Scratching face while soaking

[Ellie933]

Hello all! I have a 10 month old Russian tortoise and she has an odd habit of almost "washing" her face while she soaks... she has done this ever since I got her at two weeks old, and she never does it when not soaking. It seemed to me at first that she was rinsing her face, but I am now getting a little concerned about this behavior. Do we think it is just a little quirk or that something is wrong?

More info: She was very well started and I got her from Tortstork, she eats a variety of weeds, dandelion, lettuce, arugula, kale, spring mix without spinach, mustard greens, etc. (Sometimes I give her cactus pads or cucumber for the extra hydration) She is about 4 inches and she is in a 4ft×6ft indoor enclosure. She has an outdoor enclosure that provides some great natural UVB and warmth in the summer (she sleeps inside), but her indoor enclosure has the full UVB, CHE, and lighting setup for the winter months or hurricane season. She gets 15-20 minute soaks in warm water daily, she gets calcium powder 1-2 times a week, and she always has cuttlebone available. She has a popup greenhouse over her indoor enclosure to keep humidity in (thanks Wellington!!). She has around 60% humidity and I mist her enclosure 2x a day. Her substrate is a mix of coco coir and cypress mulch. She has a regular flood bulb for lighting, her UVB is the T5 HO 10.0. Her name is Pebble, by the way
P.s. I attatched photos of her eyes-- please let me know if they look odd to you!

 

[Ellie933]

Whoops! I forgot to mention-- she has nice humid hides and her substrate is about 8 inches deep. The cool side of her enclosure stays at about 78° F (25.6° C) and her warm side stays at about 85° F (29.4° C) with a 96° F (35.6° C) basking spot. She can go to either side depending on how she feels. She has three water dishes so they are all easily accessible. Lastly, she NEVER free-roams the house or the yard- too much is left up to chance.

 

[Ellie933]

Would anyone be able to tell me why this is happening-- or if if an issue with her care? I would greatly appreciate amy advice! -Ellie

 

[SinLA]

@Tom @Yvonne G

 

[Tom]

Don't know why she does that, but it doesn't appear to be an issue.

I would get rid of the moss ASAP. They eat it and it can cause impaction.

 

[Ellie933]

Don't know why she does that, but it doesn't appear to be an issue.

I would get rid of the moss ASAP. They eat it and it can cause impaction.

Thank you so much Tom! I'll get it out ASAP! Should I use her usual substrate mix or just the coco coir in her humid hides?

 

[Tom]

Thank you so much Tom! I'll get it out ASAP! Should I use her usual substrate mix or just the coco coir in her humid hides?

Cypress mulch and coco coir are both fine. You can use either or both.

 

[Sarah2020]

Would anyone be able to tell me why this is happening-- or if if an issue with her care? I would greatly appreciate amy advice! -Ellie

Mine does the same, I find it quite endearing seeing it use its wet claw to wash its face and beak . Regular soaking is brilliant so as long as water is warm, clean, shallow and safe I would not be concerned.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Our Sully does this all the time during wash up time. I’ll have our garden hose out and just let the water flow all over. Head, shell, claws, tail, etc. When hosing down its head, the paws and claws come out like its washing up. Rub rub rub. Ever so gently. Its been doing this forever. Sooo, to me it seems normal. 💧💦💧