More Active After I've Been Away

[Joanne]

Hi guys,

I went on holiday for a couple of weeks and my sister looked after the tort for me.

He seems a lot more active, which is nice.

My sister has rearranged his enclosure slightly and covered his basking slate with coir. He never went fully under the lamp before, could this be that the slate was getting too hot?

Maybe it's because I'm not at work so I see him moving around more during the day! I didn't realise how much I missed him

 

[gieseygirly]

I used to always put a basking rock or slate under all mine tort's heat lamps, but had the same problem. I really think the rocks/slate were getting too hot. I got rid of the rocks, use the slate pieces as their feeding "zone" and both my Russian and my Leopard torts now bask directly under the lamp. I use a peat spag moss/sand mixture for my Russian (sand because he's full grown). I use mulch on one side and peat spag moss on the other for my Leopard.

 

[Joanne]

Yeah he has a feeding rock and I've moved the slate onto his upstairs bit so I can put food there too

 

[LLLReptile]

Sounds like the slate may have been too hot. I prefer wood for basking sites for most lizards etc that I set up, and you can utilize cork flats for a raised basking area if you would like for your tortoises.

However, since putting some bedding over the basking rock seems to be working, you can probably stick to that.

-Jen