Should you Free Roam your Turtle? 

P.S. As of May of this year, I stopped letting Franklin free-roam. Here's the update video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-R1PAJQlVwDg.html

Make sure it doesn't escape into the sewers and mutate into a ninja....

*it's **3:21** AM* *i don't own a turtle*

I’d also like to point out that Alex has online school so he’s not gone for 7 hours every day. He’s at the house with Franklin where he can monitor him.

I love how awkward he is

This is the perfect case of do as I say and not as I do. Franklin is obviously just the exception because he thinks he's a DOG. Lol. But seriously, I freak out when my turtle accidentally escapes his tank (even when he has a lid...darn Hoku Houdini) and roams on the floor, just because there are too many places for him to hide in my room! Great video Alex!

I have a diamondback terrapin who free roams the whole house 365 days of the year, she goes into water only to eat her pellets, I had her for 20 years and I believe her to be WC from Laguardia airport, which was known to have a lot of terrapins at the time. My father brung her home one day with another terrapin who sadly passed away after 3 years. The first 7 years, the surviving terrapin, who I named Pablo was a really aggressive terrapin. After that she had escaped her enclosure and from that moment on she figured out all the hot spots, which involve the hottest room in the house, near the refrigerator, radiators. Today she brumates on her own during winter and knows her sleeping spots, she also asks for food and I would like to think she can recognize me and my family. 20 years strong.

my turtle LOVES to run around the floor and sit on my feet. he likes to sit in front of vents

Lol “tinkle spots”. Idk why but that made me laugh. XD

When you said cheerios and meat I laughed but then I realised how unhealthy that probably is

There is NO one like you on RU-vid and I mean that in the best way possible. Love your vids! Love Franklin (who doesn’t) 😂 I’ve been working with reptiles for 6 years and Franklin is the most social slider i think I’ve ever seen.

My slider turtle always trying to follow me by swimming close to me in her tank. Someone gave my daughter mother in law a slider turtle the moment she was hatched, she was tiny when we got her, tootsie is as big as my hand now. She greets me as soon as she sees me. Of course I give her food every morning and food and treats in the afternoon. She constantly basking in her light and sees me then she stops to swim towards me. Slider Turtles have a Loving Caring personality and they show their loving personality to you. It's very easy to love your Slider Turtle ❤.

Big 👍 my friend! How are you and Franklin? I let my tortoise and turtles free roam too! That's why I have concrete on my floor so I can just wipe it up! Lol! My tortoise bangs around his enclosure until I let him out! It's pretty funny! Lol! Have a great weekend! Take care and God bless! Animal Papa and Junior! 🐾👍🐢🙏

I let both my turtles be free in the backyard and take them back inside in the afternoons lol they get all the sun in the morning and one of them (the slider) knocks on the door when he wants to come inside and to his tank 😂 I call him half-dog

I love the way you edit.

Your turtle is extremely spoiled.

I love Franklin❤

*GoHerping:* ”He bites technology” *Looks at cables all around the floor* *Me:* ”Sure”

We have a turtle that we let free roam cause he enjoys it so much and it was what his previous owners let him do. He was kind of in the same situation as Franklin with not getting the proper diet or right light but he has that now and hes such an active social turtle, just the other day he climbed up on my back and went to sleep in my hair when I was resting on the floor. We do control when he gets to be out though, its only when we are around and only in a controlled area.

I have a tortoise and she free roams my apartment all the time. I've had no problems with her getting into anything of course I keep things picked up.

My slider Houdini is like Franklin she loves to be free and chase me around. I don’t let her free roam all the time only for about an hour or so twice a day. As for her basking luckily she still loves to bask. When I wake up in the morning she is basking and usually stays that way for about 45 or until it’s time for her to eat.

My turtle Tortuga free roams. He's familiar with every room in my house, and even has his own designated spots. I raised him from a hatchling and he's been walking around on his own for probably close to 8 years. He'll be 10 in June.

2:14 how I feel about math

I started letting My turtle out years ago when his aquarium cracked and hes just like yours but mine is 21yrs old but hes the same as yours he loves being out his aquarium more now and I only let him out on warm days they can live long without water but honestly hes stronger now since letting him out its his exercise.

