Tortoise trying to escape no matter how big the enclosure is... - Page 2

JoesMum · 31-12-2011, 05:34 PM

Joe is a Graeca not a Horsfield, but he is another roamer. Giving him plenty of obstacles to climb over seems to help... he's quite big, so I use house bricks! He spends his roaming time deliberately climbing the bricks... they get moved as I clean the enclosure, but he pushes them round too!

natstorts · 31-12-2011, 06:30 PM

My 4/5 year old hermann male is the same as well...always climbing up the sides of his table and climbing over anything he can set his eyes on. Putting things in for him to climb over definitely seemed to help him although he does still climb the sides lol

lynnedit · 01-01-2012, 02:32 AM

My Horsfield male is often roaming. (had him < 1 year, no hibernation this year).
I have a ramp to a small second level where I feed him (easier to keep clean). He is constantly stomping up there to check if any new food has appeared, then back down to bask. If food is too long in coming, he then has 2 spots where he tries to get out and it makes a lot of noise...

EJ · 01-01-2012, 06:43 PM

What are you calling 'good' temperatures. It could be too warm for him. You should be able to provide a warm basking site with a much cooler end in that enclosure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PumpkinPie

I had my Horsfield in a 4 foot Tortoise box, temperatures were good and it had plenty of stuff in there for him to investigate but he was not happy, he spent 16+ hours a day climbing against the side of the box (he can't see over the top). I put him outside in the summer in a massive enclosure with loads of nice weeds, he just spent hour upon hour climbing against the side of the pen, he didn't care about the weeds.

I don't know what to do, I'm beside myself. I've owned him for over a year now and it feels like I'm not able to look after him and also feel like he has never been happy, this behaviour has been continuous for the whole time I've owned him. I let him roam free around the whole house and he just does the same, he's always trying to get somewhere... I don't know where

PumpkinPie · 01-01-2012, 09:25 PM

He does it regardless of temperature, whether he's outside or just walking about the house with no light on at all.

**Bindi** · 05-01-2012, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by egyptiandan64

It sounds like you have whats called a transient male. Not sure anyone has studied it in Horsfields, but they have in 3 toed box turtles. There are resident males and transient males in a population. Resident males stick around a definate territory. Transient males just walk for their whole lives. They spread the genes from population to population.
I don't think there is much you can do if you have a transient male as he will be programed to just go. The only thing that might help is to have an enclosure that is circular, so he has no corners to climb into. It's nothing you have done, it's just the way he is.

Danny

That's fascinating Dan, a very interesting theory

bradley g · 06-01-2012, 01:58 PM

i have the opposite problem with my two hoursefield, all they want to do is sleep

31-12-2011, 05:34 PM	#11
JoesMum Member Hatchling Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Kent Posts: 717	Joe is a Graeca not a Horsfield, but he is another roamer. Giving him plenty of obstacles to climb over seems to help... he's quite big, so I use house bricks! He spends his roaming time deliberately climbing the bricks... they get moved as I clean the enclosure, but he pushes them round too! __________________ 1.0.0 Testudo Graeca Graeca (Mediterranean Spur Thigh) raised from very small and approximately 50 years old.

31-12-2011, 06:30 PM	#12
natstorts Member Juvenile Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Kenilworth, Warwickshire UK Posts: 935	My 4/5 year old hermann male is the same as well...always climbing up the sides of his table and climbing over anything he can set his eyes on. Putting things in for him to climb over definitely seemed to help him although he does still climb the sides lol __________________ Natalie 1.0.1 THBs(Freddie and Flo) 0.0.1 Leopard(Otis) 1.1.0 Dogs (Zac + Meg) 2.0.0 Cats (Oli + Billy) 1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Draz) 1.0.0 Russian Dwarf Hamster (Ralph) 2.0.0 Gerbils (Patch + Digger)

01-01-2012, 02:32 AM	#13
lynnedit Member Hatched Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Washington State, USA Posts: 332	My Horsfield male is often roaming. (had him < 1 year, no hibernation this year). I have a ramp to a small second level where I feed him (easier to keep clean). He is constantly stomping up there to check if any new food has appeared, then back down to bask. If food is too long in coming, he then has 2 spots where he tries to get out and it makes a lot of noise... __________________ Lynne Horsfields 1.3.0 Ornate box turtle 0.1.0 Pacific NW, US

01-01-2012, 09:25 PM	#15
PumpkinPie Member Incubating Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Tyne and Wear, UK Posts: 209	He does it regardless of temperature, whether he's outside or just walking about the house with no light on at all.

06-01-2012, 01:58 PM	#17
bradley g Member Egg Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: liverpool Posts: 79	i have the opposite problem with my two hoursefield, all they want to do is sleep

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