scarlettedenrose
New Member
Hi! I’m new to the forum and bought my first tort about a month 1/2 ago after wanting one for years (I’m sixteen). She’s a about 10 weeks old now I think, and I’ve slowly got used to her personality and traits which have helped me adapt her lifestyle to benefit her and keep her safe as best I can. We already have a bearded dragon in the house, so I wasn’t completely new to reptile care when I got her, which helped a lot. I’ve done lots of research and I think I’m doing ok as a new owner.
My only problem is her love of climbing! I try to encourage exploring and safe climbing but recently she’s been determined to scale the walls of her tort table, which has often resulted in her flipping over. This became much more serious yesterday as my dad (who VERY luckily was home at the time) found her upside-down in her water dish, struggling to keep her head up (though the water is very shallow). If he hadn’t had found her, I’m terrified to think what I would have found coming home from school. I’ve always had rocks in the dish to give her something to push or lay against when in the water, as the dish is quite large. I’ve seen her trying to climb the walls next to her dish (it’s a corner one) so this must be how she fell over into it.
I’m attempting to ‘baby-proof’ the sides by angling them but I’m still at a loss as what to do about the dish problem. It’s too big to move into the middle so I’m looking for something smaller to use. I’m not sure how shallow I can make the water before she can’t use it to drink or bathe at all. I’ve also tried to draw her attention to potential climbing objects in the middle of the table like large rocks and bits of wood, and making obstacles she can’t see past to draw more interest and exploration, but I can’t get her away from the walls! Even as I’m writing this she’s trying to climb them and has been trying all day. The table is about 1.5x2.5 feet and she’s only tiny, plus the floor space was my biggest concern before buying her and I’ve put a lot of effort into giving her enough space to roam, so I don’t think it’s that? Or does she need more room? I can’t put her outside yet (even for a little bit) as I live in the Northern UK, so it’s just too cold and wet with no sun, especially for a hatchling.
I hope this isn’t too much information all at once. I’m just anxious about her safety when I’m not at home and it would be useful to know if this behaviour comes from natural interest, boredom, or (though I hope not) a need to escape, so that I can adjust the table accordingly and give her a stimulating and stress-free environment.
Thanks!
Scarlett
My only problem is her love of climbing! I try to encourage exploring and safe climbing but recently she’s been determined to scale the walls of her tort table, which has often resulted in her flipping over. This became much more serious yesterday as my dad (who VERY luckily was home at the time) found her upside-down in her water dish, struggling to keep her head up (though the water is very shallow). If he hadn’t had found her, I’m terrified to think what I would have found coming home from school. I’ve always had rocks in the dish to give her something to push or lay against when in the water, as the dish is quite large. I’ve seen her trying to climb the walls next to her dish (it’s a corner one) so this must be how she fell over into it.
I’m attempting to ‘baby-proof’ the sides by angling them but I’m still at a loss as what to do about the dish problem. It’s too big to move into the middle so I’m looking for something smaller to use. I’m not sure how shallow I can make the water before she can’t use it to drink or bathe at all. I’ve also tried to draw her attention to potential climbing objects in the middle of the table like large rocks and bits of wood, and making obstacles she can’t see past to draw more interest and exploration, but I can’t get her away from the walls! Even as I’m writing this she’s trying to climb them and has been trying all day. The table is about 1.5x2.5 feet and she’s only tiny, plus the floor space was my biggest concern before buying her and I’ve put a lot of effort into giving her enough space to roam, so I don’t think it’s that? Or does she need more room? I can’t put her outside yet (even for a little bit) as I live in the Northern UK, so it’s just too cold and wet with no sun, especially for a hatchling.
I hope this isn’t too much information all at once. I’m just anxious about her safety when I’m not at home and it would be useful to know if this behaviour comes from natural interest, boredom, or (though I hope not) a need to escape, so that I can adjust the table accordingly and give her a stimulating and stress-free environment.
Thanks!
Scarlett