Climbing the walls

[ChelseaR]

Hi,
I have a 1yr old russian tortoise and he is constantly climbing the walls of his enclosure, hes still quite small and his enclosure has everything he needs plus roaming/cool & a basking space.
When he scratches i let him roam around or if its hot out he goes in an outdoor enclosure but he always either finds somewhere to hide and sleep or try and escape his outdoor place.

I dont understand why he does this, when hes out of his enclosure he doesnt walk around and tire himself out he just finds somewhere dark and sleeps.
Does anyone know why?

Thank you,
Chelsea.

 

[JoesMum]

Russians are very active and need lots of space. How big is this enclosure? Pictures will also help us make suggestions to help him settle

 

[Maro2Bear]

Hi Chelsea

Id recommend you uploading a few pix of your enclosure so everyone can have a look. Often times, ppl spot a thing here or there that will help. Is this a new tort for you and new behaviour?

 

[ChelseaR]

Here is a picture with him inside, i honestly dont have the room for a much bigger enclosure right now but he gets let out frequently so that he can run around, usually when my mum is cleaning she lets him out so she can keep an eye on him.
Im fairly new to looking after tortoises so any help would be appreciated.

 

[JoesMum]

It is too small. A Russian needs a minimum of 8' x 4' (1.5 x 2.2 metres) space.

You will need to sit down with your Mum and work out how you can increase the space you can offer.

Letting your tort roam free in house or garden is a recipe for disaster. Russians are great climbers and diggers - fantastic escape artists.

Also they have a bad habit of eating things that aren't edible just because they like brightly coloured food items. And worse still is the risk of stepping on them.

You can try to break up the sight lines in the enclosure with plants, sink pots into the substrate, which help and give your tort something to browse on, but ultimately your tort must have more space

Please read the following too
Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Russian Care Guide
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

 

[Tom]

I agree with everything Joe's Mum just told you.

You need:
1. To stop letting the tortoise roam in the house.
2. Better substrate.
3. Better hiding areas.
4. A MUCH larger enclosure. 4 of your enclosures all put together would still be a little on the small side for a russian.
5. Taller sides.
6. A shallow water bowl. Terra cotta plant saucers sunk into the substrate work best.
7. To read those links posted by Joe's Mum.

Good luck and please come back with all your questions.

 

[Yvonne G]

In my opinion, Chelsea, it's a very big mistake to allow a captive tortoise to realize/know that there is a big, wide, wonderful world outside the confines of his habitat. Once he knows that there's more to life than what's inside his habitat, he's never satisfied ever again to remain confined.

Is it possible to build him a safe and secure outdoor habitat? Tortoises do much better outside.

 

[estorozhenko]

Make sure his tank is not transparent because tortoises don't understand glass the simple solution is to cover the walls of the tank with curtains,duck tape,or paper.

 

[Tom]

Make sure his tank is not transparent because tortoises don't understand glass the simple solution is to cover the walls of the tank with curtains,duck tape,or paper.

This is not true. Please stop perpetuating this myth.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Cagedanimal2010]

This is not true. Please stop perpetuating this myth.

Welcome to the forum.

Hi Tom, is this not?
Im very new myself and from the limited knowledge I had gained I thought glass was bad for the reason stated. If not please feel free to teach me

Many thanks.

 

[Tom]

Hi Tom, is this not?
Im very new myself and from the limited knowledge I had gained I thought glass was bad for the reason stated. If not please feel free to teach me

Many thanks.

I've have read that tidbit in many care sheets for many years, but no, its not true. I started keeping Chelonians in 1979. It became my paid profession to care for them in 1986 and still is through today. I have been keeping turtles and tortoises in glass boxes of one sort or another for all that time. Many lizard species too. Never had one issue with it. Same story from several other long term keepers here.

Aquariums, terrariums and vivariums (all synonyms in my view…) are actually better for tortoises for the very reasons "they" say they are bad. "Reduced air flow". Great! Now we won't lose our precious heat and humidity as fast. "The tall sides can make them overheat." First of all, we are all supposed to be watching our temps regardless of the wall height of our enclosure. Second if taller walls hold in more heat, that is great! We will need to burn less electricity to maintain the correct temps and the environment will be a little more stable. "Tortoises don't understand glass and it stresses them out". All of the hundreds upon hundreds of reptiles I have kept behind glass "understood" it just fine, were not stressed, thrived in my care, and grew up to be healthy, happy reptiles.

Food for thought...

 

[CathyNed]

Has he been in this enclosure for 1 year or is the enclosure new to him? He may just be getting used to it. It is small as the others have stated.
It is not very safe to let him roam around...even when you are watching him. Where are you based and what are your temps like at the moment. He may be sleepy or more inactive outside if it is too cold.

 

[missjmg19]

I've have read that tidbit in many care sheets for many years, but no, its not true. I started keeping Chelonians in 1979. It became my paid profession to care for them in 1986 and still is through today. I have been keeping turtles and tortoises in glass boxes of one sort or another for all that time. Many lizard species too. Never had one issue with it. Same story from several other long term keepers here.

Aquariums, terrariums and vivariums (all synonyms in my view…) are actually better for tortoises for the very reasons "they" say they are bad. "Reduced air flow". Great! Now we won't lose our precious heat and humidity as fast. "The tall sides can make them overheat." First of all, we are all supposed to be watching our temps regardless of the wall height of our enclosure. Second if taller walls hold in more heat, that is great! We will need to burn less electricity to maintain the correct temps and the environment will be a little more stable. "Tortoises don't understand glass and it stresses them out". All of the hundreds upon hundreds of reptiles I have kept behind glass "understood" it just fine, were not stressed, thrived in my care, and grew up to be healthy, happy reptiles.

Food for thought...

I'm very happy to have stumbled upon this post! Our russian does not seem to mind the glass walls. We finally allowed our cats in the room where his enclosure is and he didn't even react negatively when one of them looked right at him through the glass. Our geckos have been fine in glass, as were my brother's snakes growing up. Thanks again.

 

[dmmj]

I think it's unfair to label this a myth it's your opinion based on your experiences. My experiences say different.