Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Every Sulcata I've ever owned or known has always loved walking back and forth at the perimeter of the yard. My friend has 5 acres in AZ and says even with that much room her tortoises still love to walk the fence line. Everyone else experience this?

Here is the youtube I made about tortoises always walking the line.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmbrPExisfU
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Jesse Rothacker
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary
www.forgottenfriend.org

I've heard that they like to walk the perimeter of the fence if they can see out of it, it doesn't matter if you have 50 acres, it just bugs them not to be able to get to that area on the other side of the fence when they can clearly see it. My big sulcata is about 65 pounds, and he loves to just pace the perimeter of the chain link fence. He's never tried to escape, he just loves pacing. In about two weeks, I'm having an 8ft tall wooden fence installed in the backyard, because I have the neighbor from Hell, and I don't want to deal with her B.S. anymore, and I want to see if my big tortoise still walks the perimeter of the yard after that.
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Cliff

My Collection:
0.1 Florida Box Turtle
2.2 Eastern Box Turtles
1.1 Ornate Box Turtle
0.0.1 Desert Ornate Box Turtle
1.1.1 Redfoot Tortoises
2.1 Russian Tortoises
1.0.1 African Sulcata Tortoises
1.0 Burmese Python
0.1 Virginia Opossum
1.0 German Boxer
1.0 Pit Bull
1.1 Chihuahuas

Please let us know if the wooden fence cuts down on perimeter walking. That would be very interesting if it caused a change in behavior.
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Jesse Rothacker
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary
www.forgottenfriend.org

I have a 6 foot wooden fence around my enclosure and mine do not normally walk the perimeter, a few of my small ones will do it every once in awhile but my large sulcatas never do it.

Mine are still small, so I don't have direct experience with my own, but I have seen several and it seems the only ones that pace are the ones who can see out of the fence. The ones I have watched with solid fences do not do this.

I have a solid fence and mine doesn't pace the perimeter. There is a tiny gap where the gate closes and he will sometimes sit there and stare out. Probably wondering if there are any girls out there.
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-Jake

0.1 juvie L.t. annulata
1.1 adult/subadult L.g. californiae
0.2 adult Pseudemys nelsoni
1.0 sub adult Geochelone sulcata
0.1 mexican double yellowheaded amazon parrot

first of all that video is awsome best you tube tort video i have seen. very well put together and a perfect song . I truly enjoyed watching it and I will watch it agian and again..
as far as walking the line yes... they will stop if they can not see out... I have direct experience with this. when I first made my outdoor enclosure I used a metal fence.. they wore the grass down to the dirt. they would constantly try to get the grass on the other side even thoughn there was plenty inside the fence. I replaced it with a short wooden fence and they stopped imediatly it was like switch.. something in sulcatas is wired for getting to the other side. now they just wander all over the fenced in area and there is no more track around the fence.... go figure at least yoursa are getting plenty of exercise... as long as they aren't able to get their head stuck in the fence
(wich I was worried about) I don't think the exercise will hurt em... again nice video...i'm going to watch it again right now!!!