Needing a companion or just needing space?

[MishelleRedFoot]

I have a red footed tortoise female I have named Mishelle. I had turned an old kiddy pool into her enclosure since I the people I rent from won't allow outdoor animals. But recently she has become less active. Only coming out at night and during feeding time. This worries me. She used to be a fairly active tort but now spend her days in her little cubby. All n all, she seems rather lonely. I was wondering if she needed a larger enclosure or maybe just a friend. The pool is about 3 feet across and she is about 9 inches in length. What should I do?

- New Tort Mom

 

[johnsonnboswell]

They always enjoy a larger enclosure, but I would question everything else, too. Lights? How long? Substrate?

 

[Lyn W]

Tortoise do not need friends they are solitary animals, They are OK in groups if you get the gender mix right, but with pairs one will be dominant and very subtly harass the other which will stress it out and make it ill.
It sounds as if your enclosure is much too small for a 9" redfoot.
At the very least you should have a 4' x 8' enclosure but for a tort that size even bigger. The more space the more active they will be.
What substrate do you use etc?
Can you post pics so that members can help you improve your tort's surroundings?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Where are you? is it very hot?
My Redfooted tortoises stay well hidden during the days and only are active in the morning and late afternoon....or whenever it rains.
It is my opinion that a Redfoot needs as much room as you can provide. My solitary male has an outdoor pen that is about 15' by about 8'.
Although I have seven of them, I can tell you that they don't need or want friends. Redfoot are very tolerant of other Redfoot, but it seems that you don't have the space to go that route anyway.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

A 3 ft diameter pool is only about 7 sq ft in floor space. That's a very small space for a sub-adult to adult sized tortoise. Most people would recommend more like 32 sq ft as the minimum floor space for a tortoise the size of yours.

What does the enclosure look like? Is it full of plants and hides or is it mostly empty?

What temperature range does your tortoise experience in the enclosure - daytime highs and lows, nighttime temperatures?

How long have you had Mishelle?

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcom to the forum.

Please keep in mind that tortoises take a lot of time to adapt. Therefore, if you have just got your tort, PATIENCE is required here.

No, torts do NOT need company, they enjoy lonliness.