Torts underfoot?

[thatrebecca]

We're working to get our back yard in shape so that our two juvenile CDTs can have the run of the place -- about a 5000-square-foot fenced space of grass and hardscape. Right now they live outdoors in about a 30-square-foot raised flower bed, and we let them out into the wider yard for about an hour a day when we can supervise them.

My question is for those folks whose torts have free range over their yards -- do you ever worry about stepping on them? My little guys blend in so well with the terrain sometimes, I could easily see us or a guest stepping on them.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I'll be curious to see these answers.

Yesterday at the OC turtle show someone stepped on/tripped over a 100 lb+ sulcata in the Galapagos pen. It seemed so small next to the biggins.

I'll eventually have Leopard torts roaming the yard and wonder if they will be hard to spot. Hmmm ?

Sent from my TFOapp

 

[LeopardTortLover]

My little leo occasionally gets the run of both mine and my neighbours gardens. They're not massive - tiny in comparison to the space you mentioned. But I'm lucky that mine doesn't dig - only rummages around in the mint. So I can't step on him, his shell pattern is pretty obvious anyway.

I think the only solution is to attach a tracker device to your tort, and wear the finder on a belt so it buzzes when your near your tort.

I'm joking of course

 

[thatrebecca]

I'll be curious to see these answers.

Yesterday at the OC turtle show someone stepped on/tripped over a 100 lb+ sulcata in the Galapagos pen. It seemed so small next to the biggins.

I'll eventually have Leopard torts roaming the yard and wonder if they will be hard to spot. Hmmm ?

Sent from my TFOapp

Jeez if someone can miss a 100lb+ sulcata, my little one pounders are definitely miss-able. Well I'm glad I've given myself something new to worry about.

 

[wellington]

Personally, I would let that little of ones go in that big of an enclosure. Too hard to keep track of them. My leopard is almost 8 inches and has approx. a 4x18 or so area that I let him in now. Has another larger section attached that I can open up to him also. I keep him in the smaller one as he can still hide pretty good. I can image trying to find him in that size of an enclosure until he is much larger.

 

[peasinapod]

I have a hermann's tortoise which is VERY foot-fixated, so if you are in his pen you c an never take a step backwards or you might crush him. I'd be really careful, it just takes one time where you don't see your tort. :/

 

[thatrebecca]

Personally, I would let that little of ones go in that big of an enclosure. Too hard to keep track of them. My leopard is almost 8 inches and has approx. a 4x18 or so area that I let him in now. Has another larger section attached that I can open up to him also. I keep him in the smaller one as he can still hide pretty good. I can image trying to find him in that size of an enclosure until he is much larger.

Yep, that's one of my worries. There are so many nooks and crannies for them to get into. The transition to the wider yard is still a ways off -- it'll be next spring at the earliest before we've fully tort-proofed the place. But they'll still be pretty darn small. One thing we've noticed in their supervised yard time is that they stick next to the walls, and never venture into the middle of the yard, which must look like a Pacific Ocean of grass to them. And they do have their favorite hiding spots -- in the wood pile for Gomez and behind a flower pot under some ficus trees for Morticia. But maybe they should spend another year in the enclosure. Hmmmm...

 

[thatrebecca]

OK just soliciting any more thoughts on this subject -- does anyone out there have smaller torts who have freedom to roam over a large back yard? As we're budgeting and thinking through some modifications to our back yard, we're weighing whether to set it up so the torts can go free back there, or whether to keep them in their enclosure. The disadvantages of letting them roam are that it'd be easy to step on them, or have trouble finding them in all the nooks and crannies when it's time to put them away at night. The advantages are, they'd have a ton of room to exercise, have space from one another and be able to choose their own microclimates by seeking out many more little shady or sunny, moist or arid spots than they have in their enclosure.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Honestly I'd recommend you use the pen for a while longer. Your backyard isn't going anywhere and before you know it they'll be large enough to enjoy it full time.

