Changed the substrate for giggles.

[axeman25]

So because I can never leave things alone I tried putting some cypress mulch in half of my tortoises enclosure to see if a little change would do them some good. Man, they ran (well, the way tortoises do) right over to that side and began to root and dig around with more enthusiasm than I'd ever seen out of them. So I decided to grab about 15 sprouts off of my spider plant and buried them around the enclosure and then planted six medium plants around in various areas throughout the enclosure. I also filled the other side with mulch. I figure I will just remove it if they get bored with it. So far they really seem to like the change. They haven't stopped exploring their new surroundings.

 

[Jodie]

Love the plants.

 

[axeman25]

Love the plants.

Thanks. I'm sure they'll last about two days. My grandfather gave me enough of them that once they chew them down I'll pull them out and rotate In some with fresh growth while the chewed up ones recover for a couple weeks. I guess I was pretty surprised by something as small as changing the substrate, adding some plants, and moving the stuff they climb on around that they'd react like they did. But I guess I should be thankful that it was just that easy to get them excited about it.

 

[Jodie]

Not to curb your enthusiasm, but excitement is probably one of those human emotions. I think it is more curious with a bit of stress that causes the exploration. I think it is good for them, and believe it prevents boredom though, so I change things up occasionally as well.

 

[axeman25]

I'm sure it was just the curiosity. Pavel the male is always in the middle of whatever is going on, he's like the nosy old lady neighbor that's in everyone's business. Anytime I open the lid and move something or set something down in there for a sec he is all over it. It's really funny. I'm sure it's just his way of telling me that I'm messing with his area and he needs to approve of the work being done.

 

[Jodie]

Lol. Based on the pics, he approves. I have one like that too. It's cute.

 

[puffy137]

Tortoises might not be able to jump for joy, like rabbits do , but they know what makes them feel good

 

[ZEROPILOT]

You'll want to ad a flat, wide cement pad or a floor tile placed upside down to help trim their nails down a bit. Otherwise it looks great to me. (Except for the fact that two Russians kept together will likely start fighting soon.)
There is a certain satisfaction that comes from making your tortoise friends "happy".

 

[smarch]

my guy loves mulch over any dirt or coir.

 

[axeman25]

You'll want to ad a flat, wide cement pad or a floor tile placed upside down to help trim their nails down a bit. Otherwise it looks great to me. (Except for the fact that two Russians kept together will likely start fighting soon.)
There is a certain satisfaction that comes from making your tortoise friends "happy".

When I made the decision to rescue these guys I actually got all three of them together. The male and two females we're raised together in a 29 gallon aquarium. I've only had them for a couple months. I have one of the females separated in another enclosure. I have kept a close eye on these two and I will separate them as soon as I see an issue. I know the risk and have read all the threads but I'm confident that right now there is no need to split the two up.


It was funny to watch. My male has always enjoyed digging into the substrate, but just an inch or so. Last night I couldn't find him for a couple minutes. He had tunneled himself down about five inches.

 

[smarch]

When I made the decision to rescue these guys I actually got all three of them together. The male and two females we're raised together in a 29 gallon aquarium. I've only had them for a couple months. I have one of the females separated in another enclosure. I have kept a close eye on these two and I will separate them as soon as I see an issue. I know the risk and have read all the threads but I'm confident that right now there is no need to split the two up.


It was funny to watch. My male has always enjoyed digging into the substrate, but just an inch or so. Last night I couldn't find him for a couple minutes. He had tunneled himself down about five inches.

just a tad off topic but when the 3rd gets all better and back to herself for a while are you going for all 3 together or just the 1 and pair until the pair gets split? Just curious

 

[axeman25]

The sick one had already been in her own enclosure for a while. I will keep her separate.

 

[axeman25]

So they still don't seem to be bored with their new substrate, the plants I've added, or me 're-arranging their enclosure. I was a little worried they might shut down a bit the way the did a day or two after I got them. But so far they are active, eating, and seem to be content with their surroundings. I keep finding the male either buried completely under the substrate or climbing on something. I'm just wondering if all the climbing is because he's not comfortable or doesn't like the new substrate or if it's just cuz he's a Russian......and that's what they do.

 

[axeman25]

I meant to include this picture of Pavel the spider-tort in my last post.

 

[puffy137]

My Greeks are all adept at climbing , luckily their shells help to ensure a happy landing when they slide down their rocks. They explore everywhere. Maggie even took a bite at my artificial plant today , she looked quite disgusted when she couldn't bite off a bit, the colour must have tempted her to try.