I have considered getting a turtle. I wouldn't do free roam throughout my whole room as that seems like a lot, but if I do get one I would like to make a safe pen in my room for him/her with a pool of some sort. I have wondered all of these things about Franklin, specifically the poo and pee part but honestly that wouldn't bother me too much as I have a blind, mutt, rescue dog who pees on the floor at least once a day. She doesn't always know where the pee pee mat is and lots of the time refuses to go outside because she hates it unless the weather is perfect lmao. So I would much rather have a little turtle pee on my carpet than a big dog puddle, but luckily I don't have carpeting in my room! Thank you for such an honest video!

My cousin has a free roam red eared slider as well. Her turtle has been free roaming around the house for almost 23 years.

My aquatic turtle olive is my 5th turtle and he was the only one who wanted to free roam. He knows I'll take him out by running into the glass multiple times in a row. He usually wants to walk around after eating. I feel like it really does depend on the turtle. He LOVES freeroaming in my room. I let him out and only for a few days (and I do end up playing hide and seek) but never more than that because I don't want him getting dehydrated. But If you do want to do this with your turtles, it's not really something you can make them do. You can introduce it but if they don't free roam, i think they like the tank life.

4:11 When I step on a lego brick..

This goes true for tortoises too, which is something that a lot of people think is ok since they're land creatures and it makes more sense to let a tortoise roam around the house than a water loving turtle. But it can be extremely dangerous. Heads and feet can get shut between doors, there was a tortoise who was near the gap between the door and the wall and got his head squished when someone shut the door. He ended up going limp, lethargic, and was eventually unresponsive. Also, never trust dogs around them. They are literally walking chew toys for dogs.

I just got a red ear slider, and he is soooooo social. He also LOVES basking. That’s what he does most of the time.

I LOVE THIS VIDEO. I HAVE A 17 YEAR OLD RED EAR SLIDER TURTLE NAMED FRANKLIN AS WELL! I ALLOW HIM TO FREE ROAM OCCASIONALLY LIKE ONCE A WEEK. HE LOVES IT. HE LETS ME KNOW WHEN HE WANTS TO COME OUT AS WELL AS GO BACK INTO HIS TERRARIUM. ITS NICE TO SEE SOMEONE ELSE LIKE ME. IT GIVES ME ALOT OF HOPE FOR MY LITTLE GUY. ALSO I HAVE AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF RESPECT AND ADMIRATION FOR YOU HAVING THE COURAGE AND KNOWLEDGE TO PUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS OUT THERE TO HELP OTHER TURTLE PARENTS. YOUR A GOOD KID. YOUR FRANKLIN IS A VERY LUCKY PET.

Just to let you know, we have 3 water turtles and a tortoise that are all free roam turtles in our hoard and driveway. We live in Hawaii and it’s 65-85 degrees year round with a lot of rain and sun. The water turtles have they’re own separate tanks but sometimes they’ll get into each other’s tanks and turtle wars happen but for the most part it’s peaceful and adventurous around here. They all have rubber mats draped over the edge of their tanks that they climb to get in and out. The tortoise just ignores the turtles. Anyway, thought you would like to here about our little turtle sanctuary on Oahu. Mahalo’s

We purchased a playpen for our little yellow bellied slider to roam. Keeping him safe and us entertained. Easy to take him outdoors as well for fresh air & vit D. He too is named Franklin 😁

Alex, you should really hide your toes. A lot of subscribers have a weird attraction to them. Just a warning. Be careful

He looks so funny scooting along

My turtle is free roaming right now lol (under supervision of course)

*you become a tinkle spot*

Awwww how cute. If I let my turtle do that she'll just roam right to a dark place, under the couch, bed, etc, LOL. I do let her walk around some when I take her out her water in between changes to stretch her legs. In the summer I take her outside to walk around in the sun & let her sit outside in her tank in the sun for Vitamin D. And yes they pee a lot on the floor. I can't believe how still yours is sitting, mines be moving around & scratching. Great video!! 😊😊

My RES Beefcake is going on 12 now and moved out with me to my college apartment. I started allowing her to free roam when she was desperate to leave the tank to nest 4 years ago. She never retreats into her shell and politely asks to come out by scratching at her tank lid. She's only allowed out on warm days and just does her lil thing.

We let our RES free roam for periods of time. Her and the cat play with each other!

Has he ever bitten you toes

My grandma has a 25 year-old read eared slider I her backyard pond, and ever since the turtle was big enough she climbs out of the pond to walk around and explore. It's so fun to see her just marvel at leaves and people and afterwards she knows exactly where her water is and climbs back in. Though one day she managed to escape onto the street and my grandma had to install a mesh meant for dogs to keep the turtle inside.

