Enclosure advice

[Hershel]

Hi everyone. We've had our tortoise only a few days and have following any advice we've been able to find but are worried that Hershel doesn't stay still for long unless it's to sleep at night or eat. A lot of the information says because he's a baby he'll want to hide and sleep mostly.

We gave him his first soak today, which he seemed to enjoy, and changed some of his habitat around while he was out, but he's still walked laps none stop around the edge of his table all day today. We added the log hide a few days ago but he's only gone through it when it was against the edge of the table, we also tried it with one end against the wall but he didn't go in it at all. Now it's in the middle more he just walks around it. He's now walked around so much he's filled his water with substrate, I'm about to change it but have left it for the pic. We've not handled Hershel much but when we bathed him he wasn't shy and walked onto my wife's hand when we were taking him out of the water. He's eaten well and been to the toilet regularly. Temps are 22C - 34C and around 20C at night and he sleeps buried in the corner where the lamp is. Humidity is a bit low at the moment but gonna try to cover half the table somehow and grow some seeds in the soil.

Is all this normal behaviour and nothing to worry about or should we be finding him better shelter? Any advice or reassurance would be amazing. Happy Christmas one and all

 

[Tom]

My guess is that if he is wandering that much, something is not to his liking. I don't see any shelter in there and the substrate looks bone dry. These things might be a factor. I would also recommend getting rid of that Pets At Home substrate ASAP, as it poses a serious impaction risk, though this is not likely to be the cause of your current your problem.

I also don't see a humid hide. You might try that too.

Finally, I would move the water dish into the middle of the enclosure over near the basking area and sink it into the substrate. Having it along the perimeter is a sure way to get it filled with substrate.

 

[Hershel]

Thanks Tom,

There's a hide near the bottom right of the picture, a half log tunnel but he never goes in it. I do spray the soil a few times a day and when he was bathing I dampened it quite a bit but . The more I read the more I realise about the substrate and we're gonna change it soon.

Like I said we're gonna grow some seeds and cover some of the table over to up humidity, is that what you mean by a humid hide?

 

[Hershel]

Are you saying the perimeter walking is normal behaviour but not as much as Hershel is doing it?

 

[Matt j Harris]

Tbh I've never seen a tortoise that doesn't walk around the perimeter of an enclosure in the wild they walk for miles without restrictions our adult has full access to a large garden and still walks around the edge more than pottering around the middle and neighbors down the road have a 70+ year old female Greek tortoise who is a great big tank of a tortoise does exactly the same thing in their garden

 

[WithLisa]

Yes, it's a (more or less) normal behaviour for adults, but I've never seen my babys walk around the perimeter of their enclosure. They only move short distances at a time, from one food plant to the next or back to their favorite hide.

I guess your hatchling just doesn't feel secure, especially the space under the lamp is completely open. They want lots of plants with small sunny spots in between to sunbathe without beeing seen.
The log is too big to be used as a hide. In the wild they dig their own holes between roots, just big enough for them to fit into (they want to feel the walls all around their shell, so if they stretch out their legs they are completely wedged and predators can't pull them out easily).

 

[Hershel]

Thanks guys, and merry christmas. Gonna do some redecorating during bathtimes and try to settle him. Really appreciate the advice

 

[Hershel]

Hi guys, i just wanted to say thank you again for all your help. Heshel had his bath earlier and while he was soaking we made a few changes. We've added an attempt at a humid hide, bought a cuttlefish bone, and a smaller log hide, and changed the substrate from the soil mix we were using to coco substrate from the local pet store. After hershel returned home he had a breif mooch about, had a good feed and a good go at his cuttlefish, wandered in and out of his new "humid hide" and promptly fell asleep in the entrance near his lamps hot spot, he's since moved about 3 inches. We're so much more relaxed now that he is settleing down so thank you from the 3 of us for the advice