under dirt

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jojodesca

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OK..so I put all 3 turtles together in the same habitat..the ttbt's burrowed under the dirt and substrate....and the little ornate spent 2 hrs destroying the enclosures plants and logs I placed in so nicely.. (sheesh)..then she burrowed under the dirt as well...they haven't been active the past few days..just wanting to stay buried..

IDK if it's normal, or if they are bored...or not getting something they need so they just sleep.....:shy::(
 

dmarcus

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Mine stay buried unless they are hungry are they come out to get some water. Not sure if its normal but mine have done that since I got them in July of last year.
 

GeoTerraTestudo

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Box turtles may not burrow as deep as Russians, gophers, or sulcatas, but they are are pretty good diggers, and seem to enjoy it, too. I found that my three-toeds kept themselves covered most of the time, unless it was time to forage, feed, or mate. That was out here in Colorado. However, I have since realized that my nephew, who lives in Missouri where three-toeds are native, has a beautiful three-toed that hardly ever burrows. Given how much more humid Missouri is compared to Colorado, I suspect that finding a comfortable humidity might have something to do with it. Since you live in the Bay Area, which is fairly dry, maybe your boxies are just staying concealed because their skin feels better there. Perhaps if you put a cover on your enclosure and misted it to increase relative humidity, your tortoises might come out more.
 

turtlemann2

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ahh their turtles :) i like it when all i can see is a head sticking out of the substright, keeping an ever watchful eye for any prey that may wander within stiking distance :) its turtle hunting :)

it doesnt hurt any to pull them out once in a while if your worried about them not hourly but maybe daily sometimes i let my guys do their thing and itll be three or four days before i see them again :(
 

terryo

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As long as you keep misting their enclosure, keeping the humidity in, leaving them water to drink or soak in, they'll be fine. I have 5 babies in the house for the Winter, and only one is out all the time, which to me isn't normal. I keep checking her and she seems OK, and eats everything I give her, but is always wondering around looking for a pill bug or something. She is the one I worry about, not the others. And as Scott said it won't hurt to take them out and check on them.
 

jojodesca

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dmarcus said:
They we buried pretty good...

they have about 6inches under the logs..and it varies in different spots..i didn't want it flat..i gave them some up and down spots for climbing and exercise
 

GeoTerraTestudo

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Looks perfectly cozy to me! :)
Yes, my boxies used to do that, and my Russians do that now. Perfectly normal, especially during this time of year. Even if they're not all-out brumating, they might still become a bit less active. Again, as long as they are feeding, and they are not dehydrated, then I wouldn't worry. If they are completely refusing to eat, then they might be trying to brumate, in which case they would need to be placed in a different environment so they can brumate safely. But boxies seem to be able to take it or leave it when it comes to brumation, so I doubt if that's what they're doing.
 

pryncesssc

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were they the two that came together ?? thats cute that they were sleeping under the same log together
 

mattk

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My box turtle does that all the time. She usually buries herself under the water dish and all I usually see at times is her pretty little head sticking out
 

GeoTerraTestudo

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mattk said:
My box turtle does that all the time. She usually buries herself under the water dish and all I usually see at times is her pretty little head sticking out

They like to do that, don't they! Everything underground except their little head poking out. And they do seem to like water dishes for that. :)
 
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