too much handling?

[kaseylynn19]

I'm nervous that we play with our new leopard tort too much? is this possible? we obviously let him sleep through the night. but when I get home from work, I can't help but want to see him. since he is new, should we just let him get use to being here and not the pet store?

 

[Stuart S.]

It does take them a few days to get used to their new home. Trust me, I totally understand your excitement, but do give him a little space, there's absolutely nothing wrong with holding him and letting him sit in your lap and what not just make sure it's not long enough for him to get too cold. You've got a lifetime to spend with your new family member

 

[kaseylynn19]

It does take them a few days to get used to their new home. Trust me, I totally understand your excitement, but do give him a little space, there's absolutely nothing wrong with holding him and letting him sit in your lap and what not just make sure it's not long enough for him to get too cold. You've got a lifetime to spend with your new family member

yes that is true! I have to change his whole setup anyway so he will have to adjust again

 

[Stuart S.]

yes that is true! I have to change his whole setup anyway so he will have to adjust again

It will take a few weeks to get a good routine down, but once you do it'll be easy! It'll be good for your baby tortoise to be on a consistent schedule too.

 

[kaseylynn19]

It will take a few weeks to get a good routine down, but once you do it'll be easy! It'll be good for your baby tortoise to be on a consistent schedule too.

it's more work than my son was as a newborn yesterday he was more active, he's tired alot today. do you noticed active times?

 

[wellington]

I agree. I like handling, it has made my first leopard very social. I can touch his head, legs, he's just not bothered. If he were to ever go to a vet, we wouldn't have a problem checking him out. That said, I did only handle him for about an half hour or so a day. It's just too cold for a leopard living in an 80 degree enclosure. Just keep that in mind. You don't want him to get cold.

 

[Stuart S.]

it's more work than my son was as a newborn yesterday he was more active, he's tired alot today. do you noticed active times?

Yes, Spur is most active first thing in the morning after he's warmed up a bit or right after his warm soak in the morning, then he'll chow down and then honestly sleep most of the rest of the day. He may run around for a bit and nibble on his cuttlebone but other than that, once he's eaten and gotten a fully belly he'll nap. The good life!

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Oh wow, that is the best owner concern question brought up in a lone time. I don't think of tortoises as pets that should be handled at all unless for a specific reason. Moving them into a soak and out a few times a week should be the max if they don't have free access to water otherwise. Those are the times for a look-see if some 'issue' is occurring. Otherwise observe and appreciate.

I've literally gone months without handling an individual at all. Think about it, you are several orders of magnitude larger, and even as smart/dumb as they may be I think it is not lost on them the size disparity.

Some times I pick up my cat even if he does not want to be picked up, and and jokingly call it paying the rent, as I want the interaction, and he deals with it, like paying the rent would be. A bit of struggling and I gently set him down with a few pets. He will stay there for those pets and then walk off like no big deal. More often than not he will walk on me for attention, even if I don't want to pet him. Its a two way thing.

Cats/dogs are pet-able pets. I don't think tortoises are. If you touch them while they have free egress to leave that is a different thing than taking control of their autonomy by holding them or picking them up. IMO that is a big difference. I think picking them up should be minimal.

 

[Greta16]

I try to interact with my baby while she's in the bath. She now let's me rub her head and touch her feet without trying to hide.

 

[Yvonne G]

My tortoises are wild animals. I don't ever pick them up just to be 'picking them up.' Consequently, if I ever have to do something with a tortoise (worming, injections, etc) what I have to deal with is a closed up shell. On the other hand, my sister handled her sulcata, Bob, all the time. She held him and walked around with him as she did her housework. She took him on outings to street fairs, etc. She took him annually for a Santa picture. And if he ever had to go to a vet or be handled in any way, he was very calm about it and never pulled into his shell.

So, in my opinion, it's up to the tortoise. If he seems like he's not too stressed out about being handled, go for it. If he really, really doesn't like it, don't do it.

 

[Neal]

My definition of "play" and "handling" are different, so I'm not sure how you distinguish between the two. Play, to me, is excessive handling of a tortoise and I think most would agree that it could become unnecessarily stressful for the tortoise. Handling has a purpose, not just to move them from one spot to another, but mostly for physical inspections. I promote frequent handling because I believe it helps the tortoise become accustomed to being held and examined, which yields more effective (and less stressful) physical examinations. Some may define frequent differently, my "frequent" is once or twice a week.