hey new to the site i let my tortoise roam inside

[squishycld]

so i got this tortoise like 2 or 3 years ago and i basically treat her like a little dog. Not like air bud, more like paris hiltons dog. she's the most spoiled little thing. i take her around in a little dog carrier, which she outgrew so i'm using like a twin dog carrier. she roams around my room she lives under my table in a box with a heat pad in it. at night she sleeps in my bed, and some how i potty trained her. she only pees and poops in the bathroom on news paper next to the toilet. most of the time people carry her around and hand feed her. when she was younger girls would hold her in their boobs. she belongs to me and my younger brother so she gets walks everyday when ever i need to smoke and when ever my brother needs a chick magnet. she seems healthy, but kinda snobby... she cuddles you when she's hungry.... and if you don't give her food she bites your toes and pees on people she doesn't like. anyways my room is sort of tortoise proof so like i just make sure to keep the floor clean ect. anyways i was wondering if anyone does anything similar. my tortoise is a girl her name is sebastion.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome, Squishycld!!

It sounds like you really love your tortoise, but I do have to admit, I feel sort of sorry for her. Too bad she can't live outside in a well-planted, safe habitat where she can just be a tortoise.

 

[squishycld]

......well i did a little research and my tortoise comes from the desert and it eats mostly sticks. soooo i think she'd rather be a spoiled lil thing than spend all day trying to eat twigs to get by. the only thing i don't think she gets enough of is digging. i don't really let her dig, when i take her to the beach she digs though.

 

[Tom]

I wish to welcome you too, but I do have to agree with Yvonne. You aren't doing your tortoise any favors by not giving it a proper habitat both indoors and out.

I also think its a mistake to assign human emotions to a tortoise. Your tortoise is certainly not snobby. At the moment you perceive her being snotty, she is most likely just not happy with the situation and her instincts are telling her to be cautious.

Its cool that you love your tortoise so much and are so involved with her, but she really needs her own space, protected from the normal human hazards like small things that are dropped and could be eaten, swinging doors, walking human feet, other pets, electrical cords, cool temperatures, etc...

I hope that some of the other keepers here on the forum will inspire you.

---

......well i did a little research and my tortoise comes from the desert and it eats mostly sticks. soooo i think she'd rather be a spoiled lil thing than spend all day trying to eat twigs to get by. the only thing i don't think she gets enough of is digging. i don't really let her dig, when i take her to the beach she digs though.

They actually don't come from the desert, they come from grassland savannahs, and for 3-4 months out of the year it is hot, humid, rainy and swampy, sort of like Florida in the summer. They don't eat sticks, they eat all the lush greenery that pops up during the rainy season, among other things. At the end of the rainy season they drag tons of fresh green stuff into their burrows and basically eat that for the next 8 or 9 months until the rains come back. As the vegetation dries in their burrows, it keeps everything nice and humid down there which helps them to lose less water through respiration.

There is a lot of misinformation out there on the web, and nearly all the old books say all the same stuff that was based on incorrect assumptions and speculation. We are here to help tortoises and their owners. None of us gain a thing by sharing what we know through decades of experience with you. I hope we are able to help you and your tortoise too.

 

[Neal]

Not to come down on you here, but I have to agree with Yvonne and Tom. It seems like you have come across some bad/incomplete information if you think they only eat sticks in the wild. Search the forum and hopefully you will gain some more knowledge about your tortoise.

Welcome, I hope to here some positive experiences from you. It's good to see that you enjoy your tortoise. They really can make great pets if cared for properly.

 

[squishycld]

.......are you serious that sounds horrible, so this tortoise is like some sort of cold blooded mole? why would anyone advertise this as a pet if it naturally spends 75% of the year in a hole? well no point in changing things now. she's too accustomed to people and she won't eat anything but lettuce and well rocks and anything that is tiny but for some reason she wont eat other plants, i even tried feeding her fruit just to see how she if she would go all crazy like people say.... at first but after a couple bites she was like i'm over this.... gimmie lettuce. i was a little worried about the humidity thing but she gets soaked like 4+ times a day because she follows people into the bathroom. she has her own tube we fill for her and leave her in. she acts more like a cat than a spoiled dog though, like she never comes when you call and only comes close enough for you to pick her up. and she waits till you're sleeping to snuggle up to your face.... being that she's more like a rock covered in broken glass than a fluffy kitty, its not that cute at first

 

[mctlong]

.
Welcome Squishy! Its great that you take her on daily walks. They definately need their daily dose of Sunshine and it sounds like she's getting it! Good job!

I have to say, I do share the above concerns regarding diet and habitat. Good news is you've found the right forum for information. Tortoises have very specific needs that differ greatly from a puppies or other pets. The following page provides some of the basics.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Tortoise-Basics-for-Prospective-or-Beginner-Tortoise-Owners#axzz1bv5qbbcz


You clearly love this little tort, so you're in the right place - this is a forum of tortoise lovers. We are all here to support you and that adorable little tortoise. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like. We also LOVE pics, so don't be stingy on those! LOL!

Again, Welcome!!!

 

[TORTOISEMAN1]

Welcome!

 

[waterboy]

Welcome hope to see more pics

 

[josh21]

Welcome

 

[Laura]

I also hope you read a lot here and learn. Maybe change a few things.. its hard to tell how big she is from your picture, growth rates vary as well. but what are you going to do when she is 50 plus pounds?
Most torts in captivity have it better then if they lived in the wild.. not all..
She has some pyrimiding... its not bad. but you need to stop it from continuing. Excersise, diet and humidty.. oh and lots of natural sunshine is needed.
Welcome..

 

[Neal]

.......are you serious that sounds horrible, so this tortoise is like some sort of cold blooded mole? why would anyone advertise this as a pet if it naturally spends 75% of the year in a hole?

Sounds horrible to me and you, but I'd imagine it sound pretty good to the tortoise.

Some people like having pets that spend 75% of their lives in a hole.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[Masin]

This has to be a joke.

---

Sounds horrible to me and you, but I'd imagine it sound pretty good to the tortoise.

Some people like having pets that spend 75% of their lives in a hole.

I wish our basenji spent at least 75% of his time in a hole!!! (God help, he's 15 years old hope I didn't jinx him with that bad joke!!)

 

[AustinASU]

Thus why i'll never breed sulcutas....

 

[taytay3391]

My comment was deleted.....

 

[Yvonne G]

My comment was deleted.....

Your comment was more than likely correct, however, it was inappropriate.

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[taytay3391]

Your comment was more than likely correct, however, it was inappropriate.

Inappropriate? Ok.. Hows this, this person is (xxxxcomment deletedxxxx)us. Is this a pg forum? That's a serious question not trying to come off rude.

 

[laney]

Hey, welcome.
My two torts roam around the house too and one actually chases me for snuggles <3 although they just roam around when I'm watching them and they have their own house with heat and proper lighting.
Some of the comments come across quite blunt but the people on here seem to be very experienced. I'm a new keeper and I think that its very difficult to get accurate info on the proper things to do for your baby but you clearly love your little one and you have joined here so its clear that you want the best for him/her!
I'm going to make a suggestion but it is only that as I'm not that experienced either but want the best for them;
Is it possible to build or convert something eg an old upturned bookcase that you can cut an entrance/exit to? That way you could attach a uvb bulb to help with health and you could fill with some sort of substrate so that it can dig and hide and has a place of its own as well as the house and walks?
Like I said, just an idea