Is an active tortoise stressed or having fun?

[ladybee]

Wachu is an 18 month old Russian who lives outdoors during the day and comes in at night. We live in the Canary Islands, where it's sunny and hot during the day - temperatures range from the low 20s to low 30s (Celcius) depending on the time of year.

My outdoor terrace and garden is fully secure (about 15m long and 2 metres wide) and she has full run of it during the day - hiding spots and digging areas, logs to climb around, a little paddling pool area dug into the ground and plants to forage amongst.

I've noticed she's super active during the mornings - spends the whole morning walking up and down the terrace along the walls and very occasionally stopping for a sunbathe. Then mid-afternoon she slows down and as the weather here often turns chillier, I tend to bring her in, whereupon she goes to bed and sleeps until morning.

I'm new to keeping her outdoors (her previous owner had her indoors the whole time) and I'm not sure how to tell if she's so active because she's stressed or if she's just having a good time exploring and exercising.

Any advice on what I should be looking out for as signs of stress vs signs of a happy tort? Am I overthinking things?

 

[GBtortoises]

Tortoises in general are wanderers. In the wild they would have a general area or territory that they exist in. For them to stay in the area it has to have the basic essentials to exist. Safety, shelter, food, water and opportunity to procreate. Tortoises do not think much beyond that. They spend their days seeking those essentials as needed. Males of many species will patrol their territory more frequently to ensure that rival males do not attempt to move in and to find females to breed. It's no different in captivity except they usually do not have control over those essentials. We the keepers do.
A tortoise can display stress by constantly trying to escape it's enclosure by climbing the walls, pacing and seeming very agitated while doing so. This can be the case when a tortoise is kept in too small of an area and/or does not have some of the basic essential available to them, particularly shelter to feel safe. But a tortoise that is stressed usually is so because of other tortoises kept with it in a confined area. This is particularly true of males of some species, especially Testudo species. Generally a stressed tortoise in captivity will spend much of it's time in hiding, possibly stop eating or drinking.
From what you describe, what you're seeing is probably very normal activity. As long as you know that your tortoise is eating, drinking and pooping regular it's fine. In the temperatures that you mention a tortoise is usually going to be most active in the morning, then find shelter from the afternoon heat, often coming out to forage again in the early evening when the temperatures begin to cool down.

 

[ladybee]

Tortoises in general are wanderers. In the wild they would have a general area or territory that they exist in. For them to stay in the area it has to have the basic essentials to exist. Safety, shelter, food, water and opportunity to procreate. Tortoises do not think much beyond that. They spend their days seeking those essentials as needed. Males of many species will patrol their territory more frequently to ensure that rival males do not attempt to move in and to find females to breed. It's no different in captivity except they usually do not have control over those essentials. We the keepers do.
A tortoise can display stress by constantly trying to escape it's enclosure by climbing the walls, pacing and seeming very agitated while doing so. This can be the case when a tortoise is kept in too small of an area and/or does not have some of the basic essential available to them, particularly shelter to feel safe. But a tortoise that is stressed usually is so because of other tortoises kept with it in a confined area. This is particularly true of males of some species, especially Testudo species. Generally a stressed tortoise in captivity will spend much of it's time in hiding, possibly stop eating or drinking.
From what you describe, what you're seeing is probably very normal activity. As long as you know that your tortoise is eating, drinking and pooping regular it's fine. In the temperatures that you mention a tortoise is usually going to be most active in the morning, then find shelter from the afternoon heat, often coming out to forage again in the early evening when the temperatures begin to cool down.

Oh good - thank you so much! She definitely doesn't seem agitated, just keeps tanking it up and down with an adorably determined look on her face.

She comes to greet me when I come outside (usually every 15 minutes or so to check on her), stands on my foot for a while for a stroke and a hello, and then bombs off again.

This forum has been so helpful already in helping me get her setup right, AND I also find all the detailed information a bit overwhelming at times, so just getting a handle on 'is she happy?' feels like a good foundation.