Hi Everyone,
I am going a bit crazy here, please someone tell me if my star tortoise is behaving "normal" or if something is wrong with him.
There are three things that concern me today...
1. Today after soaking I heard some "clicking noises" (not while eating). I heard them a few times, it's not constant, but sometimes. Is he sick? Did he catch a cold? He eats normal, no runny nose, breathes normally and is ... strangely active.
After I heard the clicking noises I got a bit freaked out and turned on the Infrared Light to get higher Temperatures - temps are now 84-86 Fahrenheit (29-30 C) on the "cold" side and 89-91 (32-33 C) on the hot side.
2. He did some kind of "dance" - like rubbing his plastron while walking around (kinda furiously, never seen him that active, I am uploading a video right now). Is he itchy? Is he allergic? I just put down some reptile carpet, instead of the Coconut Bark, cause he didn't walk on the Coconut Bark at all, only on the side, where the reptile carpet was (before I had 50% Reptile Carpet, 50% Coconut Bark, now I changed to putting down Reptile Carpet to test if he prefers it.) He seemed to walk around more, but then there's this strange... "dance".
3. He is biting his legs. Is this "normal" behavior for being "itchy" or do I have to worry?
Could that be because of the reptile carpet or the infrared light? (these two things are new)
Wow, keeping is trickier than I thought. I am also having real dilemmas with humidity vs. dryness (since I already live in a humid country)... but that is another story.
Thank you in advance for your responses!
Mina
Edit: I just read this thread and wondering if his "itching plastron dance" could be because he is constipated? However, he pooped today (the first time in 3 days) - it seemed kinda hard though (I have no idea if that is normal or not and if I should do anything about it, or not...).
Any ideas?
I'm worried.
Here is the video of strange behavior number two.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EC_OB0R160
Sorry, the quality is not really great. But at least you'll know what I mean.
In the other video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dDCarHA_zA&NR=1), taken on the day I got her, you can see, that she walks fine on the reptile carpet...
I am going a bit crazy here, please someone tell me if my star tortoise is behaving "normal" or if something is wrong with him.
There are three things that concern me today...
1. Today after soaking I heard some "clicking noises" (not while eating). I heard them a few times, it's not constant, but sometimes. Is he sick? Did he catch a cold? He eats normal, no runny nose, breathes normally and is ... strangely active.
After I heard the clicking noises I got a bit freaked out and turned on the Infrared Light to get higher Temperatures - temps are now 84-86 Fahrenheit (29-30 C) on the "cold" side and 89-91 (32-33 C) on the hot side.
2. He did some kind of "dance" - like rubbing his plastron while walking around (kinda furiously, never seen him that active, I am uploading a video right now). Is he itchy? Is he allergic? I just put down some reptile carpet, instead of the Coconut Bark, cause he didn't walk on the Coconut Bark at all, only on the side, where the reptile carpet was (before I had 50% Reptile Carpet, 50% Coconut Bark, now I changed to putting down Reptile Carpet to test if he prefers it.) He seemed to walk around more, but then there's this strange... "dance".
3. He is biting his legs. Is this "normal" behavior for being "itchy" or do I have to worry?
Could that be because of the reptile carpet or the infrared light? (these two things are new)
Wow, keeping is trickier than I thought. I am also having real dilemmas with humidity vs. dryness (since I already live in a humid country)... but that is another story.
Thank you in advance for your responses!
Mina
Edit: I just read this thread and wondering if his "itching plastron dance" could be because he is constipated? However, he pooped today (the first time in 3 days) - it seemed kinda hard though (I have no idea if that is normal or not and if I should do anything about it, or not...).
Any ideas?
I'm worried.
Here is the video of strange behavior number two.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EC_OB0R160
Sorry, the quality is not really great. But at least you'll know what I mean.
In the other video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dDCarHA_zA&NR=1), taken on the day I got her, you can see, that she walks fine on the reptile carpet...