Reptile & Amphibian Forums

does anyone have any experiences/ideas as far as toys or things that are safe and entertaining for tortoises? i'd like to give junior more things that will spin the little gears in his noggin... they're no einsteins, but i do think that they put two and two together, and thus probably benefit from such stimulation.

i ask because this is what i did:

i'd bought some shoes, and the empty box was on the floor. junior was crawling around it, poking it, pushing it, etc., so i took it and another shoebox, put the end of one inside the end of the other one to make an L shape, and set it sideways on the floor so he could crawl inside. i also cut a couple of little windows in it. he seems to enjoy crawling into it, peeking out the windows, and pushing it around... he even naps in it.

any ideas?

I'm not sure about 'toys', but I think you're on the right track with your shoebox in that breaking up sightlines is a good way to keep them interested and working. I think that when they can see everything easily (especially in an indoor enclosure), they get really bored. I have a little 'stonehenge' in my Horsfield's indoor enclosure that breaks up the sightlines and another little stone hurdle that he can climb over, and he uses them alot. I also have a ramp in my indoor enclosure, leading up to another level, and he uses it all the time.

Nina

i just feel like i should try and keep him from getting bored, especially as he does seem to enjoy seeing and testing new things. i'll keep the sightline idea in mind!

How old is your tortoise? He looks to be the same size as
and age as mine.

Linda

sorry; didn't see your question right away!

he is just a wee bit bigger than he is in that picture now, and he will be 3 years old in october.

I give my sulcata different shaped and colored balls. She loves to push them around. Also, different kinds of baby toys are good too. The good thing about them is that they are child-proof and therefore generally safe for tortoises. A supervised stroll through the yard is great enrichment as well. Best of luck!