Is it normal for a RT to prefer shoveling his face in a corner or under a rock instead of his hides? My little man has refused both his indoor and outdoor hides seems to have his favorite corners instead. Is that normal?
Rejecting all his hides
- Thread starter LolaMyLove
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I can't say if this is a normal behavior, but if you're giving him a couple different options in hide choices and climates (esp inside) I don't think this is a major problem. He's comfortable with his corners and on the bright side, you get to see him all the time!
My girl Vodka does this, she likes to sleep in a certian corner sometimes. She uses her hide periodically. Just give your boy time, he will use them when he likes. I filled my hide with Timmothy hay so when Vodka buried in the the night she could burrow into it 
Might help him want to use his dry hides.
As long as the option is there, don't worry. Sometimes they like sleeping under the "stars"
Might indicate he is comfterable where he is at
Might help him want to use his dry hides. As long as the option is there, don't worry. Sometimes they like sleeping under the "stars"
Might indicate he is comfterable where he is at
In the wild an animal that makes that sort of "hole", is not an animal a tortoise wants to "mess" with. Often it just takes time for them to realize that that animals "burrow" is in fact no longer occupied and the burrow's owner is not coming back. I like to just keep putting them in there. Usually if you put them in there after lights out, they will just stay put. After a couple of weeks of this, many of them will "learn" to trust the burrow and go in on their own.
yep, just checked on him this morning and he's shoved one of his flower pot hides out of his way to bury his head in the corner. The only time I see him use the hides is when the kids get home from school and come poking around. When it's just him and me he prefers the corner. I guess I understand, sometimes I'd like to crawl in a hide when they get home too just kidding.
just kidding.
Lol! That's funny my kiddos don't use their hides all the time. There is a hermit crab that shares them too and if the two of my torts can fit in it together they don't want to go in it either...geez
Life is good
my kiddos don't use their hides all the time. There is a hermit crab that shares them too and if the two of my torts can fit in it together they don't want to go in it either...geezLife is good
I just let mine sleep where they want when in inside enclosures. They are very determined.
Outside, of course you want them to be secure, so it takes a little persistence to convince them to stay in safe spots/hides, as Tom says.
Outside, of course you want them to be secure, so it takes a little persistence to convince them to stay in safe spots/hides, as Tom says.
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Mine likes the corner to
Raeann
Raeann
Oh I've been wondering about this too. Sometimes Gomez and Morticia fall asleep under the stars in their favorite corners instead of in their burrow. I've noticed it happens when I've made some change to the enclosure -- new plants or substrate -- so your theory about learning to 'trust' the hide makes a lot of sense. Morticia did it once when it rained this week, and I decided to bring her inside the house to warm up instead of forcing her into the burrow. But usually I can't decide if I should move them into the burrow or let them be. (I have the same dilemma when my husband falls asleep on the couch in front of ESPN. They look so comfortable, ya know?).
I think that Joe regards it as his right to sleep where he darn well pleases, regardless of what I think. If he's chosen somewhere really stupid outdoors, I have to wait until he's cooled down a bit before moving him otherwise he will just go straight back.
I have two flower pots on their sides that can be used as hides, and instead of going in the opening, mine burrows under the flower pot. Go figure.
What I found is that they like to burrow down into something rather than go straight into a hide so what I did was angle my hides down into the substrate so they get that feeling of going into a burrow. They really seem to like that much better I very rarely will see them digging into a corner or under a flower pot since i started doing that.
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