Tortoise acting weird!

[Alexx]

Last week I put my tortoise in his new table from his viv. For the first few days he just slept and that was it, then he got a sudden burst of energy and decided to rampage round his house and climb the walls managing to flip himself 3 times. Then for a few days after that he just slept again and now he's climbing the walls again. He's hardly eaten anything all week and I don't think he has pooed at all unless he's hid it well! The table has got a lip on it which makes it 'tortoise escape proof' but I've watched him and he can get his claws and head above the lip then thinks he can get up and lifts his one leg up then seems to topple backwards. I'm worried about him not eating and pooing and the toppling over because some days no one is home for hours so if he toppled over I'm worried he won't right himself. I feel like a bad mum and a paranoid one do u think it's his new table that's causing this? He used to climb the walls in his viv but not this much

 

[MORTYtheTORTY]

What kind of tort? Maybe it's the temps/humidity? Or he's probably freaking out in the new enclosure...I wouldn't know an answer to this, just guessing.

 

[Jacqui]

He is checking out his limitations right now and if the new enclosures meets all his needs, he should settle down. A new home can be stressful for some animals, so eating may be off. Do take some time to be sure the temperatures especially are where they should be. As to the no bowel movements, he may simply be eating all his stools. Yuck to us, but not to them. Plus if he isn't eating, then he won't be eliminating wastes either. Can you make the lip bigger by any chance?

 

[Alexx]

He's a hermann. His temp is 80 it's the same as it was in his viv I kno it's gona be colder in there because of the no top but he always used to sit under his light in his viv which he doesn't anymore, when hes not running round hes in his bedroom which makes me think the temp is ok because he'd be under his light if he was cold wouldn't he? I thought it might be because he can see the end of the table where as before the wall was tall. Does it matter how big they are as to whether they can tip themselves back over?

 

[JoesMum]

There are mamy torts on the rampage as spring starts, including my Joe.

There's no limit with size about flipping over. They just need practice. They either learn not to do it, or learn to roll back.

The bad news is that Joe has only become reliable at staying on his feet in the last 10 years... He's roughly 50 years old now!

 

[MORTYtheTORTY]

I think you should find a lid and see if he reacts differently to the temp with a lid or a top. It might be too cold on one end without you knowing unless you have temps therms on both sides...maybe because he can see over he might be trying to explore like you said.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Temperature might be a bit too high, so he might be looking for a way out to cool off. Gotta be careful about overheating, because it can be life-threatening if the temperature goes high enough.

However, even if he's comfortable in there, he might be hungry and trying to forage, so consider offering him more food.

Even if all that's fine, as mentioned above, he might just be restless and wanting to roam about outside his pen. If it's still too cold outside, you can let him roam around the house a bit, as long as you don't let him get into trouble (get lodged under appliances, get covered in dust bunnies, get exposed to drafts, etc).

It does sound like he wants some time outside, though, so ideally - as long as the weather is warm enough, herbicides are not applied, and no dogs are going to get him - it would be great to let him roam and forage outdoors while you supervise him so you don't lose him.