A tortoise moves faster than anyone expects the moment your back is turned, and a border of dense planting will swallow one completely. This harness is a simple answer to that problem: soft straps that pass around the shell and buckle into place, with a lead attached so you can let them graze the lawn and still know where they are when the phone rings indoors.

The straps cross over the top of the shell and adjust rather than clamp, so the fit can be set snug without pressing on the legs or the neck opening. Nothing needs to be glued to the shell, which matters more than it sounds, because adhesive fixings damage the keratin and a tortoise cannot simply shed the damaged layer. The lead clips to a ring on the back, and the whole arrangement lifts off in seconds when the wander is over.

• Adjustable harness sized for tortoises and turtles
• Soft straps cross the shell with no adhesives
• Lead attaches to a ring on the back
• Small and large sizes
• Choice of black, blue or yellow
• Comes off quickly when not in use

Supervision is the point, not the harness. A tortoise should never be left outside in one unattended. A strap can catch on a stem or a fence panel, and a shell gives no way to wriggle free. Use it for a supervised potter and take it off afterwards. Worth checking what has been sprayed on your lawn, too, since grazing is most of why they want to be out there.

Who it's for: tortoise and turtle keepers who want to allow garden time without the search party afterwards.