Not using her hide

[hunterk997]

My russian tortoise never uses her hide anymore. She used to, but around two weeks ago she began sleeping next to her basking rock. Even after I shut the lights off. Does this simply mean she is comfortable in the open? Or could it mean she doesn't like the hide? It is a plastic "pot" from a lowe's hibiscus plant, so it's fairly large. I put her in it the other night, and she crawled back out and went to the same spot to sleep.

 

[wellington]

You can either keep putting her into the hide, move the hide to the spot she's choosing or leave her to sleep however she wishes.

 

[Yvonne G]

My russian tortoises are not big hide users, preferring to dig down into the substrate for the night.

 

[Madkins007]

Wild tortoises do not duck into large, open areas like inside a big plastic pot, but rather snuggle into tight spaces they are wedged into. Some do this by digging or 'snuggling down' into the dirt. Some wedge themselves into roots and branches. Some use existing animal burrows. Many tortoises like hides that touch them.

As an experiment, I made several shelters in my back yard- a box style, a pile of branches with leaves over it, and a leaf pile with some layers of old carpet in it. After a couple nights, none of the herd of redfoots was ever in the box again and most of the time they were in the brush pile.

 

[hunterk997]

Thanks for the replies. I replaced the hide with a half log this morning after reading this. We'll see tonight if she prefers that over the pot.

 

[hunterk997]

I put her into the log hide a few minutes ago, she was a little reluctant at first but she eventually crawled inside and is getting comfortable by digging in it.