What DOES your tortoise do all day?!

cyberblue1

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Joined
May 26, 2019
Messages
2
Location (City and/or State)
Yucca Valley. CA
My Mr. Zebo Quick is six 1/2 months. Slept alot for 1st week. But loves his uva uvb light. Light has alot to do with their activity I use a black light at night, and have trained him to come out daily between 8am and 9am.
 

cyberblue1

New Member
Joined
May 26, 2019
Messages
2
Location (City and/or State)
Yucca Valley. CA
Eat, walk around looking for escape, Take naps, and sun baths under heat uvb uva light, eat walk real slow, sometimes just walks around exercising. Or just goes in his cave come out over and over. I give him treats when he exercises. (carrot, green apple) He loves turnip greens.
 

Cndlou0309

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Joined
Jun 5, 2019
Messages
26
Location (City and/or State)
Pasadena CA
We are in Arizona so Clyde does the normal eat, sleep and poop when it's the hot part of the day, but he also likes to come out and sun himself with his legs sticking out behind him in the morning and late afternoon when the sun isn't so strong. I can't find it, but there is a photo of Clyde laying next to our Pitt Bull George in the sun with their legs sticking out. We call it "Frog Dogging". He also likes to walk around following me or the dogs in the field eating clover or if we just irrigated he loves to plow through the water and pretend he is swimming... I have a video, but it won't up load, he LOVES water so I think he is probably the most hydrated desert tortoise ever. LOL! He loves to just hang out with us (he is still small, around 14" front to back his shell) so if we are out, he is out (his choice). He REALLY loves just walking around, so as long as he is supervised he has 1 1/3 acres to explore to his hearts desire, unsupervised he has his "tortoise yard" that has lots of shady spots, clover and plants he can eat.
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I love that he follows you guys around! Mine are a 45yo displaced couple. Still getting used to my back yard in Pasadena CA.
All animules are getting along great! My 20 yo Cooper, blind, deaf , gentle soul (beagle mix i think) & 5 lil hens!
The sprinklers suddenly came on in the middle of the day yesterday! A surprise to all! We all got caught in the spray! Chickens squawked & flew up to the patio...my Donna, lil girl tort “sped” across to a safe zone & Cooper & I followed the hens! Lol!
Hoping they will “warm up” to the water!?!?
I promised them no more surprise showers!!
 

Terri123

New Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2019
Messages
27
Location (City and/or State)
edmonton
The activity of Toby, my three toed box turtle, really varies. Sometimes, he just walks around the house once, and then falls asleep under his favourite chair for most of the day. Other times, he follows me around, or plays with my slippers (I kid you not). When it's warm and sunny out, I take him out and monitor him carefully as he walks on my backyard grass, he likes to climb over rocks, etc. At night he goes back in his warm terrarium and burrows in his moss and falls asleep, then up early the next day, banging on the terrarium wall, to be let out (sigh) Day in the life of my turtle lol (I live in Alberta, Canada )
 

KarenSoCal

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Jul 8, 2017
Messages
5,750
Location (City and/or State)
Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
We are in Arizona so Clyde does the normal eat, sleep and poop when it's the hot part of the day, but he also likes to come out and sun himself with his legs sticking out behind him in the morning and late afternoon when the sun isn't so strong. I can't find it, but there is a photo of Clyde laying next to our Pitt Bull George in the sun with their legs sticking out. We call it "Frog Dogging". He also likes to walk around following me or the dogs in the field eating clover or if we just irrigated he loves to plow through the water and pretend he is swimming... I have a video, but it won't up load, he LOVES water so I think he is probably the most hydrated desert tortoise ever. LOL! He loves to just hang out with us (he is still small, around 14" front to back his shell) so if we are out, he is out (his choice). He REALLY loves just walking around, so as long as he is supervised he has 1 1/3 acres to explore to his hearts desire, unsupervised he has his "tortoise yard" that has lots of shady spots, clover and plants he can eat.
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My Desert Tortoise hates water, except for his soaks. He actually runs away if I turn the hose on him.

For videos, you have to upload them to YouTube, then copy a link to the forum.
 

Hoka's Mom

Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2018
Messages
42
Location (City and/or State)
Ann Arbor
Mine comes out of his burrow, eats, goes back in his burrow, comes out, eats, goes back in.

My question is...what does he do in his burrow? Can anything sleep that much? Sometimes I think he has a TV down there and watches Animal Planet or Nat Geo all day long!
We joke that Hoka is either on or off...no in-between. One part of that is their diet. If you add up the calories in the two handfuls of greens he eats a day it is about 100 calories (maybe less). So, considering he patrols the perimeter, and does some rock climbing between each nap, that is pretty impressive. Conserving energy and calories is part of being a reptile. Sleep, eat, play, repeat.
 

Bigred1974

Member
Joined
May 18, 2019
Messages
30
Location (City and/or State)
Manchester England
We have a 2 year old Horsfield and she ( we think she’s a she?) sleeps ALOT - will bask for a bit under her lamp and then once warmed up will eat some buttercups and clover from the garden.If the weather is good she’s outside for an hour ( burying in her fav spot - we’re in the U.K. ) then back asleep and a bath every other day. I feel she should be doing more?
 

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Tim Carlisle

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Cincinnati, OH
You could almost set your clock by Ghost's schedule.

4:30 - 4:45 AM - Wakes up and walks over to his food dish awaiting me to feed him.
5:10 AM: I feed him / he eats.
6:00 AM: Nap time
6:00AM - 8:00 AM - Patrols the enclosure over and over and over and....
8:00 - 11:00 AM - Suns himself in section A of his enclosure
around 1:00 PM - Finishes eating
1:30 PM - Nap time again
2:30 - 5:30 PM - Suns himself in section B.
5:30 PM - I arrive home from work and take him outside to graze / exercise.
7:30 PM - Bath time
8:00 PM - PM snack time
8:30 PM - Lights out

I watch constantly from work via the web cams in his closure. VERY seldom does he ever stray from his routine.
 

drew54

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Sep 25, 2018
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903
Location (City and/or State)
Indiana
I don't know what they do all day while I'm at work. I imagine eat, sleep, and poop.
 

wellington

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Chicago, Illinois, USA
My leopards roam their yard, goes into their shed. Cones back out and roams some more. They are eating while roaming.
The Russian just tries to find a way out then gives up and sits under his hide.
 
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