Tortoise Loose
 

Lately there have been a lot of tortoise "escapes" from the preserve in Briar Meadow. I have been walking them back and setting them inside the fence, but there are many tunnels that they have dug to get out again. What is the protocol if you see a tortoise outside of the preserve?

I don’t have an answer for you, but I just wanted to say thank you. This is one of the sweetest, kindest posts I have ever read on TOTV. The picture in my mind of a person trying to redirect “escaping” tortoises makes me smile.

It can be really hard, if not impossible sometimes, to help Mother Nature. But thank you for trying. I hope you can find the answer you need.

Boomer

The tortoises are not prisoners "escaping" from the preserve. They are free to come and go as they please. If you see one trying to cross the road, the correct thing to do is to take them safely across the road in the direction they were headed. Otherwise, leave them alone. They are a protected species.

Larger tortoises and turtles can be very heavy, so try to get your fingers underneath the body, not just under the lip of the shell.

Is it mating season? The shelled critters UpNort seek a certain kind of ground after mating to lay their eggs and it is pretty hard to deter them, even though their path might take them across a busy highway if left to do their own thing. For some reason they seem to want to travel uphill.

I'll echo Post #3. Probably best to let them go about their business.

We saw a small (6-7" shell diameter) turtle on Meggison road crawling down the curb area of the median. Stopped car, directed traffic to go around, picked him up and then placed him near a pond and he scooted in. He wasn't facing the opposite direction of the pond, just going S on that Meggison median. Just didn't want it to get squashed.

Fresh water turtles lay their eggs once per year - springtime. They look for sandy soil that is easy to dig. They dig a hole and bury the eggs. For their nests they seek the ground above high water level. They do this so the eggs won't drown if high water. They do not tend their nests. Putting them back into the water does not accomplish their goal. They will try again to seek the dry environment to lay the eggs.

They are surprisingly intelligent. I was cleaning a rug in the driveway last week, and I turned around to find a big tortoise standing there about five feet away, just watching me, like he was curious what I was doing. So I got him some lettuce, and he practically ate it out of my hands. My wife tried a carrot, but he didn't seem to recognize it as food.

A couple of days later, I was taking out the trash and found him nibbling at a plastic bag in my neighbor's trash, trying to get it open. How would a tortoise know there was anything to eat in there? I moved him to my driveway and gave him some more lettuce. I was going to take him to the preserve, but he wandered off when I went in the house to get my keys.

They're interesting animals, but I don't think I want him digging up my yard and going through my trash!

I've rescued quite a few turtles over the years, including in The Villages.
IMPORTANT TIP - If carrying one, be really careful. They have very sharp claws and their teeth can cut right through your finger like a hot knife through butter. Keep your eye on the critter, they're not happy about you carrying them.

My understanding is that you should allow them to go in the direction they want to go. Does not always make sense. My daughter stopped on 441 to help one that was determined to cross. She knew it would get hit and felt she had no choice but to take it to a safe spot.

I have a pet box turtle that I have had for 24 years. Yikes! At first, I thought, it's just a turtle. Over time, I realized that he is smart, sociable, and likes to get his head rubbed. When someone comes in the house, he always stretches his neck to check them out.

That's so great. I have a pet Black Marsh turtle (aquatic) about the size of my hand and I've had her 54 years, longer than my wife!!! I think she took two hits of pretty and skipped the smart, but she knows me as the food guy and has her personable quirks.
Her breed is a sacred turtle in Buddhist temples from her Asian homeland and I try to treat her that way. She laid her one and only egg the first year we moved to Florida.
Another good aspect is we can take short trips and she can easily go a week or more without eating , though I tend to pamper her.

They're just looking for love!