AboutMark Adkins Expertise I will be glad to help with your tortoise- and turtle-related questions. My specialty is Red-foot and other Tortoises, but I can help with many aspects of turtle care.
Understand- I am not a vet, and the more information you can give me, the more accurate my answer can be.
(Because of the number of questions I get, I reserve the right to direct you to a good website that will help rather than re-inventing the wheel.)
Experience Tortoise and other reptile keeper since 1964.
Member of the Nebraska Herpetological Society.
Author of books and articles on tortoise care.
Currently own five Red-foot Tortoises.
Expert: Mark Adkins Date: 7/16/2008 Subject: Approximately how far can a red footed tortoise walk in a day?
Question I accidently lost my red footed tortoise 2 days ago. Typically when I put her out in the
yard she walks around in the short grass and then will burrow in the tall grass and
underbrush at the edge of the yard. My friends and I have been carefully cutting down
the tall grass and have covered a lot of area. I am not sure which direction she headed
and was just wondering approximately how far she can walk each day. I'm not sure how
old she is- she is around 4-5 inches long. We are thinking about putting up a barrier
some distance from where I last saw her in an attempt to keep her confined and I was
just wondering how far you think she may walk each day? Someone told me that they
tend to keep walking one direction once they start- do you agree?
Any advice you have is much appreciated. I feel absolutely terrible.
Thank you for your time
Cheryl
Answer I feel your pain. My herd of four has one guy who beelines out fast whenever I take my eyes off them. Now, they only go un-fenced for specific reasons- all other times, they are in at least a temporary pen.
Red-foots tend to move rather quickly. In a day, they can cover a couple hundred yards if highly motivated, but usually only go less than a couple hundred feet. If it smelled or sensed food, shelter, etc. it will head that way- but a LOT of tortoises hunker down and hide incredibly well in ridiculously small places. You would be amazed at how many stories go 'after a month, I figured my poor Red-foot was gone, but there he was, walking across the yard!"
While they are wild animals and can do what they want, they DO tend to stick to a place they know rather than go too deeply into new spaces.
My recommendation?
1. Quickly put flyers out in the area and in the hands of all of your neighbors. Be sure to offer a reward, mention it is harmless, and include a clear photo of a Red-foot similar to yours.
2. Call everyplace nearby that someone who finds a weird animal might call- zoo, nature centers, animal shelters, pet shops, vets, etc. Get them copies of your fliers.
3. Search around the last place you know it was and/or its favorite hiding site. I recommend putting a flag or pole there. Search in a circle around there. Get on your hands and knees as much as possible and look in small holes, cracks, openings, etc. Their coloration is VERY protective in this sort of habitat! Search the area within about 10 feet very, very carefully!
4. As you get further away from the pole, search in an egg shape, stretching out in the direction you saw it go. Pay special attention to things like walls, bushy plants, things it can hide under, etc.
An alternative to the circle search is a grid search. Mark out squares (actually use stakes, rope, etc. Ignore open space, and make the grids smaller where there are more hiding places. Search each grid and mark it done. It is best if someone else searches it after you to double check.
Once it finds a good hiding place, it is unlikely to move, so do not feel like you have to search each spot in one day.
5. Whenever you find an EMPTY hiding place, try to block it so it cannot sneak back and use it. I know this contradicts what I just said, but it is cheap insurance.
