Dogs and Tortoises

[-EJ]

I didn't want to hijack a thread but how many of you leave the dogs unattended with the tortoises and how big are the tortoises... if you do.

My Rottie has always had the run of the yard and still does... with tortoises down to 3 inches... never a problem.

Ed

[fantapants]

Originally Posted by -EJ

I didn't want to hijack a thread but how many of you leave the dogs unattended with the tortoises and how big are the tortoises... if you do.

My Rottie has always had the run of the yard and still does... with tortoises down to 3 inches... never a problem.

Ed

my male rotty bruce sleeps with the tortoises ccasionally when he gets out of the kitchen. but he doesnt have access to them in the day time, as we have a fence around the torts. thats more to protect the tortoises from our kids though....

i have left the tortoises indoors in winter and they have had the run of the house with the dogs, when we were moving house and had no run setup. i dont worry about bruce, aslong as they are "his" torts, i know he is ok. but a baby tort? or somebody elses? nope, he gets way to excited with a new tortoise and it takes a week for them to be accepted by him. but then he would be fine, Hhe just likes them to know he is the head tort!

[SWsarah]

There is a post on SW where a dog has chewed someones tortoise.

[Tina]

I never leave mine unsupervised with the torts. When they're inside in the conservatory the door is always closed unless I'm there and their outdoor enclosure is totally dog proof. He sits and watches them with deep interest when he can see them outside and as he's a scatty spaniel with very little brains (though adorable) I wouldn't trust him not to think they're toys for him to play with. He's even stupid enough to keep going up to my daughter's hamster and letting it bite his nose through the top of the cage.

I think it's a case of knowing your dog and knowing in what circumstances you can trust them. Some will be fine with torts and some won't.

[fantapants]

i know many tortoises must have been injured and some killed by dogs in the past. and foxes and rats too. its sad, but i can honestly say as my dogs are supervised 99% of the time i dont worry about it. they show very little interest in the reptiles we keep. bruce and tinks live in the kitchen when we are out and they have a cwd viv and 5 royal python vivs that they are eye to eye with. they have never so much as sniffed at the vivs, even when the snakes are trying to do acrobatics against the glass.

i think the tortoises are different to the dogs as the dogs can interact with them a little more than they would the snakes. when he meetrs a new tortoise, bruce gets really excited ( the same as with a new dog) and he sniffs there tail, nudges them about and licks there shell. after a few excited hours he is fine and would protect the tortoises as part of the family. woe betide anybody that came over the fence to get into the tortoises. so i geuss there is a method to the madness! he is more effective than cctv and a shotgun!

[terrypin]

hi my rottie Thor has access to my adult meds when we are home although he is unsupervised he isnt left with them when im away from the house.i have a cctv on the bottom part of the garden so i can view the ibera pen and graeca graeca from the house but he is very good and ignores them whenever i go to do anything around the tortoises i let him see what im doing and he is less inclined to check things out when i have gone back indoors.my old dog Bruno was great he would bark if one was on its back until i went to check it out.he died a few weeks ago so Thor is more interested in guarding the fence as he is top dog now. terry

[cannotstopbuyingballs]

my mum left our sulcata tortoises out once and the great Dane picked up the tortoise to "show us" (like it would a ball). Result, puncture wounds in both sides of the carapace and a lot of glass fibre, embarrassment and worry. I never do leave these 2 types of animals unattended

[helen2]

Mine are with my tortoises both inside and out....I guess they are used to them.

When I get new torts they have a sniff around but that is all...I do feel they would do no harm...they have sticks n stuff to chew. Of course I never know.

I would have doubts about a puppy though as they are more inclined to be skittish and more inclinded to chew.

It is one of those things that we must decide ourselves and is upto the individual.

[ian aldred]

I have a Rotty too who has her own area in the garden so doesnt really show any intrest in my tortoises. Lots of tort keepers seem to have Rotty's on here, mine is an old girl 15 years of age and the most loyal sweet tempered dog I have ever had . In saying that I dont let her near any of my reptiles.

[fantapants]

Lots of tort keepers seem to have Rotty's on here

whats odd is it seems to be that the rotty owners also have LEOPARD tortoises, amongst other species! i wonder if there is a stereotype on that one!?