The Tort Resort is situated in and area highly populated by birds of prey and other animals. In the time it took us to bring four tortoises out for the day, two osprey began callng then circling and an eagle perched in a nearby treetop.
Our dogs have naturally gravitated toward protecting the tortoises much like a sheepdog would look over its flock. No dog should be the the only defense and they should never have unsupervised access to tortoises. Remember, dogs are predators, too. They can easily kill your shelled friend. The best strategy is to get your lids finished. Add a small hasp and lock (raccoons can lift heavy lids and figure out basic hook-closures.) This said, when things just aren't finished, a little improv is better than no lid. You can see we've set the lids from the old bins on top of the new enclosures and added a few old windows and soaking bins to cover the gaps. Predators want what is quick and easy. They don't want to worry about wiggling through a small gap and they certainly don't want to deal with a dog. With frequent visits to check on the torts, this is a good TEMPORARY solution, even though there is still some risk. Carefree days (and nights once the weather stays above 50 degrees) will return once the saw part arrives and our lids are finished!
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AuthorThe Tort Resort is a Whidbey Island based project dedicated to rescue and rehab of smaller tortoise species. Archives
June 2021
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