Daughter moving out and won’t take her tortoise

[Questionsquestions23]

My daughter got a tortoise when she was 18 - she’s now 22. She’s moving out in September and says she can’t take him. I have done most of the work for him. I get up every morning and forage for healthy greens for him change up his water - I do the same when I get in from work. I prepare him for hibernation, give him a bath a few times a week.

daughter went to uni and looked after him in the holidays but since leaving she works full time so it me.
the tortoise is about 25 so will Probably out live me.
I don’t want this responsibility!
what can I do?

I would love a tortoise but ruled it out due to the long live expectancy as I just couldn't commit to that. Such lovely animals.

Your daughter needs to step up but I think you already know that. How would you feel if she did give him away as you seem (understandably) to care about him very much

Honestly had no idea how much goes into looking after a tortoise, you've done very well taking care of him.

Thanks it’s not technically their legs but a flap but legs is just easier to say! It’s honestly a massive commitment!

I have a lot of respect for you OP. It's one thing to give an adult child a teaching moment, but this is a living creature you've taken into your home and are responsible for, and given her position so far, I wouldn't trust her to respect the wellbeing of the tortoise enough to find a proper home for it.

Can we see a pic? I love tortoises, I have sulcatas

My friend chops up salad stuff for her tortoise. Why waste time foraging!

Aww I was in the queue waiting to buy my guinea-pigs vegetable/salad and started speaking to a man who had "inherited" a relatives tortoise .
He was beyond excited , it was lovely .

(Though piggies are less work but noisier )

Hello, fellow tortoise keepers!

 My redfoot is now 11. He has a mixture of weeds (dandelions are a favourite, which is fortunate, as they are very common!), fruit and salad items, the latter of which makes my supermarket basket look incredibly healthy! Diets vary depending on the breed of tortoise, so mine enjoys small amounts of fish and meat (and the odd dog treat that he finds when he's out and about indoors...) along with his usual fare.

They do drink, but also soak up water through their cloaca (vent). Mine does that in the sink, or sometimes the bath, in normal tap water.

I'm also curious, OP! What breed of tortoise do you have?

P.S. Please don't give your tortoise to a primary school. Teachers don't always have the knowledge to care for them appropriately, and if it's a nocturnal breed, they might be dismissed as "boring" and get ignored.

Gosh 🤔. Mine used to drink water.

Where are you Op? Experienced torty owner here looking for another at the moment…

Wow! That's amazing! Kind soldier and lucky little tortie 💖

Mine doesn’t seem to drink it obviously offered in the greenhouse and in the run in shallow plates. He’s a Herman. He seems to get it from his bath and food? I’ve not once seen him drink in 5 years

I've had a tortoise for 25 years and I'm baffled that you find it such a huge amount of work and commitment OP. 😳

Don't let your DD get a horse whatever you do

We rehomed a tortoise that was left behind on a house move. They are hard work and a bit tricky to look after but they’re so lovely too!
good luck rehoming him op if that what you decide to do.

The Tortoise Protection Group on Facebook. I have 3 torts from rescue situations, one from them, one from the vets I work at and one that was left outside the Cats Protection League. It's worth contacting them, they only re home to knowledgeable people

British chelonian society?

I know some members.

just NO 🤦🏻‍♀️

Contact sanctuaries, zoos, places where they have tortoises in your area to re-home. Daughter obviously got him on a whim … shouldn’t have been allowed as they live for years. Best off going to someone who knows what they are doing and has others he can live with.

Bit off topic but I never knew that.

Contact The Tortoise Trust. They will help re-home him/her to an experienced owner that has the right enclosure, heat and light and someone willing to forage for the correct weeds

How come your daughter doesn't see it as her job to sort this out? She was an adult when she got it.

We have a Hermann’s too. Luckily I am a terrible gardener so we have plenty of mallow, plantain, sticky weed, dead nettle etc and dandelions in our garden and in the lane next the house. I also use Lamb’s lettuce from the supermarket in the winter.

This website is so great for checking what they can and can’t eat ; https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

In the warm weather, she goes out on the lawn in an old sandpit frame. Bath in tap water in the sink every couple of weeks when I remember.

I find fridge hibernation a bit scary but we’re made it through 9 winters now. Other than that, I feel like she's super easy to look after compared with other pets. It’s a shame that you’ve found it to be stressful OP.

She is also technically my daughter’s tortoise though I do the majority of the work. We’ve got a few more years before I have the ‘are you taking the tort with you’ conversation.

i agree if your daughter doesn’t want the responsibility, then she should contact the tortoise trust.

Tortoises do drink water, you’ve probably just never noticed.
Those that are saying just chop up veg and salad obviously aren’t slaves to a tortoise! Most Mediterranean torts can’t eat fruit or veg, it’s actually really bad for them.
I forage suitable weeds & flowers weekly then wash them and store in plastic food containers in the fridge, they’ll last a good few days.
The tortoise trust will help you re-home if you’re serious about giving him up. There are plenty of groups on social media that’ll help you identify safe weeds/flowers and provide helpful advice. You’re right though they aren’t as easy as people think to look after and will with the correct care outlive us.
I’ve added a photo my mine, he’s now 8 and a rescue.

Okay this is probably not going to be the answer you want but…

Keep him!

You’ve always been the main care giver and it sounds like you love him.

You clearly only want the best for him and that is why you’re reluctant to let anyone else have him.

You didn’t choose him, but he chose you, and you go and forage for the good stuff on his behalf every morning, bathe him etc. Sounds like love to me.

So maybe just keep him and find a good pet sitter for when you’re away.

Also, don’t let your daughter have him back! She can babysit occasionally if she is worthy.

Sorry, I might be a little bit biased as grew up with tortoises and had very minimal responsibility (thanks Mum!)

Anyway, if you can’t keep him I’m sure there must be somewhere that would take him on.

But don’t you think you’d miss him?