What is she doing?

[tobyandlydia❤]

Yesterday i looked outside to see this.
Woke up a minute ago to see still this. The weather is grey and damp and now she is VERY slowly pulling herself out of it. What was she doing?:/

 

[JoesMum]

She could have been laying eggs... or she could just have been digging in to keep warm. Have a peak (carefully)

 

[tobyandlydia❤]

No eggs in sight :'(

 

[JoesMum]

No eggs in sight :'(

I suspected as much.

Sometimes females dig many holes before deciding they've dug the perfect one to lay in though.

My male, Joe, digs in when it's chilly though. Sometimes all you can see is a small circle of shell a few centimetres in diameter.

 

[tobyandlydia❤]

She was looking a bit heavy and wobbly on her feet that day too , and before she was looking for a place to lay her eggs so its a tough one :/

 

[JoesMum]

Heavy and wobbly looking isn't uncommon in the cooler weather either. She may not be warm enough to consider laying.

 

[GBtortoises]

She is burying herself in (or coming out of) shelter underground. It's very common for some Mediterranean tortoises to do this when they need to escape weather extremes. During periods of long, wet cloudy days they are actually able to stay warmer underground, even if the sun comes out for short periods because the soil absorbs and holds the heat around them better than them sitting above ground in sunny but cooler air. While not as commonly done with other Testudo species, Hermann's (and of course burrowing Russians) will often bury themselves like this if they cannot find shelter that they deem adequate. Even when adequate shelter is available, some, especially more recent wild caught individuals and those kept outdoors in captivity long term, will still choose to bury themselves over seeking covered shelter. They will usually do so in a strategic area where the sun hits early in the day, although not always. There is no cause for concern as long as the area that your tortoise is burying itself in is safe from standing water, flooding or other dangers. The best thing to do is mark the spot with a small flag or other marker and let the tortoise be.

No tortoises bury their bodies or dig a hole that large when nesting. Some (Russians) will often dig a hole so deep that the bottom half of their body is in the hole and they're standing almost upright while digging out the nest cavity. But none actually immerse their whole bodies in the nest hole.

 

[tobyandlydia❤]

Thanks for the help! Toby is mating with her now hehe:/ !