How long is too long?

[rosie4posie]

I'm planning on giving my Russian lots of supervised outside time until I get his outdoor setup running. How long is too long to be out of the heat. It isn't particularly warn here in Oregon yet but I still feel it is important. Also I was planning on taking a field trip to Petco for their reptile beauty pageant. So I was wondering what the recommended time away from "home base" is?

 

[lynnedit]

Tortoises can withstand trips in the car: a box with some aspen or shredded newspaper or a towel, and they will burrow down. As long as temps are not too cold, you don't need a heat pack.
You might want to soak your tort before you go. Be sure to protect him from too much handling, etc. 'Look but don't touch'.

They can be outside for hours, as long as they can thermoregulate; bask, then sit in the shade or burrow, then bask. They can't be out in the hot sun for very long, they will seek out a cooler spot to avoid overheating.

 

[ascott]

I agree hands off at performance and I would also suggest no romps where other torts are going to be....

 

[rosie4posie]

The problem I have is that it isn't very warm yet. There is almost no sun by the time I am home to take him out. Very overcast and pretty chilly.

If there would be other torts present would no contact be okay? Or would you suggest avoiding altogether? I know the risk of "cross contamination". I want the best for my new baby!

 

[JoesMum]

You should avoid contact with other torts altogether. The risk of germs being transferred between them is too high. Either yours or the others or all of them could become very ill.

If you buy another tortoise, a quarantine period of 6 months to a year is recommended before introduction!

 

[Madkins007]

PetCo: The two biggest exposure risks are respiratory infections (RI) and parasites. You can manage the latter by just avoiding fecal matter- even small smears. The RI is tougher- it is a viral disease and you would avoid it the same way you would avoid getting colds, etc.- decontaminate surfaces, wash hands, etc.

I would take him in a plastic tub or shoe box that had been well-washed and lined with paper towels (and take plenty of spares), and keep him in the tub as much as possible- both for health and stress management. Toss in some greens or similar to munch on to give him something to do, and make sure there is a pile of loosely wadded towels to hide in.

If he has to come out for some reason, offer some hand sanitizer to people who need to handle him, and when you get home, give him a nice bath, scrubbing him gently with salty water or a dilute Betadine Solution, then rinsing well.

Outside: What is the temperature like on the ground? Russians are pretty cold-tolerant (less so when young), but if it is damp, windy, and.or cool out still, I would probably wait or limit it to under an hour at a time. You may want to consider making an outdoor pen with a heated hide so they can go out earlier and stay out longer in the year.

 

[rosie4posie]

PetCo: The two biggest exposure risks are respiratory infections (RI) and parasites. You can manage the latter by just avoiding fecal matter- even small smears. The RI is tougher- it is a viral disease and you would avoid it the same way you would avoid getting colds, etc.- decontaminate surfaces, wash hands, etc.

I would take him in a plastic tub or shoe box that had been well-washed and lined with paper towels (and take plenty of spares), and keep him in the tub as much as possible- both for health and stress management. Toss in some greens or similar to munch on to give him something to do, and make sure there is a pile of loosely wadded towels to hide in.

If he has to come out for some reason, offer some hand sanitizer to people who need to handle him, and when you get home, give him a nice bath, scrubbing him gently with salty water or a dilute Betadine Solution, then rinsing well.

Outside: What is the temperature like on the ground? Russians are pretty cold-tolerant (less so when young), but if it is damp, windy, and.or cool out still, I would probably wait or limit it to under an hour at a time. You may want to consider making an outdoor pen with a heated hide so they can go out earlier and stay out longer in the year.

Thanks for the advice about Petco!

As fat as outside it is slightly damp still and occasional wind. I am going to build an outdoor enclosure but in the meantime I don't want him to have to sit inside all day so I am giving very closely supervised outside time. I've only been taking him out for about twenty minutes at a time then letting him warm up again. Would that be ok for the time being?

 

[yagyujubei]

Just be careful when you're supervising. They can disappear in a surprisingly short time.