Trying to escape!!

Speedy808

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Hi, just wanted to get some feedback if anyone has had this experience? So, my adult male RT has been in his outdoor enclosure for about 3 months now (total time I owned him), and just recently he has been trying to escape by trying to climb the walls or dig. He has been so fine and happy I assumed, and now this :eek:. Should I rearrange his enclosure to give it a new feel? Thanks!
 

leigti

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They are definitely a scape artists. He probably knows the entire enclosure by now and just wants to see if there's more to see :) I have hardware cloth underneath and on top of my enclosure. This was to make sure that she stays in and that everything else stays out. Rearranging a couple things might help. You don't want to arrange it too often though. How big is the enclosure? You can make a lot of site barriers so that he can't see from one end of the enclosed to the other and that helps.
 

tglazie

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You should post a picture of your enclosure. This could offer clues as to exactly what is troubling him. Given that your location is listed as Oahu, Hawaii, I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with seasonal changes in your area. Has a seasonal change taken place over the past several months? Additionally, tortoises who are new to an area tend to hide quite a bit for the first few weeks to months. How long the tortoise remains in a state withdrawn really depends upon the tortoise, but if yours was a wild caught male Russian, then three months of calm followed by a sudden burst of energy, energy used toward escape, wouldn't be the least bit unusual. Another possibility is that your enclosure is too small. Keep in mind that Russians need space. I remember when I kept Russians that they weren't satisfied with anything less than a twenty by ten area, and that area had to be planted and given to numerous hills, grazing patches and rocky outcroppings, lest they get bored and pace the fence all day. I also had a raised mound of dirt in the middle of the enclosure with a cover over it to facilitate burrowing (the cover kept the rain off the raised mound to ensure that the tortoises wouldn't drown in the rain; this happened to this kid I met at a STHS meeting a few years back; I've taken precautions against it ever since). I find that if Russians can facilitate their natural desire to dig burrows, they are generally more content. The marginated tortoises I currently keep aren't as prone to pacing the fences, I find, and I keep most of them in six by eighteen foot enclosures (with the exception of the girls, who occupy a much larger space over more varied terrain to facilitate maximum choice of egg laying sites). But if there's one thing I remember about Russians, it is their boundless energy and endless escape attempts if they felt their enclosure to small or uninteresting. This was especially true in the spring time, when things were just starting to warm up.

T.G.
 

dmmj

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Remember in the wild a russian"s territory is usually several square miles, that by itself is usually a big adjustment. Plus they are natural roamers, he is doing what tortoises do, exploring. Also don't rearrange his enclosure, they are visual animals, they recognize their territory by sight, rearranging can stress the m out, thinking they are in new territory.
 

smarch

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I've had my Russian 3 years, and this is a common thing, they're escape artists, tough and persistent, if something is up that doesn't matter if they want it they'll get to it. Sounds like yours just got settled in, since when put in new environments tortoises start off hiding and being slow.
Just be sure to escape proof the enclosure with a top or really high wall. And you can block off corners if they aren't already and are causing a problem, because they can and will fixate on corners specifically.
 

Speedy808

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Waianae, Oahu, Hawaii
They are definitely a scape artists. He probably knows the entire enclosure by now and just wants to see if there's more to see :) I have hardware cloth underneath and on top of my enclosure. This was to make sure that she stays in and that everything else stays out. Rearranging a couple things might help. You don't want to arrange it too often though. How big is the enclosure? You can make a lot of site barriers so that he can't see from one end of the enclosed to the other and that helps.
Thanks, the enclosure is about 4x6. What type of site barriers do you use? I got a few potted plants and some rocks in there now.
 

leigti

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Thanks, the enclosure is about 4x6. What type of site barriers do you use? I got a few potted plants and some rocks in there now.
4 x 6 is a good size for indoors. If you could make something bigger for outdoors in the warmer months that would be good. Plants and rocks make good site barriers. You can also use logs or pieces of wood. You can make little hills in the terrain so that is not just flat.
 

smarch

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I think my fanklins favorite "landscape" product is a small branch log from a tree that is just perfect for him to trample over and move outside.
 

Speedy808

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Remember in the wild a russian"s territory is usually several square miles, that by itself is usually a big adjustment. Plus they are natural roamers, he is doing what tortoises do, exploring. Also don't rearrange his enclosure, they are visual animals, they recognize their territory by sight, rearranging can stress the m out, thinking they are in new territory.
Ok thanks. I will not rearrange!!
 

Speedy808

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Waianae, Oahu, Hawaii
I've had my Russian 3 years, and this is a common thing, they're escape artists, tough and persistent, if something is up that doesn't matter if they want it they'll get to it. Sounds like yours just got settled in, since when put in new environments tortoises start off hiding and being slow.
Just be sure to escape proof the enclosure with a top or really high wall. And you can block off corners if they aren't already and are causing a problem, because they can and will fixate on corners specifically.
Thanks.
 

Speedy808

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Joined
Dec 19, 2014
Messages
28
Location (City and/or State)
Waianae, Oahu, Hawaii
You should post a picture of your enclosure. This could offer clues as to exactly what is troubling him. Given that your location is listed as Oahu, Hawaii, I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with seasonal changes in your area. Has a seasonal change taken place over the past several months? Additionally, tortoises who are new to an area tend to hide quite a bit for the first few weeks to months. How long the tortoise remains in a state withdrawn really depends upon the tortoise, but if yours was a wild caught male Russian, then three months of calm followed by a sudden burst of energy, energy used toward escape, wouldn't be the least bit unusual. Another possibility is that your enclosure is too small. Keep in mind that Russians need space. I remember when I kept Russians that they weren't satisfied with anything less than a twenty by ten area, and that area had to be planted and given to numerous hills, grazing patches and rocky outcroppings, lest they get bored and pace the fence all day. I also had a raised mound of dirt in the middle of the enclosure with a cover over it to facilitate burrowing (the cover kept the rain off the raised mound to ensure that the tortoises wouldn't drown in the rain; this happened to this kid I met at a STHS meeting a few years back; I've taken precautions against it ever since). I find that if Russians can facilitate their natural desire to dig burrows, they are generally more content. The marginated tortoises I currently keep aren't as prone to pacing the fences, I find, and I keep most of them in six by eighteen foot enclosures (with the exception of the girls, who occupy a much larger space over more varied terrain to facilitate maximum choice of egg laying sites). But if there's one thing I remember about Russians, it is their boundless energy and endless escape attempts if they felt their enclosure to small or uninteresting. This was especially true in the spring time, when things were just starting to warm up.

T.G.
Thanks for your insight on this!! We really don't get any seasons here, just a more rain during the winter/spring and a slight temperature increase in the months of summer. Nothing really dramatic has happened recently. My RT was a rescue from the humane society and I asume that he was purchased from petco. He has a very friendly personality and really didn't hide much when I got him, just tried to escape a few days and then calmed down and now this. What I observed yesterday was a totally different tortoise with no attempt of escaping. So I do plan on making a larger enclosure soon, so I guess I'll have to deal with this until then.
 

Speedy808

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Waianae, Oahu, Hawaii
4 x 6 is a good size for indoors. If you could make something bigger for outdoors in the warmer months that would be good. Plants and rocks make good site barriers. You can also use logs or pieces of wood. You can make little hills in the terrain so that is not just flat.
Thanks I think I will try to build a mound for him for now until I can build a larger enclosure.
 
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