I do the same. I live in a tropical country and mine has free run of the apartment. It's fine. Mine follows me like a dog as well and lets you know when he wants a swim. He is also fully toilet trained. Chewing is no problem. Shell rot can be a problem if he's not on the balcony enough.

I always let my turtle do this. Well used to. I gave her away to another family that's hopefully caring for her. I still wanted her it's just my family that didn't. It was for the best since I didn't take the best care of her and couldn't afford to. My sister initially got her on a whim and I adopted her over time but still couldn't care for her myself (I was 11-15 and irresponsible).

I have a chinese water dragon that has been kept free roaming for over 2,5 years now (he's just 3 years old, so most of his life) and I get in the same akward position of explaining why it's ok for me to do it, but I wouldn't really advise to most others to do it. Always really hard to explain to people and it makes me feel akward every single time...😅

My rex is kind of a free roam. When we got him he was stuck in a 20 gal tank with no light whatsoever. When setting up his new tank we let him walk around and he loved it. Any time he sees us he looks at us and goes to a certain spot that means he wants out. We made everything at ground level so he cant get stuck anywhere. He loves climbing and he loves walking everywhere in the room. He IS mostly in his tank though.

We only let our turtle out sometimes when we are around and able to watch him. At most that would be an hour before we rinse him of any dust he got into and put him back, but he still manages to poop under the couch in that time. x.x

I know how you feel. My turtle is 21 years old and she has always been a free roam turtle. She freaks out when it's time for sleep. She climbs up on high things than falls off and get bumps on her head all the time. She knows the whole layout of my house. Its a lot of trouble keeping track of a free roaming turtle.

My red eared slider has been using the ramp for 10+ years now. She love to roam around.

Franklin seems friendly, unlike my RES who is pure evil

my is outside during the summer in a pond! when fall comes he is inside, yes he loves people!

yes indeed I have one to! if he is not happy he will make sure you know it HELL BITES!

My red eared sliders are from around where I am, so on a nice day I typically let them run around outside (supervised) and they try to dig into the grass or climb bricks. As neat as I think it is to have a free roaming turtle I always stress about them picking things up (ex: there's a nail on the floor I don't know about and he steps on it) so I typically agree on not free roaming. I only do it when I feel comfortable with variables (environment they've already been exposed to, debris that won't harm them, the option for them to retreat in water and/or sunbathe, etc) . I do agree though that you're a special case and that it just so happens you know yourself, your turtle, and your environment. (Even if you stopped free roaming him.)

Franklin is one special turtle. He has the best home with you. Great video. He likes your feet because it's warm.

I grew up with 2 red sliders, and we usually let them roam free around the entire house for 3-6 hours a day. They seem to like it, and one is like yours that always want to be up high and sit on feets and such. They have been doing great, and only time they been in small accidents (that i know of at least) is when us owners made mistakes such as stepping on them or opening doors on them. Now we have been letting them roam semi-free for 22 years so we are gonna keep doing it, they are used to it and it would just be weird to stop now after all this time :p

0:20 I know this video is about a more important topic but I'm in the video!

My turtle always escaped from its enclosure somehow and wants to roam around he’s too curious for his own good😂 (Dw i always put him back)

My turtle has been free roam since i got him. We had to get on his level and turtle proof the bedroom and livingroom (where he roams) plastic under the sofas so he cant get under them. We had to tac up every cord and vac every day. Plus the pee and poop is horrible. But he loves it. Of course he is still basking and eating and soaking when he should.

I wouldnt bungee jump or put my head between the jaws of a lion, however a lot of people who are far more educated on the subjects do fine doing such. I think education is the most important thing when raising an animal and that in itself will give each person the answer they were looking for.

This is the cutest video ever, I am tuning into the both of you from now on.

I got a free roamer too! My cat watches him when he is out and he keeps her occupied. My cat loves him and doesn’t ever try to bully him or pick on him. All she does is stare and judge his every move.

I think Franklin loves it because it sounded like he was kind of caged in before you got him, with improper care, so he likes the freedom now to roam. However I don't think most turtles would like it. I have 3 RES that are bigger than Franklin and they HATE being out of their tank/habitat. They would definitely not enjoy free roaming the house, also I have 6 month old baby so just not a good idea in general. But they have quite a big basking area with rocks plants that they like hanging out on.

