps. I really hope you find him soon! Praying!
 

BernieL

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Ours frequently 'disappears', only to be found having explored somewhere new within our fenced property. Puts us in regular semi-panic, and I'll walk the yard 2-3 times--then find he's been in a new spot I hadn't thought of. When I do find him he seems to do everything but shrug and say, "What's up? Got any food?" I suspect--and hope--Wellington and the others are right: that Coconut is just doing what torts do, and maybe somewhere close. Best of luck, though.
 

TammyJ

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He is more than likely very near. I believe they do have a sense of home if you have him long enough and he has been comfortable.
 

Cathie G

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Hello and welcome ☺️. I agree with everyone else especially about a Russian. I have one also and he's hard to find at times even though he's in an outdoor enclosure that I'm sure he can't escape from. I once found him hiding in a large plantain plant in the enclosure that I had looked through several times trying to find him. He was that hard to find. Don't give up.🤗
 
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