Pizza wrote:I've noticed that a lot of people let their turtles out onto the floor, particularly onto the carpet during their free time, or while cleaning.
I'm wondering, do the turtles make a mess when they're put out of their enclosures, such as expelling waste or urine? I wouldn't be too pleased if they made their waste into the carpet, since mine is particularly shaggy, it's hard to clean out.
Do they leave bacteria or whatever while walking around the house (since turtles are reptiles, and have bacteria growing all over them)? Should I rinse them before letting them out or something?
Lastly, a lot of users here like to put their turtles on them, or just let them walk over them, do the turtles bite, say at your toes or shirt? Also, do they like to excrete body wastes and body fluids often while they're around you?
Very good questions, Pizza! My view on letting turtles out is this: If a turtle isn't real comfortable with you yet (hisses/bites/pees when you pick them up), then don't let them out on their own yet. If you have gotten them to the point where they don't show much reaction when you pick them up (no hissing or retracting all the way in the shell), then you can let them out. If you are in doubt, let them walk for several hours on a non-carpeted area, like the linoleum/tiled bathroom floor. See how they do. If you find little puddles/waste on the hard floor, then you know they aren't ready for carpet.
Sheba has her own towel which I keep in the tank cabinet for whenever I take her out of the tank. I dry her off with this towel, then let her walk. I do not let her walk around my carpeted areas *right after* she eats because she is more likely to pee or pass waste right after she eats (it's what I have observed). When I had smaller turts, I just let them stay in their separate pan of water after they ate for about 1/2 hour afterwards to give them time to settle down, digest, and pee (this worked out very well). With Sheba, she won't stay in this tiny pan after she eats, so I have to put her back in her tank for a little while, then let her out.
I'm really not worried about bacteria from my turtle on the floor because it wouldn't be any worse than having a cat or a dog in the house roaming the carpet. If Sheba does have an accident on the carpet (very rare), I have some carpet cleaner & take care of it, just like I would if I had a cat or a dog with an accident.
You can rinse your turtle before he/she walks around if you want, especially if you feed them in a separate dish and don't want any food particles on the floor. Some food is particularly messy (like live food - worms which have lots of dirt on them), so I rinse Sheba before I put her back in her tank.
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