Switching housing during day

[mini_max]

Hi! New Russian owner. Little Max is still a baby, under 1 we think. We've got him in a well ventilated, visually barriered terrarium which we intend to upsize in a year or 2 as he grows (and he will live outside when it's summer). But for fun during the day I got a very long wide Rubbermaid and made sort of a playpen for him with substrate, hides, heat and uva/uvb and coming soon some live edibles.

Today he ate like a pig twice, had a soak, pooped, and tried out is playpen for the first time and made lots of miles. Then at around 11:30 this morning (gets up around 6:30 to7:00 ish in the morning I think) he burrowed into the corner of his playpen and went for what we thought was a nap. However now at 6:00 pm he's still out. Don't have the right set up in the playpen for night so I carefully unearthed him and brought him back to his terrarium. HE DIDNT EVEN WAKE UP. When I checked him again he'd readjusted, so he's ok.

Is this amount of sleep normal?

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

welcome to the forum! baby tortoises sleep a lot just like human babies! can you post some pics of him and his enclosure?

 

[mini_max]

Thank you! I will take some good pics with my iPad tomorrow when it's light and he's awake.

 

[wellington]

He may have tuck in because it wasn't warm enough? Also could be because he is not used to them we play pen. Most torts get a little stressed being moved to a new place. What would be really nice for him, is to connect the two enclosures together, giving him a bigger space to live and then he would also get used to it. Although they are small, russians in the wild cover a lot of ground.

 

[mini_max]

His basking area was hitting around 93 and at the furthest points away from that he was at low 80s/high 70s. Is this ok for him? Even prior to trying out the bigger pen he was putting himself to bed rather early. I don't get the sense that he is stressed, but I'm so new to this I don't know. He's quite active and I'm completely shocked at how responsive he is to me. Seems like when he's in the terrarium and I talk to him he motors over to me. Is that possible?!
Also, given the stressing when moved to a new place, is it a bad idea to do a little closely supervised house roaming?

 

[Tom]

His basking area was hitting around 93 and at the furthest points away from that he was at low 80s/high 70s. Is this ok for him?

Yes. Sounds good.

 

[Tom]

Even prior to trying out the bigger pen he was putting himself to bed rather early. I don't get the sense that he is stressed, but I'm so new to this I don't know.

That is normal this time of year.

Being moved to a new area is stressful, but he will get used to it.

 

[Tom]

He's quite active and I'm completely shocked at how responsive he is to me. Seems like when he's in the terrarium and I talk to him he motors over to me. Is that possible?!

Yes it is, and its quite normal too. That's one of the things that is so appealing about russians.

 

[Tom]

Also, given the stressing when moved to a new place, is it a bad idea to do a little closely supervised house roaming?

Very bad idea. I and several others here have been advising against this practice for years. Just a few days ago we had a member who accidentally killed her tortoise while it was roaming the house. Leave your tortoise in its enclosures. Just make the enclosures plenty big and interesting.

 

[Gillian M]

Welcome to the forum.Would love to see some photos of your tort. Good luck.

 

[mini_max]

Introducing Max!!!

 

[TortMomma]

He's a handsome mansome! Welcome!

 

[mini_max]

He may have tuck in because it wasn't warm enough? Also could be because he is not used to them we play pen. Most torts get a little stressed being moved to a new place. What would be really nice for him, is to connect the two enclosures together, giving him a bigger space to live and then he would also get used to it. Although they are small, russians in the wild cover a lot of ground.

Thank you so much for the connecting idea! I think I've come up with a ramp idea that will work (in theory anyway ).

 

[Gillian M]

Your tort is gorgeous.GOD bless!