Crazy In-Laws want to take Tortoise touring - Help me say NO!

[pog]

My mildy insane in-laws love their tortoise lots and lots and so don't want to leave her home when they go on hols.

Please help me by giving me lots of reasons for them NOT to take the poor little thing along.

Besides there being no where outside to roam and when they are out the unattended caravan getting very hot, she might get nicked! (Although mother-in-law said she'd take her in her handbag when she goes out!!!???!!!)

Please help me persuede them to find a temporary holiday home for the wee thing.

Many thanks!

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Our tortoise woke up yesterday. It's always a proplem at this time of the year due to the inclement weather, I see it's forecast snow on Sunday.

Our garden is tortoise proof so when we go away in the summer we leave him out.We don't advertise the fact that we have a tortoise though because of the money they fetch now.

I couldn't think of anything worse for the tortoise having to be cooped up in a caravan or carried around.

Someone gave our tortoise to my sister when she was 4 and when she left home it was left to my parents to look after him. Then they gave him to my daughter who left him with us when she left home. She has children of her own now, oldest 17, but Charlie as never been passed on to them because they weren't interested so we still have him. He has to be at least 50 years old. Although he doesn't do much, somehow they aint dogs ;O) we would miss him if we never had him. What will happen when we pop our clogs I don't know but just hope, after all these years, he's looked after when we are gone.

 

[ShadySadie]

Tortoise as we all know are slow moving creatures that have a heavy shell that provides a higher level of stability and minimal mobility compared to us and many other creatures.

Where as we can bend around and duck and dive poor old tortoise is restricted by his shell so fast speedy movement is not part of his Tortoise physiological makeup.

Transporting a Tortoise around at 50+MPH more than his average speed often results in violent "car sickness" and vertigo like problems as the poor creatures balance systems are not up to speed with speed. Poor old Tortoise is likely to be proper poorly for some weeks and of course he can't tell you that, he will just go quiet and be off food as his world spins in his little head.

Arrrrrrgh poor tortoise, best left at home at his own speed in his own slow moving veiw on the world ;

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Probably the main consideration when leaving them on their own is to make sure there nowhere for them to try and climb, something like steps. Once they go over on their back it's curtains if left for some hours :O(

On two sides of our lawn area we have a painted 9 inch wooden fence and the other two sides the normal 6 foot fence. One of the 9 inch sections is hinged to save one of our elderly dogs trying to jump it but last year I forgot to close it and when out I realised so I dashed home expecting him to do what tortoises try to do when the weather warms up, find a mate.

Ilooked around the garden on arrival but no Charlie so I began to fear the worse, have to net the bottom of the pond because he'd drowned. I went to the pond and there he was, doing a slow version of the breast stroke. Yes, they swim as slow as they walk. I always thought that once a tortoise fell in deep water they would go down like a lump of lead but thankfully I was wrong. One year when my parents had him they lost him and come winter they thought that was the last they'd seen of him because surely he would perish. Wrong. My father was mowing the grass the following spring when he noticed a movement where the lawn met the fence. It was Charlie coming out of hibernation. He had dug a hole the length of my fathers arm.

Charlie is a survivor so we owe it to him to see that he survives for many more years to come and if possible even after we have departed this world.

 

[David.O]

Bj

One of our visitors brings a terrapin to our CL we charge extra for this as it eats the grass, usaly one or two drams per night is the going rate and has to be best Malt.

David from Suffolk

 

[BeemerMal]

BJ.....Don't forget to tell your outlaws they will have to put a sign on the back of the car and the caravan saying:

"Tortoise On Board"

That should help pi** off a few following motorists and maybe they won't take him in future.

Oh, and don't forget the Tortoise fees could be upto

 

[howiet]

BJ.....Don't forget to tell your outlaws they will have to put a sign on the back of the car and the caravan saying:

"Tortoise On Board"

That should help pi** off a few following motorists and maybe they won't take him in future.

Oh, and don't forget the Tortoise fees could be upto

 

[DeliDave]

we take ours away,not abroad of course,she has no trouble have a wire enclosure with a net and a box to snooze in the day we put a towel over the corner to give her some shade and she sleeps in the van at night.We put her in her box in the awning if we go out just to be safe.

 

[Chrisbee]

Isn't this post a day late? It's April 2nd today.

Chrisbee

 

[pog]

Sadly this is NO joke - I really need reasons for the in-laws to leave the wee crusty thing at home!

Deli Dave are you not worried someone might steal her?

 

[DeliDave]

she is microchipped as all tortoises over 6 months old are supposed to be iirc,and so far we are one of the tiny minority who have never had anything stolen(touching wood).That said we dont leave her out if we are not there after the little tinker escaped at black horse site last year and someone bought her back from the toilet block,probably gone to play with the kids

 

[BeemerMal]

Deli Dave....I hope you don't encourage your tortoise to play with a ball near the caravans! ha, ha

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

What's even worse is if some uncontrolled little urchins spot the unguarded tortoise and start using him as a frisbee :O(

 

[BeemerMal]

What's even worse is if some uncontrolled little urchins spot the unguarded tortoise and start using him as a frisbee :O(

Or use it as a ball!

 

[colin(bridgend)]

I have always been given to understand they make damn good hard crusted Desperate Dan type Cornish pasties.

 

[Netti_374307085]

Don't the site wardens have something to say if you keep a tortoise in your van? I briefly considered taking my reptiles away with me as well but realised the travelling wouldn't be fair on them and I know at least 1 would have difficultly settling down and getting eating again. Would like to have taken my rabbit but again she is an appalling traveller, even a short trip, like to the vet, makes her panic. My parents will be moving into my flat while I'm away to look after them all. Only one I'll have with me is my dog.

 

[MargaretW.]

Why cannot your in-laws take their tortoise away with them? We take our cat and at the Easter Folk Group Rally (C&CC), there were ferrets there. Cat didn't like the look of the snow,so stayed snug indoors. I have met people who take their tortoises with them, parrots, budgerigars, ferrets, cats, gold fish, even those creatures called dogs.

Margaret W,

 

[pog]

Why cannot your in-laws take their tortoise away with them? We take our cat and at the Easter Folk Group Rally (C&CC), there were ferrets there. Cat didn't like the look of the snow,so stayed snug indoors. I have met people who take their tortoises with them, parrots, budgerigars, ferrets, cats, gold fish, even those creatures called dogs.

Margaret W,

Hi Margaret,

Thanks for your comment. But as I think it's cruel to take such a slow moving/ outdoor creature in a caravan I was just hoping for the people with negative advice to help. They need space to roam without getting lost and it appears that they can get car sick! Poor things!

I also worry that she might get stolen as tortoises can have a high resale price and I know how upset my mother-in-law would be if that were to happen.

Just need folk to help me put a case against it is all as I belive its for the best.

Thanks again though and happy caravanning to you and your cat!