Important lesson learned traveling

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Kerryann

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I had been thinking of having a couple of tortoise tables completed as part of an island project we are considering. Luckily I had tortoise tables built for our trip and learned that my russian didn't tolerate the table very well. She had a miserable time in the table. I ended up moving her to her travel cage and she was happier. She hated not being able to see out and would scratch and burrow the entire time she was in the table. In her temporary travel cage she could see out and was fine, but when she couldn't see she absolutely was miserable and wouldn't relax. I left her in the table for over a day trying to get her to adjust. Henry, my marginated, was fine in both because he can see out either way.
Once I put her in the temporary travel cage, which was unfortunately smaller (but not tiny), she relaxed and just laid there basking and looking around.
Am I the only one who has a crazy tortoise like this or is this common? I always say people saying to block their view. I am so glad we tried this because now I know anything I build for her needs to have clear sides so she can have a view.
 

Yvonne G

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Well, I've always told people to put their tortoise into a snug box and close it all up. That way the tortoise would settle down and sleep most of the time. I guess your steppe tortoise is the exception that proves the rule!
 

Jacqui

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I just knew with my tortoises, that they did not pace the boundaries more with an open wall then with a solid one.
 

Kerryann

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emysemys said:
Well, I've always told people to put their tortoise into a snug box and close it all up. That way the tortoise would settle down and sleep most of the time. I guess your steppe tortoise is the exception that proves the rule!

I got her to go to sleep the first night by almost treating her like a bird and putting a sheet over top of her to block out the light so that does work. The camper has a night light in it and she wouldn't sleep with that light on at all until I covered her. When I uncovered her in the morning she was back to trying to burrow out from all directions.
I felt so bad for her that I let her run outside for a while thinking she needed exercise. She pretty much basked in the sun and chewed on some rocks. When I put her back in she went right back to burrowing until I moved her back to the travel cage.
Her and Henry are both very social. They run over to the edge of their cage towards you when they can see you. We were sitting next to the cage on the ugly couch and she ran up to the side of the cage and sat there looking at us.
 
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