I like the sour patch kids in your reptile room. I have two turtles both males. They are couple of years old and half the size of franklin. Im glad that they can grow bigger. I really need a pond for them lol.

We found a wild one who is a snapper. I patched him up the best I could. The side of his shell was completely gone. I will take care of any animal the best I can. After he got patched up and morning came. We already hydrated him and fed him. He seemed to really like me a lot. We took him over to the wild life hospital for better treatment.

I like how he comes to you as you work

I let my turtle roam about the flat almost every day, especially in the summer when the air in the flat AND the floors are warm. I think it's important for his mental health.

I have three small turtles and I'll take them all out sometimes, two of them will go somewhere dark like under a sofa or something similar to that while the other one "knows" not to do that so it'll go somewhere dark but where i can see him without crawling or playing hide and seek with them. *The reason why I say he "knows" not to do that is because I'll move move them each time they do it and the other two are starting to notice that pattern too, well at least to some extent*

Well i can die peacefully now. I mean i had the same thought with my red eared slider, he literally runs just to catch up my speed. He loves being kind of dog. I had some questions but all sorted now. I love him free roaming. He loves being outside more than inside water. And yours toto remind me of mine....

I free-roam my red eared slider, Caesar, on the turtle-proofed balcony during summer. She seems to enjoy it a lot. When it's too cold outside, I just let her roam inside for few hours every day (under supervision). That said, I think you are right in this video that people probably shouldn't free-roam their turtles. It takes effort to make sure the place is safe for a turtle and to keep track of her at all times. I've only been letting her roam free like that since she got big enough to no longer fit into spaces behind/between furniture. She too likes to sit on top of my foot, sometimes for hours. Luckily, she's a proper lady and doesn't leave brownies around on the floor or even pee outside of water, unless something spooks her.

I had 2 red eared slider and they were freedom turtles too. They used to roam in my entire house and they never neither me nor my family members. They were sooo friendly and yes used to sleep with me on my bed 🙈. Damn i miss them 😭

I just happen to find your video. I have adopted 2 turtles full time about 3 years ago they were my sons class pets. My son and I were caring for them on and off about 3years prior when they were very small. I have started free form both turtles about 3 years ago when I got them full time. My family and I keep a close eye on them. They both love being in my room cause it has lots of sunlight and they know it's my area so, they like being near me. Most of the time they love seeking my attention by going on my feet for me to pick them up so they can sit on my lap while I work. As a responsible owner my advise to anyone that does this is just keep a close eye on them make sure they stay visible in your site. Create a safe area for them to roam.

Ours is too! he follows me around and likes sleeping under the cat

I always wondered in my mind if he pooped all over the floor, but did not know that turtles peed... You learn something new every day!

Why did I love this video so much??? It feels like ur really out of your..shell ;)

I'm new to seeing you but I used to free roam turtles here and there. They were entertaining. Sometimes they disappear for a day then we sit and then if your quiet you hear them thump stuff and poke their heads out and watch us. They are funny to play hide and seek with. They just take a while to get to their hiding spots.

Aren’t turtles unsanitary? Cause I have a tortoise and I am told that you must wash your hands really well after handling them, and that they should stay in a cage?

4:11 made my day

I like the idea of your ramp. I always let my 3yr free roam when I’m home for a couple hours, she always hid under my bed or the heat radiator when I had hardwood floor, but she goes crazy climbing all over me since I moved cross country with carpeted floors. She used to pee and poop but I learned to approach her slowly and she won’t freak out and pee, and to let her out before I do my daily feeding and she’s been fine. My favorite time of the day is in the morning before I wanna get up I’ll have her on my bed for a few minutes and she’ll climb on my face and head, scratching me to get to the top of my pillows.

My slider is literally lying on my stomach as I watch this 😂

A good compromise imo would be a setup similar to yours with rabbit pen or something giving it a few square feet of land to roam.

I find this guy very relatable

My Russian Tortoise was found after escaping from whoever's backyard, he's a determined and stubborn dude but he's adjusted well to indoor life. He can't stand being in a terrarium and will dig at the glass for hours if put in one. I let him roam the room of the loft and he'll let me know when he wants to go out on the balcony and soak up some sun by scraping at the sliding door and giving me a menacing glare, hahahh. He's pretty headstrong, and also likes the feet

My turtle is completely free roam. She doesn't bite anything, so I don't worry about her ingesting anything she's not supposed to. She'll just smell stuff and keep on moving. She'll come up to me when she's hungry and wants to go into the water; or she'll just start making a lot of noise and stay near her feeding bin. Once she eats, and does her business in the water, she'll start trying to climb out again. Sometimes I'll put her back in after I clean the water, but she really does not like it. She'll just try even more to get out. So, I'll just take her out and she'll go back to walking around the house. She's big, so we could easily see her and make sure not to hurt her.

