Normal Behavior?

[fergusaur]

I extended my 2 and half-3 year old hermann’s tortoise enclosure to be 5ft long and 3ft wide 5 weeks ago and I just wanted some opinions on his more recent behavior. He’s always constantly trying to escape the enclosure and pacing around. I understand that pacing around is nature for tortoises as they like to roam but he’s constant scratching and even trying to bite the walls. My tortoise is extremely picky. I give him a variety of different greens (escarole, endive, radicchio, Romain lettuce, turnip greens bok choy, and many other veggies), alongside giving him his Mazuri tortoise diet weekly as well. I’ve tried food toppers, bee pollen, and everything but he’s just so picky and will only take a nibble of certain foods (except for the mazuri, he goes crazy for that stuff). I think he’s trying to escape because he’s trying to wander to a different location and find different foods to eat, but I’m not too sure. He has two log hides which he does chill in occasionally as they are humid and work as micro climates for him, and the enclosure temps range from 77-82 throughout the day for the most past so I don’t think those would be of any concerns either. I’m just really confused on why he’s acting this way and want some guidance on what to do

 

[wellington]

Temp needs to range from 75-80 with a basking area that reaches 95-100.
He needs a bigger enclosure and also time to get used to the changes you made
Also try to get him outside in a summer enclosure.
As for food, you have to be the tuff mom/dad. Chop up fine what the better foods are and mix it with the wet mazuri. As he gets used to eating all of the foods, slowly use less mazuri and more of the other foods.

 

[fergusaur]

Temp needs to range from 75-80 with a basking area that reaches 95-100.
He needs a bigger enclosure and also time to get used to the changes you made
Also try to get him outside in a summer enclosure.
As for food, you have to be the tuff mom/dad. Chop up fine what the better foods are and mix it with the wet mazuri. As he gets used to eating all of the foods, slowly use less mazuri and more of the other foods.

5ft long, 3ft wide isn’t big enough? he’s only a juvenile and not full grown yet and compared to his old enclosure he has pretty of room to roam around in

 

[fergusaur]

5ft long, 3ft wide isn’t big enough? he’s only a juvenile and not full grown yet and compared to his old enclosure he has pretty of room to roam around in

Also his basking temps are 90-100+ degrees

 

[wellington]

5ft long, 3ft wide isn’t big enough? he’s only a juvenile and not full grown yet and compared to his old enclosure he has pretty of room to roam around in

He looks big. Might be the photo.
Give him time to settle after the changes. But he will need a bigger enclosure as he does grow. How big is he now, bottom shell tail end to head end, shell only.

 

[fergusaur]

I just measured him and he’s about 7.5-8 inches. He’s a male hermann’s tortoise btw if knowing his gender helps.

 

[Tom]

I just measured him and he’s about 7.5-8 inches. He’s a male hermann’s tortoise btw if knowing his gender helps.

An 8 inch tortoise needs 4x8 as a minimum. 3x5 isn't the end of the world, but its too small.

He should have a secure outdoor pen that is 10 times that size for nice weather days. Tortoises need a lot of room to roam, and a safe confined area to do it in. Think of how much room they would have in a wild meadow with trees on one side and a rocky outcropping with intermittent bushes on the other side, and then look at the size of your enclosure. Our indoor enclosure serve a purpose, but its like keeping a pony in a bathroom. They need LOTS of room.

This is part of the reason, possibly the main reason, for his restless behavior indoors. Being a male in spring time, he feels the need to wander and spread his seed. Get him outside in a large enclosure with bushes, grass tufts, weeds, shade trees, and lots of room to room around, but still be safely confined. He will likely still patrol the perimeter, but it won't be as bad.