Probably a dumb question.....but...(playing with a hatchling)

Angi

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Messages
2,745
Location (City and/or State)
La Mesa, CA.
A friend's daughter has a baby sully and she likes to play with it and let it walk around. She sometimes puts it in a plastic hamster ball to walk around the house. It is a tiny tort. This seems like a bad idea to me, but that is just a gut feeling. What are your thoughts. Only experienced Sulcata owners please.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Agreed. Bad idea. Babies need to be babied a bit. Running loose in the house or outside is a bad idea. Just a question of time until something bad happens. I'd never use a hamster ball, but even that seems better than running loose. At least it can't eat anything, get stepped on or smashed by a door in a hamster ball.

I'm glad the little girl is interested in tortoises, but it seems like her parents might need some guidelines. How old is the girl? Can she be trusted to be gentle and not kick or throw the ball?
 

Jabuticaba

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2013
Messages
1,744
Location (City and/or State)
Winnipeg, MB
Imho, hamsters shouldn't be put in a hamster ball, never mind a tortoise. o_O


May
THBs: Darwin & Merlin
Aussies: Dax, Vegas, & Cricket
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2013
Messages
10,878
Thank- you Jodie I figured some one would tell me how bad I was ! Thank you again


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum
 

Angi

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Messages
2,745
Location (City and/or State)
La Mesa, CA.
The girl is in 7th grade. She is gentle with the tort, but I still see tragedy in this little torts future. I don't live near them anymore so have only seen her with the tort twice. When I have given advice it is not always followed. I am not crazy about her set up....no humid hide. I am continuing to tag her mom in sulcata care sheets on face book. If any one wants to email me care sheets I can forward them to her. [email protected]. Thanks!
 

chaseswife

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2014
Messages
232
It's no worst then if her parents put her in a 55 gallon drum and rolled her down a hill it may be funny to watch but what dose she think of my idea ?

Sent from my iPhone using TortForum


Oh man- i grew up with 5 brothers. We got bored and decided to put one of the younger boys in a big toy bucket, put a helmet on his head, pad him with blankets and shove him down the basement stairs. It is a miracle that he wasn't hurt. Just because someone does something once, twice, (or maybe possibly 5 times), without anything bad happening doesn't mean it was ever a good idea to begin with.
 

Angi

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Messages
2,745
Location (City and/or State)
La Mesa, CA.
Now I am worried that this little guy isn't growing. They got him in May, and I know sullys grow fast. How much bigger should he be than when they got him?
 

Angi

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Messages
2,745
Location (City and/or State)
La Mesa, CA.
Bump....How much should a sully hatchling grow in 5 months? I know some grow faster than others but what is the minimum?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Bump....How much should a sully hatchling grow in 5 months? I know some grow faster than others but what is the minimum?

In 5 months mine are usually around 300 grams. By 12 months they are usually 800-1000 grams. But remember this is under optimal conditions from day one.

How much does the tortoise weigh? If it has hit 100 or so by this point things aren't looking too terribly bad. If it is stalled at 50 grams or less, chances are good that it is suffering from the effects of chronic dehydration as a hatchling.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Is it going to take a dead tortoise for someone to wake these people up? Send the 7th grader some care info and a link to the forum. There is no age restriction here. Unless she is clueless like her parents, she is old enough to no right from wrong, good from bad and should be able to make some changes, like smashing the hamster ball and soaking the tort and giving it something to drink out of.
 

New Posts

Top