Please... what does my tortoise want?!?

[YesImRachel]

I have had my Russian Tort Shelby for 14 years now. She has always had a HUGE personality but she gets in these moods where she wants to be out of her enclosure and let me tell you it’s been bad this past week. I made the mistake long time ago of letting her walk around my apartment and now she just goes NUTS looking for me and trying to get out so she can walk around. Most the time she just picks a spot in my living room and goes to sleep so it’s not like she’s doing anything. She lives in a big bookcase so her enclosure is definitely big enough. She just won’t stop walking around looking for me to take her out. She gets so upset that she will end up flipping over so I am so afraid to leave. I start college in a couple weeks and I am so afraid to leave her all day. Does she seriously just want to be free to roam my house or does she need something that I’m not providing her? I tried everything... please help! I’ve attached a pic of what she looks like.

 

[G-stars]

She does not want to roam your home, in fact that is not ideal or safe for your tortoise. What she wants is a large (safe) outdoor enclosure to roam around in.

 

[YesImRachel]

It is winter here in Ohio. She has free range of the backyard all late spring and summer. There is nothing in my apartment that can harm her. It’s a small one bedroom so she’s really only in the living room.

 

[Maro2Bear]

I would maybe plant a whole bunch of spider plants, pothos vines, add many more hides, etc in the hopes of creating more of a diverse area. Logs, holes, water pits, plants...

Not sure if you have that, but some of your enclosure looks pretty boring. Msybe the hide spots and plants would help.

Good luck in College! Happy torting

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

 

[LaLaP]

There was an interesting thread recently about "tortoise enrichment". Different ways people keep their tortoises entertained. Changing up their habitat like @Maro2Bear mentioned is a good one. I have a Russian tort that likes to slide down a ramp from his loft. You could get creative and make something interesting for her to crawl over, under, around, through...

Oh and here is a thought... are the temperatures in her enclosure appropriate? Is it possible she is too hot?

 

[Tom]

There is nothing in my apartment that can harm her.

Yes there is. You just don't realize it yet. Everyone thinks its safe... right up until they finally realize it is not safe.

Best to leave the tortoise in its enclosure and make sure the enclosure is set up correctly with the correct temps. Share with us the size of your enclosure, your four temperatures, and a pic or two of the enclosure, and we can make some suggestions. Also, what type of UV bulb are you using? Any red or colored bulbs?

 

[Yvonne G]

To answer the question in the title of this thread, your tortoise is looking for a territory with plenty of food, a nice spot where she can feel safe as she basks in the sun, a couple of safe places to hide, water and no predators. She can't find that territory on the floor of your apartment.