I had a quick question. I recently purchased my first leopard tortoise from a breeder I know and trust. The tort is a little over 1 year old and has been raised in an outdoor enclosure during the warmer periods and in a greenhouse when the temps drop. It appears to be very healthy, active, eating and pooping regularly. I built it a table that measures 4'x2' with an organic soil substrate and a half log hide with sphagnum moss for humidity. I drilled some holes in the top of the hide to allow better heat penetration from the CHE that hangs above it. The table is typically about 78-80 degrees on the left side where the hide is located, 85-90 in the center (heated and lit by a MVB for UV) and has a basking spot on the right side that reaches 105 from a halogen bulb. There are some edible plants planted in the substrate (checked them on TortoiseTable) and a water dish that it can easily enter and exit. It basically has an option to thermoregulate through all of the temp zones that I have read it should need. I keep the substrate moist by spraying 2-3 x's a day and run the lights on a 12/12 cycle.
Anyways, my question is this... The tortoise tends to prefer to spend much of its time in the 1 corner of the table that gets very little heat due to the limited reach of the CHE. The corner runs about 74 degrees throughout the entire day and night. Since it has access to any and all temp ranges, why would it spend so much time in the cooler part of its home? I would think that the tortoise would know what is best for it and stay where it can be properly heated. What am I missing here?
Anyways, my question is this... The tortoise tends to prefer to spend much of its time in the 1 corner of the table that gets very little heat due to the limited reach of the CHE. The corner runs about 74 degrees throughout the entire day and night. Since it has access to any and all temp ranges, why would it spend so much time in the cooler part of its home? I would think that the tortoise would know what is best for it and stay where it can be properly heated. What am I missing here?