Russian Tortoise Toys

Schado

New Member
Joined
May 31, 2021
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
I heard the tortoises love to play with plastic balls and like to budge them with their head. How do you teach a tortoise to play with their toys? and what other toys besides a plastic ball may they enjoy? I was hoping to adopt an older Russian tortoise. It will be about 2 years before I am fully ready to get a tortoise because of the care they need and I would like to have both indoor/outdoor enclosure.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,660
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
The best thing you can give them to play is a proper size enclosure both inside and out with lots of edible plants/weeds that they can explore, nibble on, hide under etc.
Some people will put a ball in the enclosure. The tort doesn't play with it as much as it tries to get it out of their territory or some try to mate it. Tortoises don't play like dogs and cats. They are loners and spend their time roaming, eating, sleeping and repeat and fighting or mating any other tort they come across and then the move on again.
If a tort has a ball/toy and doesn't ever leave it alone, the toy should be removed as its stressful to the tort to have what its thinking is an intruder constantly around.
If you still want to add a ball then you just add it. He either goes after it or he doesn't.
 

Gillian M

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2014
Messages
15,417
Location (City and/or State)
Jordan
I tried it in the past. I placed a small bouncing ball in my tort's enclosure and watched, endlessly. As @wellington mentioned: my tort ignored it days on end. Therefore I got rid of the ball.
 
Top