Tortoise Hiding A Lot?

UpsideDownTort

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Hey guys! I have a Russian tortoise which I presume to be about 6 years old. I have had him for about a year. When I first got him he was always digging and exploring. His substrate is Cypress mulch which I will be blending with coconut coir. He gets a soak 1-2 times a week. He eats regularly and is awake in his log, but he always hides. His basking side is about 90F and the cool side is about 75 with the lamp on. At night the temps drop down to about 65 when I turn his light off. He is in a 6x3 foot enclosure. Not sure what else to do unless it's his normal behavior. Thanks guys!
 

JoesMum

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In the wild, Russians spend a large proportion of their time in burrows so hiding away is normal.

Tortoises really don’t handle change well, so it’s not uncommon for them to hide away when new or when there are changed to their enclosure.

All you can do is establish a routine so they learn to trust you and leave them alone to be brave and explore; they’re least stressed with all 4 feet on the ground of their safe enclosure. Resist the temptation to pick your tort out for cuddles or to roam the floor.

Have a routine something like:
1. Lights on using a timer
2. Before your tort has warmed up properly, soak for at least 20 minutes in warm water.
3. While soaking, tidy the enclosure and place food.
4. Replace your tort and leave him to be brave. Resist the temptation to stand and watch as you are big and scary and might want to eat him.

He will, eventually, catch on that you do nothing worse than bring yummy food. However, some torts are slower on the uptake than others.
 

Gillian M

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Welcome to the forum, @UpsideDownTort .

Any pics of your tort and his enclosure?

Don't worry - torts do not like change and therefore take time to adapt to it.

God luck!
 

el_mechacontext

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Mine just went into brumation (I hope that's what he's doing) as soon as the temps dropped. This is our first winter with him so I'm not entirely sure of his hibernating habits, but maybe that's what the hiding you're talking about is? I see you're in in the Midwest and we're getting some pretty cold weather soon.
 

RosemaryDW

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My outside Russian is winding down for hibernation (brumation) as well.

Even an indoor tortoise may slow down when the days get shorter. Did he hibernate last winter or show similar behavior?
 

UpsideDownTort

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My outside Russian is winding down for hibernation (brumation) as well.

Even an indoor tortoise may slow down when the days get shorter. Did he hibernate last winter or show similar behavior?
I had bought him exactly a year ago as of today. I honestly cannot really remember as I have short term memory loss (I had brain surgery). From what I recall he seemed to sleep a lot, but I always thought of being in a new home. He is a little skittish as of now, but I'm working on it.
 

RosemaryDW

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I had bought him exactly a year ago as of today. I honestly cannot really remember as I have short term memory loss (I had brain surgery).

I had brain surgery once myself; I lost a lot of time, and my brain never did catch entirely up, lol.

I don’t do indoor enclosures but I know his basking area needs to be at 95-100, not 90. This is in general, not just when you are trying to keep him awake in the winter. It might be that’s the actual problem. Not hibernation but your tortoise not getting warm enough to be active.

He’ll need extra lighting to stay awake just now, 12-14 hours a day. If you don’t have a timer, as Joe’s Mum mentioned above, you should get one if at all possible. Consistent lighting and heat is key.

You might have already read it (and forgot!) so take a look at the Russian care sheet: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/. It includes a short description of what to do if your Russian is trying to hibernate.
 

UpsideDownTort

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I had brain surgery once myself; I lost a lot of time, and my brain never did catch entirely up, lol.

I don’t do indoor enclosures but I know his basking area needs to be at 95-100, not 90. This is in general, not just when you are trying to keep him awake in the winter. It might be that’s the actual problem. Not hibernation but your tortoise not getting warm enough to be active.

He’ll need extra lighting to stay awake just now, 12-14 hours a day. If you don’t have a timer, as Joe’s Mum mentioned above, you should get one if at all possible. Consistent lighting and heat is key.

You might have already read it (and forgot!) so take a look at the Russian care sheet: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/. It includes a short description of what to do if your Russian is trying to hibernate.
Well my exoterra thermometer fluxuates between 93-100. I turn the lamp on before I go to work when I wake up which is about 10am and I turn it off before I go to bed which is about 11-12pm. So he is getting plenty of light but still spends most of his time sleeping in his log. I soak him 2 times a week for about 20 minutes. He comes out occasionally and when he does he is perfectly normal (digging, basking, etc) so not sure. He just seems to be sleeping more than normal
 

RosemaryDW

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I’m afraid I’m not sure either. Again, I’m not an indoor tortoise keeper so I’ll leave it to other experts from here.
 

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