Defecating and urinating in habitat

[Lslifko]

I live in a warmer climate so my tortoise has been outside during the day and then inside in a crate for the cooler evenings. She often goes to the bathroom in her crate rather than outside. I know most creatures don’t tend to defecate and such where they sleep and wondered is this unusual for her to do or typical for tortoises

 

[Avuwyy]

I find that my tortoise tends to defecate in the same areas of his enclosure. This might be a part of his routine though, so I can’t confidently answer whether this is typical tortoise behaviour unfortunately. If I may ask… What do you mean when you say crate? Like a dog crate or?

 

[Lslifko]

I find that my tortoise tends to defecate in the same areas of his enclosure. This might be a part of his routine though, so I can’t confidently answer whether this is typical tortoise behaviour unfortunately. If I may ask… What do you mean when you say crate? Like a dog crate or?

Yes a soft sided dog crate. It was stuffed with hay till recently

 

[Avuwyy]

Okay that could be a possible issue and a reason why they are defecating in the crate. Tortoises and many other reptiles defecate when they feel threatened as to make predators think they are unappealing. If they are in an unfamiliar environment, or an environment which isn’t secure, with activity they aren’t all that familiar with (fast constant movement, noise they wouldn’t be hearing whilst outdoors, vibrations on flooring or furniture from doors closing, etc) then it could stress the animal enough to defecate.

How are you heating the crate (I’d assume it’s dangerous considering it’s fabric)? I can see this has been posted in the Sulcata Tortoise section of the forums, Sulcata tortoises are less hardy against cooler temps than say a Russian tortoise and for a young Sulcata (Unsure of age so will reference young tortoises), night time temps should not dip below 25c, so for most houses they would need some sort of overnight heating. It would be worth looking into building an outdoor heated hide if your outdoor enclosure is properly secured, given you live in a warmer climate.

 

[Tom]

I live in a warmer climate so my tortoise has been outside during the day and then inside in a crate for the cooler evenings. She often goes to the bathroom in her crate rather than outside. I know most creatures don’t tend to defecate and such where they sleep and wondered is this unusual for her to do or typical for tortoises

All tortoises poop in their sleeping ares. Sulcatas in particular live most of their live in underground burrows in the wild, and they poop and peep help maintain some humidity in their environment during the dry parts of the year over there.

If your tortoise is large enough to live outside, then it needs a heated insulated night box. Room temp on the floor of the house in winter is much too cold, and a dog crate is not a suitable place for a tortoise to over night. Here is an example:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Your life will be easier, ad the tortoises life much better when he has a night box to retire too in his enclosure outside.

Another note, I allow and encourage them to burrow in summertime. Anytime day temps are staying in the 90s or higher consistently, like June through September or October for you, your tortoise needs an underground escape from the terrible heat top side. Then, in fall, when the temps start dropping and nights get colder, I block the burrow entrance, and make them start sleeping in their heated shelters until the warmer weather returns.