Leave tortoise alone for a week?

[Candace07]

I have to go out of town for a week. I have a russian tortoise. I can't find anybody to take care of him and I can't take him with me. I have the lights/heating on timer, but I'm worried about him being fed.

Do I have any options? Can russians eat those pellets with the pellet dispensers? What about putting a whole head of lettuce in there?

I have left him for 2-3 days with lots of lettuce, and he was fine. I'm worried about a whole week though. I don't want the lettuce to wilt, or how much he'll even need, really.

 

[ascott]

This is a rough one.....yes, your tortoise can go for that much time without food (although he will not agree ) Does your tortoise eat the pellets? If so, then the food issue should be aok. You can also do the leave him some food in a bit more abundance, but at a certain point it will likely not be too inviting, wilt city....LOL. You don't have anyone to come in like on day 3 or 4 to take a peek see on him, you know....?

Maybe some other folks here will have a better solution....

 

[wellington]

Hi
I don't know about Russians, but what I have done for my Leopard when i have had to leave him for a few days, is I grow weed and grass in portable plastic containers and put that in for him. I also feed him just before I leave fresh greens and Mazuri. I make sure his soaking dish is full and that there is no place that he could possibly roll over. If you don't have time to grow weeds and grass, pull up some sod from your yard and replant it in a plastic container, water well and put plastic lid over it with a few holes in it, place in sun light. This will help it resist dying from being transplanted.
Hope this helps and maybe someone else will have some ideas also for those times no one can watch them for us.
Good luck

 

[ewam]

You can plant a plant or grass.

 

[DesertGrandma]

I had a good suggestion given to me when I wanted to leave for a few days. Plant some grazing mix seeds in pots at least a couple of weeks before you leave. They will sprout pretty fast. You can put those in the enclosure for food. I don't know if they will last a week without water, but they will last for a few days before they wilt if you water them well before you leave. Hope you get some more suggestions.

 

[ewam]

Or not feed him 2 days before and then feed him a whole lot the day before so he will be very full.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Ask if there's anyone from TFO who would go to your house and care for him. If nothing else I would take him in a box with me. But ask first about somebody from here. I would go if you're close enough...

 

[ascott]

ooooo, all fantastic suggestions

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

Can you hire someone to come to your house? I had someone come every day and feed, replenish water and adjust temps for my torts. I think a week is too long to leave alone because even besides the food I worry about running out of water or the tort getting stuck on it's back under a light.

 

[Candace07]

Wow thanks all for the great suggestions so far. Definitely going to look into having my own little plant for him!

 

[cemmons12]

Hope u can find someone to look in on your tort because I think a week is to long to go without having someone look in on it and giving fresh food and water. I wish u and the tort luck!!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Candace07:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know where you are? And is your name "Candace?"

 

[Tom]

I really like the sprouting food trays idea.

One danger of leaving him unattended is putrification. I would not use Mazuri because it goes bad after a few hours of being wet and warm. If he tracks it into his water or if he poops in the water it will become a nasty cesspool. One week with out water, but with fresh graze should be fine for him. A big meal of spring mix or some other greens on the day you leave will make the sprouts last longer.

I still highly recommend having someone look in on him or moving his enclosure to someone's house. What if a bulb fails, or there's a power outage, or if he flips on his back somehow...

 

[Laura]

plant pansies... but i bet you can find someone to come by at least once...

 

[DesertGrandma]

I checked into hiring a pet sitter and it would be $25-$30 per visit to come to my house. That can get pretty expensive if they come every day. Sure wish we had something like a babysitting exchanges for kids, where we could trade off pet sitting with other tort owners in our area. But can you trust someone you don't really know well coming to your house?

 

[cherylim]

I checked into hiring a pet sitter and it would be $25-$30 per visit to come to my house. That can get pretty expensive if they come every day. Sure wish we had something like a babysitting exchanges for kids, where we could trade off pet sitting with other tort owners in our area. But can you trust someone you don't really know well coming to your house?

Before I got Emrys, I looked into what I would do if/when I needed to go away for longer than a few days.

I found two exotic pet boarding services who'd take him (one has since closed down), and I found a woman living relatively locally who would visit and carry out my instructions.

I don't know which option I'll ever go with, but I like the idea of leaving Emrys and knowing he'll be cared for in his own environment. Like you say, it's just a question of trust.

 

[Torty Mom]

I would be terribly worried that someone would flip over. There is no one? What about a neighbor?

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

If your Russian likes cactus pads, leave him three...this way he has both food and a form of liquid, much like he'd find in the wild (where puddles of water may not be found daily), and easily enough to see him through a week.

If I ever have to leave my Hermann's torts for a week, this is pretty much what I do...leave 3 pads per tort, and feed 'em well on weeds/greens prior to leaving.