Environmentally enriching!?

[Kloy]

Hi all!

I'm potentially considering applying for a project that involves writing a report about environmentally enriching Aldabra Tortoises' lives BUT I have never owned a tortoise and I'm at a loss of where to start.

Basically what I'd like to know is what can you do to enrich tortoises lives?

Agh!

Chloe x

[AnythingWithAShell]

Well, I suppose one way is to make their enclosures as interesting as possible. Different substrates, lots of hidey holes, that sort of thing.

What I also do is break up their line of vision, by making walls from corkbark, clumps of plants, and hills over half buried plant pot hides. If they can't see everything in front of them, they go and explore. Nosy beggars! it also makes them exercise more and keeps them interested.

[Kloy]

That's a good idea! I'm not sure how much I could physically change with their enclosure though because it's a zoo enclosure however, but def worth bearing in mind.

I was thinking last night about how my bunnies have 'boredom breakers'; like food stuffed into balls or whatnot that they have to push around to get out and wondered if this kind of thing would work with torts too? Sorry for all the questions!

[Frase]

I think torties would just try and eat through the ball lol.

To be honest, apart from sprucing up the enclosure, adding things to it and the like. There aint much else can be done really....

Giving them as natural a habitat as possible. as large as also.

Just give them things to explore.

[AnythingWithAShell]

Don't apologise for questions This sounds like a really interesting project.

I'm not sure how much a tort would appreciate a food themed boredom breaker. I can't think offhand of a way to do it that they'd be able to get at, if you know what I mean.

As for making the zoo enclosure more interesting, it could be costly cos of the scale, but it would be amazing, and so much fun to play with cos of the space you have. Unfortunately too many zoo enclosures lack anything at all for the torts to occupy themselves with, they're just a wide open space.

I guess a few structures to make hills over (maybe a bridge type thing that they can also go under, doubling as a hide?) and some reasonably strong solid fencing (to create a 'wall') along with a heap of plants and bushes might not be too expensive.

[Frase]

holy jesus this project, i would OOOOZE to be doin somert like this!

Get the funding, ill come do it for yer hahah

You could do so much with this with the size youhave lol.

[Kloy]

Lol unfortunately I'm still a student not a zoo employee so that kinda limits what I can do/suggest be done. I haven't def got the project for sure but I have a meeting on monday about it so I thought it would be best to go in with some vague ideas rather then clueless and bumbling!!

Thankyou for your advice though! I've been making notes....enclosure was the first thing I thought of tbh. Then food...I can't for the life of me think about anything else tortoises might care about. Especially not ones the size of the Aldabras! They're HUGE by all accounts

[Frase]

night time habitat also ? or an indoor enclosure they have at the moment? Does it have the neccessary lighting and heating and the like? Could you improve how it is all set up to either increase efficiency or lower the running cost? lowering the running cost would be a big boost for your projects go ahead i would imagine... long term investment and all that