Tortoise from the Big Apple

[proctmftoh]

Hello world!

Meet our award-winning red foot tortoise Glenn Close. Yes after the actress. After college, my boyfriend and I moved from his parent's house in Harrisburg, Pa and now reside in Upper Manhattan, NY. We both work in the film industry and decided to bring along our beloved tortoise on our new life journey to the big city.

It's been tricky trying to figure out how to ensemble a cost-effective enclosure for Glenn in our tiny apartment. Since she's only about two years old, we've been able to afford having a smaller space, though the reason why I decided to join this lovely community, is because I want to improve her lifestyle with us. When we got Glenn she wasn't in the best condition which was one of the reasons why I decided to get her in the first place because I felt she deserved a happier life. Since then, her health has improved so much! I took her to a vet for a check up where she got a vitamin D shot and her appetite improved immediately! Recently she's been spending a lot of time under the light trying to adjust to her new home. In Harrisburg we had a flipped over book shelf for her, but since we've only been here for about a month and a half, I haven't had the chance to figure out a longer term solution for an enclosure for her -- though I am willing to go to whatever length to make sure she is more comfortable.

I'm not sure if it's entirely normal practice to do this, but we took Glenn to Central Park over this past weekend and she came to life more so than she has since we got here. She literally spent the whole time exploring, walking around outside and digging for grass roots. She absolutely loved it...which is great because I was never the small dog New Yorker type anyway...

ANYWAY, I'm not sure how many members live in urban landscapes, but we are hoping to figure out a better way to set up her home (which is currently a 62 L plastic bin with a room humidifier, we have a frisbee for a dish of water - which she has been drinking out of and going to the bathroom in per usual and UVB/Heat Lamp). I clean everything out daily and she has a flipped over plastic flower pot that she retires to in the evening. Again, this has only been a temporary set up, and by no means do I intend to keep her in this much longer. Beyond spending a lot of time under the light, she's been moving her head in and out of her shell, yawning and occasionally letting out a sneeze or two.... which has been me a bit nervous. Her appetite has slowly decreased though we do offer her a wide variety of greens, fruits and the occasional cricket.

Please if you have any suggestions or advice to help us and our beloved pet, we would definitely appreciate it! If there is a room humidifier beside the long plastic bin, is it actually helping her? I hate her in this thing. I really do.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

RF tortoises need a higher humidity than most other tortoises, and its sometimes hard to strike a balance between wet (shell rot) and dry (unhappy tortoise). Depending upon how big Glenn is, a plastic tub probably isn't too bad a choice, because you can keep the substrate moist in it.

Here's a link to one of the best RF enclosures I've seen:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-11023.html

 

[proctmftoh]

Thanks for your quick response!! Wow that looks pretty good. Where do you suggest I try and get an enclosure delivered? I know it's going to cost something, I would rather it not be too expensive because I'm between jobs right now. Would a room humidifier do the job if it's beside it? I feel like the is doing nothing which is why I really want to get her out of this thing into a more appropriate setting.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO

 

[stu]

I love the idea of you walking Glenn through Central Park I bet you got some looks.
I remember a few years ago seeing a video of tortoise that was kept in a urban environment (I think it was NY as well) and it was in very bad shape fed on protein based foods I believe. So I think it's great you want the best for her

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http://youtu.be/lIpIztBTTvM
This is the video.

 

[proctmftoh]

Thanks!! Yeah she has a bit of a following there. I'm not sure people thought she was a wild tortoise or a pet until they actually asked. Regardless, she walked around like the tiny elephant she is and seemed pretty content. I just want to give her the best home I can where are. We're in this neighborhood in Washington Heights where there are grocery shops at every corner with a lot of produce but not a lot of greens. She hates the Natural Forest Food pellets even though I'm trying my best to slowly transition her away from the crappy food she was given before we got her...

I love the idea of you walking Glen through Central Park I bet you got some looks.
I remember a few years ago seeing a video of tortoise that was kept in a urban environment (I think it was NY as well) and it was in very bad shape fed on protein based foods I believe. So I think it's great you want the best for her

 

[Yvonne G]

Actually, the bin you're using isn't half bad. It would have been nice to see the tortoise in there to get an idea of how big a space it needs. Why don't you buy another bin just like that one, and cut off opposing ends of the two bins and put them together, sitting on just barely inside the other and sticking it down with Gorilla tape.

Then you need to do a bit of re-modeling. Get rid of that big yellow thing (feeding station?) and replace it with a flat stone or floor tile. Get a plant saucer that is a little bigger than the tortoise for a waterer. The hiding place is fine, but get some plants, either real or fake, and make it look like a jungle in there.

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Another idea would be, if the space is small, to cut out an end on the long side and an end on the short side of the other bin, and put them together in an 'L' shape.

I was thinking that being right next to the radiator might be a bit drying. Can you attach a plastic tube to the humidifier and direct the moist air into the habitat? Can you figure out a way to cover or partially cover it?

It might be more eye-pleasing if you could set the habitat up on a table.

 

[Saleama]

With a little work, you can build a nice place for her. I am not sure what hardware stores you have up there, but most of them will cut wood for free. A sheet or two of 1/2 inch ply wood can be cut into walls a floor and a top pretty easily. Buy a few 2 x 2's to make the frame and some plastic liner and viola. Nice little enclosure. Or a big ole' plastic tub with a lid! lol...