Woman's Cute Enrichment Activities For Tiny Pet Tortoise Are Enough to Make Anyone Smile

Fun fact of the day: all tortoises are turtles, but all turtles are not tortoises. Whip that one out the next time some pedantic person corrects you when you call one of those animals with the domed shell a turtle and they come back at you with a “well, actually…” This distinction is due to the fact that both types of animals are part of the Testudines order, which encompasses all those domed-shelled reptiles we know and love—both eh living examples and the ones from the fossil record. Living turtles are more adapted to marine life (and some who live on both land and water) while tortoises are entirely terrestrial.

But they’re both super-cute, and as this pet tortoise proves, have far bigger personalities than you might expect for an ancient clade of reptiles.

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In this video, a woman ranks and rates all the enrichment activities she’s provided for her adorable little pet tortoise, Fig.

Related: Tortoise Born in 1800s Celebrates Another Birthday at San Antonio Zoo

“Your reminder that all pets need enrichment,” she writes.

Best Enrichment Activités for Pet Tortoises

According to this turtle-keeper, there are some pastimes that Fig likes more than others.

Filling a cat toy with greens for the animal to roll around and nibble gets a seven out of ten. It was not as entertaining for the tortoise as she expected, but it looked cool.

On the flip side, getting him a hamster wheel in his enclosure gets a hundred out of ten. She trained him to use it by holding a treat just out of reach and now Fig climbs in all the time for a little exercise everyday—and the household cats love to watch him doing his circuits.

Another winer is hiding edible flowers for the tortoise around his enclosure. She scores this activity a ten out of ten, because he gets a lot of stimulation from hunting them down—plus it’s always cute to watch a turtle eating flowers.

But her favorite activity is spraying him on the shell with a stream of water. She can’t rate this activity high enough. Though tortoises are land-dwelling creatures, they enjoy their water play. Their shells are actually sensitive to touch and water spray feels like a good scratch. Plus you get to watch the turtles do a little dance.

Should You Get a Tortoise?

Tortoises are not easy pets to keep. Many people may think that they are “easier” than the usual furry friends, but they are actually, they have a variety of intense diet and habitat needs. They are not domesticated like dogs and cats, and are prone to all manner of health ailments in captivity if they are not properly looked after.

“Tortoises are such a huge commitment,” Fig’s human mom writes on another post. “They grow to be so big and need a lot of outdoor space to roam (Fig will weigh 50-80 pounds one day.) They are very sensitive to temperature, humidity levels, lighting in general & easily develop health issues if any of these aren’t perfect especially while they’re young. Some species are known to dig fifteen-foot deep burrows underground and can do it to your house, fences, et cetera. They need a salad the size of their shell everyday so once they do get large that’s a lot of food!”

Her page includes all kinds of tips that are important for anyone considering the massive step of investing in a tortoise as a pet.

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