I get what you're saying. You're experienced and have the time to do this method whereas others aren't. It's cool! I cannot have my turtle free roam at all I always lose him so I just stopped lmao

I do that with my turtle, but it's only because he started out with me as a special needs turtle with soft-shell. He does prefer to free-roam now. I am careful about where he can roam though, I need to be able to find him to monitor his food and general health. He likes to climb little piles of clothes or blankets on the floor.

Have you tried calcium blocks in the water? The calcium block with give him some of the nutriments he needs to fortify his shell. That might help his shell rot to heal a little more. It’s also a really nice treat for him to gnaw at :) my wife and i have had red wares sliders for almost a year now and got them as babies. We haven’t had any issues with their health so far!

Why does "Tinkle spot" sound so adorable!?

Franklin is ADORABLE :D

He thinks he's a Tortoise. Lol

I think this is the first video I've seen from this channel.

franklin is adorable

I was considering letting my little gal tool around my room for a few hours a day but this convinced me otherwise. Very informative video.

The turtle has that look on his face like “me pee on the floor? Nevvveeerrrr”

One time I let my tortoise out in my room and I take my shoes off and leave them below my desk. So I was playing video games flipping my shoe a couple times as i always do and I looked down and what I was actually doing was tormenting my tortoise. It probably didn't harm him it was only about 4 slow flips so I think it emotionally scarred me harder than that tortoise will ever be hurt because I know it didn't do him harm but I feel terribly for him.

I didn't really think Alex was that small until I saw him at 0:01 (No offense)

I need some advice i was gifted a red slider a few months ago...i have no tank or nothing and its huge (7 years old)...i keep it outside in my garden and once a day put her in warm 70 degree water, along with her food shes in sunlight/shade in the day eating my plants and at night sleeps outside (during winter i bring her in and make a cave outta old clothes for her) and i doing it right?

OMG.. Soo funny, my 3 toed turtle, Eugene that is around 63 years old.. (32 with us) has been that way on and off since the kids moved out!! He is much happier out and he just begs to get out every time you walk by if he is in his tank.. Lol He loves biting my toes to little booger!! You have to be extra careful with everything that is within his reach, my husband and I are good at thatbut I tend to put him away more if others are around they just don't think about it.. it can be very dangerous.

Really.. mine roams.. he stays in one area.. he comes out of hiding when I call him..

Great video Franklin! I let my turtle Leo (otherwise known as a Swim Shady) roam freely in my kitchen (almost daily) for about an hour. I barricade the kitchen door so he does not go elsewhere. After about a month of doing this I decided to sit on the floor, and he raced right up to me. I know that's funny since he's a turtle, but he picked up speed and headed right for me! To be frank at first I was scared, I thought he might bite me. He now uses me as his personal jungle gym, and he will not leave me alone. He is like a toddler ha! If I am sitting on the floor, he is crawling up and on me. I tickle his back feet and his shell, (they can feel it with all of the nerves they have under their shell). So far he has not messed on my floor when I have him out for only an hour or so. There were two times that I had him out for about 2 hours, and he did pee on my floor those times. And it wasn't just a little pee spot! He covered a lot of ground! He is incredibly inquisitive. When I am not sitting on the floor and I am walking around my kitchen, I have to make sure that I don't step on him, as he is under foot trying to crawl up me. When I put him back in his tank he frantically splashes, and I run back and forth with him swimming back and forth in his tank. It's the same everyday. 🤣 My Auntie has two turtles upstairs and we have started letting one of them spend an hour on my kitchen floor here and there. Rose is starting to move a little bit more freely now. We will not try this with Henry, as he will panic and run into walls. Free-roaming even in a safe area is not for all turtles, if you do try it, you will know pretty quickly if they are a candidate or not. If so please do it in a safe environment were they cannot hurt themselves.

When he bit the microphone 😂 god my baby sliders try to bite my fingers. These turtles are precious. I'd consider free roaming my turtles but I want them to stay as safe as possible and my mum and sisters are afraid of them