Question on Tortoise Stress

[TheWarTortoise]

Here in Pennsylvania, some days have been getting fairly warm (low to mid 60's) so I've been taking my Leopard to his outdoor enclosure to spend an hour or two getting some exercise, eating weeds, and absorbing some of that natural sunlight.

However, I've seen some posts by people saying that a new environment is very stressful for a tortoise. So I was wondering if bringing Scutes out to his outdoor enclosure from his indoor stresses him out. Should I keep letting him get an hour or 2 of outdoor playtime, or wait for the long haul in summer when I leave him out almost 24/7?

Thanks!

 

[Tom]

My general strategy for raising tortoises is basically what you are doing. An indoor set up that completely meets their needs, and an outdoor set up that I use during fair weather. I move babies and juveniles in and out daily.

Stress? Probably a little at first, but once they've seen the new outdoor enclosure a few times and explored it a bit, it becomes familiar territory. A little bit of stress once in a while stimulates our captive tortoises and actually serves to keep them healthy. Its high levels of long term chronic stress that need to be eliminated and avoided. Moving a tortoise to an outside enclosure for a few hours during nice weather is not that stressful. Its never been a problem for me and I've been doing it for decades with literally hundreds of babies and juveniles.

 

[TheWarTortoise]

Thanks for the response! Do you think a tortoise can remember an enclosure they were in even months prior?

 

[Markw84]

Thanks for the response! Do you think a tortoise can remember an enclosure they were in even months prior?

A recent post on here was about a study they did testing color recognition as a cue to find previous food locations. That study said they found the tortoises could remember good food locations and how to get there for at least 18 months. So I think the answer to your question is - Yes.

 

[dmmj]

Thanks for the response! Do you think a tortoise can remember an enclosure they were in even months prior?

I tend to believe they do. I take my Russians from their indoor enclosures to their outdoor enclosures every day when it gets cooler for about a month or two depending depending on the weather. I think they remember the outdoor enclosures as thiers. I don't have any evidence one way or the other it's just my feeling

 

[TammyJ]

If they were really too stressed I think maybe they would not be eating, and the stress would show in their body language...maybe. And of course, they do remember some things like food locations, and they may also go willingly to a place with a familiar smell, like their own smell having been there already.