Redfoot desperately wants out of enclosure

TuckerDucker

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My redfoot is about a year and a half old. He has https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GOO83UK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20 this enclosure. He has 18 sq ft. He can't see outside of it. He kept escaping, now that we've patched all his escape holes he's trying his best to get out and flips over on his back and can't get back up. I'm really not sure what to do. He has a ton of substrate and several flower pots facing all directions around the enclosure. We have a humidifier running in there. Most of the enclosure ranges from 77-85 degrees, right under the heat/light lamps is mid 90s.
 

gabster723

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My redfoot is about a year and a half old. He has https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GOO83UK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20 this enclosure. He has 18 sq ft. He can't see outside of it. He kept escaping, now that we've patched all his escape holes he's trying his best to get out and flips over on his back and can't get back up. I'm really not sure what to do. He has a ton of substrate and several flower pots facing all directions around the enclosure. We have a humidifier running in there. Most of the enclosure ranges from 77-85 degrees, right under the heat/light lamps is mid 90s.

My tort does that when he feels the urge to walk around. Tortoises love to climb things and walk A LOT. Since my tortoise is a little big and indoors, I dont have much space for a big enclosure so he’s only in there to get warm, sleep and poop. The rest of the time he’s wandering my apartment which is warm as well. Maybe try having your tort explore a room? Be sure to tortoise proof it tho like you would for a baby! They get into a lot of things since they’re so curious! Hope my advice helps, I speak from experience with my redfoot who is 10 years old now.
 

TechnoCheese

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Definitely don’t have a tortoise roam your floors. This is insanely dangerous, and will just make your problem worse.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/can-i-allow-my-tortoise-to-roam-the-floor-of-the-house.175735/

How large is your tortoise?

Part of the problem (which can also be caused by allowing a tortoise to roam the floor outside its enclosure) is likely that, after escaping, it knows that there is a bigger world outside of its enclosure for it to explore, and it wants to be there. Be sure that the enclosure is secure and that there are no clear walls to see from.
 
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gabster723

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Definitely don’t have a tortoise roam your floors. This is insanely dangerous, and will just make your problem worse.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/can-i-allow-my-tortoise-to-roam-the-floor-of-the-house.175735/

How large is your tortoise?

Part of the problem (which can also be caused by allowing a tortoise to roam the floor outside its enclosure) is likely that, after escaping, it knows that there is a bigger world outside of its enclosure for it to explore, and it wants to be there. Be sure that the enclosure is secure and that there are no clear walls to see from.

So I read the article you linked in your reply, but wouldn’t taking them outside make them still feel like there’s a bigger world out there as well? I’ve read about keep enclosures tall, at least 16 inches above the tortoises shell (depending on sizes) so that way they can’t see out. But mine is pretty trained. He knows when he wants to explore and he knows when it’s time to go back to his home. It’s low enough so he can come and go as he pleases. Also I understand the factors of dust, dirts and just finding bits on the floor which is why I keep it very clean and tortoise proof the rest (such as no bags or wires on the floor, or anything he can hurt himself with).
But that’s also the case if you take them out of their enclosure in general, even if it’s outdoors to graze or if you just want to hold your tortoise. He/she will always want to walk and explore since they are very curious creatures
 

Toddrickfl1

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My Redfoot went thru a faze last year for a few months where he was spending every last minute trying to climb the corners and sides of his pen to escape. He was about 2 and his enclosure was plenty big enough for him so that wasn't the problem. He eventually stopped doing it after a few months and doesn't at all anymore. Maybe your tort is going thru this same faze?
 

Tony B

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Maybe you could alter the environment a couple of times a week while they sleep to give the impression of some place new to explore,you can get pretty creative with a lot of small things,May improve the mental stress.
 

TechnoCheese

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So I read the article you linked in your reply, but wouldn’t taking them outside make them still feel like there’s a bigger world out there as well? I’ve read about keep enclosures tall, at least 16 inches above the tortoises shell (depending on sizes) so that way they can’t see out. But mine is pretty trained. He knows when he wants to explore and he knows when it’s time to go back to his home. It’s low enough so he can come and go as he pleases. Also I understand the factors of dust, dirts and just finding bits on the floor which is why I keep it very clean and tortoise proof the rest (such as no bags or wires on the floor, or anything he can hurt himself with).
But that’s also the case if you take them out of their enclosure in general, even if it’s outdoors to graze or if you just want to hold your tortoise. He/she will always want to walk and explore since they are very curious creatures

There should be a secure outdoor enclosure for them outside, not just roaming the yard. In my personal experience, it seems that having two separate enclosures makes it so that there’s no “new” territory, and they are able to differentiate the two.
 

MysticCaribou

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My Redfoot went thru a faze last year for a few months where he was spending every last minute trying to climb the corners and sides of his pen to escape. He was about 2 and his enclosure was plenty big enough for him so that wasn't the problem. He eventually stopped doing it after a few months and doesn't at all anymore. Maybe your tort is going thru this same faze?

Mine went through the same phase at 3 years old. It lasted about 4 or 5 months and doesn't do it all anymore.
 

Blackdog1714

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My Russian settled into his outdoor enclosure about a few weeks after being there day and night. Now it is just a nice permiter stroll- ruts to prove it- around and then dig into the food!
 

Toddrickfl1

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Mine went through the same phase at 3 years old. It lasted about 4 or 5 months and doesn't do it all anymore.
I got mine at about 4" so I'm really guesstimating the age, he very well could have been closer to 3. Interesting though you've experienced it too.
 

Yvonne G

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The reason he's so desperate to get out is because he has in the past. Now he knows there's more to the world than what's inside his four walls and he wants back out there. Eighteen square feet isn't all that big for a tortoise. He should have a bigger space. I like the greenhouse for keeping the humidity up, but the floor space isn't enough for him to get out his wanderlust.
 

Redfool

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A pen with rounded corners and no obstructions around the inside periphery will keep him on the move with no corners to climb. Lots of exercise this way. Once had a free roaming male that would not stop pacing until he got passed quarantine and was introduced to my lady torts.
 

ZEROPILOT

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A pen with rounded corners and no obstructions around the inside periphery will keep him on the move with no corners to climb. Lots of exercise this way. Once had a free roaming male that would not stop pacing until he got passed quarantine and was introduced to my lady torts.
Interesting.
The only tortoise I ever had that acted that way was also a Male. And somehow he KNEW there were females around.
He was right. But had never seen them.
Pheromones?
So, the pacing....I don't know the answer. The climbing mostly goes away as the tortoise gets larger...and also as the keeper gets better at identifying climbing risks and eliminates them.
The rounded corners tip is a great one. As most climbing does happen in a corner.
 

TuckerDucker

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Definitely don’t have a tortoise roam your floors. This is insanely dangerous, and will just make your problem worse.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/can-i-allow-my-tortoise-to-roam-the-floor-of-the-house.175735/

How large is your tortoise?

Part of the problem (which can also be caused by allowing a tortoise to roam the floor outside its enclosure) is likely that, after escaping, it knows that there is a bigger world outside of its enclosure for it to explore, and it wants to be there. Be sure that the enclosure is secure and that there are no clear walls to see from.

He's around 4 inches
 
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