Trust me, I know where you are coming from. I so badly want my leopards to be large enough for the whole yard. My largest is almost 6"and I was debating giving him access to the entire yard with a heated hide....but I just don't think it's wise. The 17'x 8' Leopard pen is safer (can't get stepped on, safely confined) and I just need to be patient...the time will come.

We can twiddle our thumbs together while we watch them grow

Sent from my TFOapp

 

[Sulcata_Sandy]

My 5 lb Sulcata has the run of the yard during the day for about 12 hours and is in the living room at night. He loves the heat pad and he will not leave it for any treat. I just carry him back outside and away he goes to forage and burrow.

My 1.5 lb Greek is in a tortoise table with 2 climates all day, yard in the afternoon,the back in tortoise table at night....unless I have time for him to explore the house in the evenings. I can't leave Sulcata outside in Oregon at night...too cold. Not leaving small Greek out side unattended...we have hawks and owls. He'd be raptor dinner for sure!


Sandy
.......................................
Oregon Tortoise Rescue

 

[thatrebecca]

Thanks for the feedback everybody! It sounds like another summer in the enclosure -- with supervised romp time in the yard -- is probably in order.

 

[Tom]

Why is it all or nothing? I think their current enclosure is a bit on the small side. How about sectioning off a large portion of the yard for them, so that you know to tread lightly in that area, but they can still have a large area to roam, explore and utilize a variety of microclimates. A row of slumpstone blocks, two high, is pretty easy to build and move or expand later. Not too expensive, very easy, as temporary as you want it to be, secure, and relatively attractive too. You can buy the caps and make it look even nicer if you want. I like to incorporate trees, shrubs, buildings, hills and other interesting things into the design area if possible. You have got to get yourself and the hubby up here for some ideas...

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Why is it all or nothing? I think their current enclosure is a bit on the small side. How about sectioning off a large portion of the yard for them, so that you know to tread lightly in that area, but they can still have a large area to roam, explore and utilize a variety of microclimates. A row of slumpstone blocks, two high, is pretty easy to build and move or expand later. Not too expensive, very easy, as temporary as you want it to be, secure, and relatively attractive too. You can buy the caps and make it look even nicer if you want. I like to incorporate trees, shrubs, buildings, hills and other interesting things into the design area if possible. You have got to get yourself and the hubby up here for some ideas...

2nd Tom's excellent suggestion...using his idea will make it easy and inexpensive to enlarge the tortoise's area as needed.

Start about 16' X 16' (256 sq. feet) or thereabouts for your two. Chance are good that they'll keep the greenery trimmed well enough to see them, but not so completelyl as to hit dirt.

 

[TigsMom]

Oh goodness yes, I warn everyone when a DT is out excercising to watch their feet. And when we're wearing sandals keeping our eyes on the Tortoises is a must. It seems toes, especially with red polish look just like something yummy to eat! Nothing like a sneaky nip on a toe to send you higher in the air than you've ever been. I know where they like to hide if they disappear, our back yard is completely escape proof. One of our master of escape DT's showed me all the places that needed improvement.

LOL, Terry Hall our wild cottontails are our low level landscapers, they keep all my bushes trimmed 2 foot off the ground. I am in charge of the trimming the tall stuff. Our challenge is growing things strong enough to withstand Bunny's chomping and leaving enough for tortoises. I'm having to cage new plantings until they are well enough established to survive munching. UGH, I love creatures but sometimes they make something so easy, just all that more challenging.

 

[thatrebecca]

OK it seems a consensus has emerged that the best thing to do is expand their current pen. I'm also considering providing two separate enclosures. Knock wood I haven't seen any bullying yet, but I'd rather them have their separate spaces. The trick will be cajoling hubby, who loves the torts but not the way their enclosure looks.

 

[kanalomele]

I have lived for many years with torts underfoot. In my current setup I have 3 very large areas for the tort kids. The main one being right outside my back door. We have had a few "step over quickly" incidents but never anything that resulted in injury to torts or people. But here I am rererring to adult Russians, never any torts smaller than 5-6 inches.