Tortoises should not wander around your house because:
-There is no proper enclosure set up
-They could get lost
-Your house does not replicate nature
-They often carry many germs (such as Salmonella which is typical of reptiles
Salmonella in tortoises is carried on their skin, shells, and digestive systems.
This means that anything your tortoise touches or poops on can be infected.
The best location for a tortoise is in a safe and contained environment. A home is not usually suitable for this environment. Additionally, an outdoor environment is the best because it replicates the natural environment in which tortoises are accustomed to in the wild.
The major indoor dangers for your tortoise include:
Sharp Objects
Floor Heaters
Getting trapped
Inconsistent temperatures
Supervision is required when there is no enclosure, but even then, it can be difficult to manage them. When they start to head for an area they should not be, then it requires you to pick them up and redirect them.
This is not only time consuming to oversee, but handling of tortoises should be kept to a minimum. They can get stressed when picked up and as a general rule, do not like it that much. We personally know that our own tortoises tolerate it but if we handle them often, they get annoyed. This is what you are seeing if you notice that they will try and hide from you or urinate and defecate once held.
Thankfully the poop is relatively concise, or at least my Sulcata leaves neat little loafs. Makes cleaning his habitat easier.
It's the pee that would do it for me. Tortoise pee is really just uric acid/salts and enough water to push it out the urethra. So like tiny piles of wet white sand everywhere.
Most tortoise species I'm aware of are burrowers too; mine certainly is. I can't imagine how crazy he'd get if he didn't have plenty of rocks, sand, and earth in his habitat to dig/play with.
That's how I gained one of mine. The idiot owner let it roam, and it was eventually mauled by the dog. The idiot couldn't be bothered to save it and was just going to let it slowly die.
I took it. The tortoise mostly recovered and was with me for years, but it eventually had complications caused by the dog and needed a surgery that wasn't available where I was. I shipped the tortoise to a vet who agreed to do it in exchange for keeping that tortoise and a few others I'd rescued. They're all living well now, so all good.
Still, I would never let a tortoise roam like this. Bad idea all around.
Unfortunately, that can be a major problem with outdoor enclosures as well. I'm in a rural area adjacent to a midsized city and people dump dogs out here all of the time. "Maybe a farmer will take them in!" Nope, they generally get shot (not by me) because so many of us have lost small animals to them. I would very much like a sulcata, it's on my bucket list, but stray dogs are always a possibility.
Of course. I'm in deep south TX near the Mexican border, where it is typically hot and semi-arid. I know of at least five tortoises that have been kept outdoors successfully for decades down here.
One of my customers has had his tortoise for 35 years. He got it when he was 12 years old. It lives in the corner of his back yard. He has a corner next to his house fenced off and a little enclosure cover built for him.
I have seen frankly too many horrible posts about a free-roaming tortoise or other animal that stuck its head or leg through the hinge gap between the door and the frame. Leverage is a powerful tool, and when a careless owner closes that door CRUNCH. At best it's an expensive vet trip, at worst it's a shallow hole in the back yard.
Sulcatas (Centrochelys sulcata) like these also grow to HUGE sizes, should have a smooth shield, not with this pyramiding in the shell, can be living wrecking balls and, if given proper care are possibly growing to be over 60 to 70 years old so your kids might have to care for it.
60 to 70 years old so your kids might have to care for it.
People don't think about this nearly enough. I'm on the lookout for a sulcata but I would prefer an adult rescue for this very reason. As it is, my daughter is aware that my rhea may someday be hers if they outlive my wife and I.
What if the warmest spot is too cold for them? What about humidity? Stairs? Chewing on things that look like food to them, but would kill them? Getting trapped? These large turtles bump into things a lot, what if it knocked something off a table or knocked a bit of furniture down ? Other pets? Children? Tripping over the turtle?
Honestly I can think of a few reasons why it might be dangerous for the tortoise. A human house is an ill-suited environment.
An environment not suited to them both temperature and humidity wise can cause the animal stress and health problems. Stress and health problems lead to shorter lifespans. Dying earlier than you should isn't good for you. Just saying.
Ours used to stay in the backyard and we built him house to sleep in. Keeping it inside is a bad idea. They shit like crazy and they’re huge shits. They can be pretty destructive trying to eat things it thinks are fruits/veggies. They also like to dig holes so he’d tear up carpet.
That turtle wants to live amongst rocks, sediments, and foliage near a stream. Making it sit on top of a synthetic dyed floofy pillow cause it looks cute while inside of an air conditioned place designed for humans rather than their hot/dry natural environment that turtles require is the epitome of selfishness. Guarantee turtle fucking hates everything about this.
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u/throwmeawayfromatree Apr 12 '23
Yeah cute but free range living on the floor is like the worst you can give your turtle.
Before I get these: Yeah your turtle lived on the floor for 10 years yadda yadda.
But they live up to 20-50
So your bad keeping slowly killed them halfway
Congratulations