Hiding tortoise

[joyo]

Hi , I rescued 2 hermanns ,uk , both have pyramiding. I have moved them to there out door enclosure 2 weeks ago (indoors at night). One Tort happily exploring and eating, one away hiding and not eating much but a little lettuce for last few days , is this normal behaviour as I suffer with anxiety , he's not coming out to bask at all

 

[TammyJ]

He is hiding from the other tortoise. They do badly kept in pairs. Each needs his own separate enclosure. Experts here will come along and let you know what else is needed to be done for them. Welcome!

 

[Tom]

Hi , I rescued 2 hermanns ,uk , both have pyramiding. I have moved them to there out door enclosure 2 weeks ago (indoors at night). One Tort happily exploring and eating, one away hiding and not eating much but a little lettuce for last few days , is this normal behaviour as I suffer with anxiety , he's not coming out to bask at all

Tammy said it. They should NEVER be kept in pairs. Separate them immediately.

Also, that water dish is just about unusable for a tortoise due to the high sides. Get a terra cotta plant saucer and sink it into the substrate. No need for rocks in the water dish. That will only collect debris and make the water unsanitary faster.

They need a heated shelter for your cold nights.

Check this thread out and look for the temperate species care sheet at the bottom:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[SinLA]

Hi , I rescued 2 hermanns ,uk , both have pyramiding. I have moved them to there out door enclosure 2 weeks ago (indoors at night). One Tort happily exploring and eating, one away hiding and not eating much but a little lettuce for last few days , is this normal behaviour as I suffer with anxiety , he's not coming out to bask at all

Yes - major signs of bullying. What looks like happy behavior for dogs/cats (being near each other, following around, etc) is the opposite in tortoises. You need separate enclosures for them or to re-home one.

The link Tom gave for new people is a great place to start: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/info-for-new-people-please-read-this-first.202363/#post-2036954. LOTS of info there, but worth wading through. Make sure you get the right food, etc.

@Lyn W is an active UK member, can also provide guidance for your area, or at least point you in directions...

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome, I'm in Wales.
Sadly as you will know by now - torts should never be kept in pairs and they will each need a minimum space of 4 x 8 feet (approx 125cm x 250 cm) but the bigger the better.
As well as the thread Tom posted this is also invaluable -

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Tom keeps them both up to date and have the best advice you'll find anywhere.

You'll also find www.thetortoisetable.org.uk a good guide for finding safe foods for your torts.

There is a lot of old information about tort care still being passed around and pet shops often sell unsuitable and unsafe equipment for profit, so ignore anything you've read elsewhere and check here before buying any equipment - members could save you a lot of money and vet fees.

Are they outside 24/7 or just during the day?
If they are outside at night you'll need to predator proof the enclosure with a cover - rats can do terrible damage to torts. Maybe add a hide that can be locked at night.
You could probably do with a more shady area out of the sun which also makes torts feel more secure.

Let us know how you get on and there's always someone around on the forum to help.

 

[Maggie3fan]

He is hiding from the other tortoise. They do badly kept in pairs. Each needs his own separate enclosure. Experts here will come along and let you know what else is needed to be done for them. Welcome!

Great advice!!!