no matter the size, he wants out

[2tots]

my 3-year-old desert tortoise just wants out keep walking, no matter how big the enclosure. we live in las vegas as we tried all sizes for them (i have a 1-year-old desert also) but not matter how large or small the space, he always finds a corner and wants to get out and even flips on his back sometimes, which is of course very dangerous. i don't know what to do - how do i make him happy? i am afraid to just let him loose in the garden because he is not familiar with the plants and i am not sure he can eat them and he'll never find his way back to the feeding dish.
what can i do?!!
thanks so much for all your help!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi 2tots: Welcome to the forum. Tortoises are very territorial. You don't say, but I'm guessing that your tortoise is fairly new to your yard? In order for him to be comfortable in his pen he has to have a safe place to go. In the wild, they have a burrow, but in captivity, you probably want to have some sort of dog-house-affair for him. Place it in the shade where he can cool down from the hot summer sun. Also it helps if there are quite a few plantings in the pen. These are referred to as sight barriers. How boring if you could see your whole world in one glance, huh? So you plant shrubs, flowers, rocks and boulders so that he has to walk around in order to see what's on the other side of the pen. You mentioned that you've tried several different sizes of pen for the tortoise. Make one pen, and stick to it! He needs to get familiar with his boundaries. He is going to pace and try to escape, but after a month or so , he will realize that he's being fed in a timely manner and he's in a pretty safe environment and he'll settle down. It takes time. If he's continually trying to climb in one spot and ends up on his back, fix that spot so its not so attractive to climb. Maybe put a cap on the fence, an overhang to inhibit climbing.

Good luck with your desert tortoise problem. They are great tortoises and once he settles down you will realize how rewarding a pet he can be!

Yvonne

 

[2tots]

Hi Yvonne,
thanks so much for the reply. i guess it will just take time. we've set up a burry-type-thing for him and a feeding rock and planted stuff so hopefully he'll get used to it. it's funny but the little tortoise does just fine and comes over to the feeding rock at feeding times and also even walks over when he just sees me. no such luck with the big one!
they are already lots of fun and we're enjoying them.
Anna

 

[Crazy1]

Anna, how long have you had them? Yvonne is sooo right seeing your whole world is rather boring I am sure. Another think you can do is eliminate corners. DT like other torts will try and use them to climb. If possible curve your corners or place things in there that give that effect just make sure it is the same height as the wall of the enclosure.