Escapee Tortoise !!

[benkajucla]

I have a hermanns tortoise which I rescued after a dog attack. She came in a vivarium in which she spends loads of time trying to get through the glass. So I bought her a tortoise table........she hates it....... and just keeps going round and round the perimeter at quite a speed. I have put in various hides etc to keep her amused but no....she wants out. The scenario is the same in the large outside run we made her.....we turfed it.....put in various plants that we checked were safe for her......bits of stuff she can climb over etc etc and even a ramp going to another level !!! But no.....she finds the perimeter and tries to get out, ignoring all the 'playthings' . ALSO......she will insist on eating dirt and stuff she shouldnt and ignoring the grass and dandelions when outside . To give her space we put her on the floor of the front room and she made straight for the rug and started trying to eat it......even though there was a nice dish of weeds, rocket etc etc put down for her. I dont know what else to do for her !! She is a lovely girl but just has this' must escape' thing going on !!

 

[Sunshine]

Hi there, I think it sounds like she's just getting used to her new surroundings< Herbie was just the same! She will settle after a while, she did the same thing when we got her. Torts just hate change! Hermann's though are quite sociable little things so I find Herbie likes to be around us in the garden/ or around the house. She'll soon get a routine in place, she's on high alert at the moment getting used to things.
Even when I change Herbie's substrate and put in new stones and barks etc she always sniffs and does a few laps to see what's what.
What substrate are you using too? I use Tortoise Life it's like a mixture of sand and soil and she seems to prefer that to anything else - she likes to burry down in it and have a little snooze under her bulb.
Do you soak her? They tend to love that too.
Don't worry she'll be calm soon!