Staying in bed

CylonSurfer

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Our marginated tortoise who is about 1 years old has started to get really lazy.... I turn on his lights at 6:30 in the morning and leave them running for 14 hours, however on some days (seems to becoming more frequent) he does not dig himself up from the corner he buries himself in until very late in the day, sometimes mid afternoon.

I have checked his temps and one end of his enclosure is 25c and the other under his basking area is around 35c. I haven't changed anything recently and he is eating absolutely fine (he is a greedy pig). When he is awake he appears to be very active most of the time.

Any idea why he is not digging himself up? Should I be concerned? Should I dig him up in the mornings before I leave the house or leave him to it?

Cheers
 
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johnsonnboswell

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How old is your bulb? What kind are you using?

A tortoise that is too hot or too cold will exhibit the same behaviors. Can you post a picture of the set up?

You'll make your life simpler if you put the light on a timer. They're cheap.
 

CylonSurfer

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Hey there,
From what I can tell the temps are fine, basking area at around 32c - 36c and cooler end at around 25c. I'm using a 40W basking lamp, I think it's this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ProRep-ES-Basking-Spotlamp-Watt/dp/B00359M26S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1438778959&sr=8-4&keywords=PROREP 40W

I changed it about 3 weeks ago so it's not an old bulb (after I noticed him not getting up as early). I also regularly check the temps with a temp gun, his shell and surrounding area always read around the mid 30's when ever I check.

I never had any luck with the timers, the ones I got would never work.. meh.

As I say, its not an every day occurrence, Monday he was up 10 mins after the lights went on.

I also attached a pic of his enclosure, although the log was replaced with a wooden bridge after we saw him climbing the thing and throwing himself off the top and landing on his back...

Here is some pics of his enclosure.
Enclosure.jpg

Enclosure 2.jpg
 
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ZEROPILOT

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How about a photo of the basking lamp. (bulb)
I ask because some of them are very stressful and even harmful to a tortoise but still sold in every pet store.
 

CylonSurfer

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This is the light:

http://www.thetortoiseshop.com/tortoise-lighting /ta-daisy-basking-lamp

Just to be clear, its not like I'm digging him up and then he buries himself again, which I believe is sign of the tortoise being too warm or cold. It's just some mornings he seems to remain buried for a number of hours after the lights go on. Others he is up not long after the lights going on.

Is this just normal behavior for a juvenile marginated?
 

CylonSurfer

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Bump - Anyone? His lights have been on since 6:30 this morning and he is yet to emerge from his burrow.... I have supplied pics of his enclosure the second showing his lighting, I have linked to the type of basking bulb and also provided the temps I record in the basking area.

I really could do with some assistance as I'm worried about this behavior, for a start I doubt the tortoise is getting the correct UV if he is buried most of the day. As I say, once he is up he does not rebury himself until the lights go out. Surely he would if he were too hot or cold?

Is this normal behavior with a 1 year old? Should I dig him out each morning until this pattern stops? Should I leave him to it?
 

Angel Carrion

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Can we get a picture of the actual bulb? Are you only using the basking bulb? If so you also need a UVB bulb.
What are the humidity readings?
 

Angel Carrion

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Okay what I've read is that burrowing behavior is common in baby turtles because of their high mortality rate from predators. So if he sometimes stays buried but does eventually come out like you say, that should be fine.
One thing I would say is to up the ambient room temperature from 25C to 29C while keeping the basking temp at 35C like you are. Keeping humidity at 70% is good, too.
Another suggestion I have is covering the entire enclosure with a lid or something overnight after you turn lights off to raise the humidity during the night, then take the lid off in the morning when you turn lights on. This will replicate their natural environment more.
10.0 UVB bulb that is not a coil bulb, good. Coil bulbs hurt their eyes and can damage them to the point of blindness.
If your basking bulb is keeping the basking spot at 35C then that's good and I don't think needs to change, but generally a 100Watt basking bulb is preferred.
 

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