my sleepy tortoise

[aisa36]

Hello all! following on from my last post and all the great replies I had that made me feel a whole lot better, I bring my tortoise in at night and before putting her out in the morning I warm her up under her lamp. My worry is that as soon as she gets a chance wether she's inside or out she goes straight for her shelter and goes to sleep.....is she ok, am I doing something wrong or should I worry?....
I have also just got her some cuttlefish bone - does anyone think she'll nibble on it or avoid it as she hasn't seen it before - I have also started sprinkling limestone flour over her food...
It's worrying stuff being a tortoise keeper.....

Thanks

Alison

[rachel30b]

hi, where did you get your tort from ??

what temps are you keeping him/her at

have you had him/her checked for worms before, as this can make them sleepy

dont worry to much about the cuttlefish, some eat it some dont

limestone flour on his food is fine, are you using nutrabol as well

sorry if i have repeated questions you may have already answered

[madness]

hi there my 2 are doing exactly the same.its not cold out so ive had them ouy from 9 till 6 for a while now.as soon as i put them in their out door enclosure they eat there dinner then run for the indoor bit and get cosy.its typical we have spent loads on deep soil and plants ,plantpots and ornamental things to make outside more interesting.my 2 are a year old and from a very respected breeder.they eat well wee and poo well sleep all night and get bathed every other day.their eyes are big and bright so ive no concerns with their health.i think they are just lazy and im thinking of covering the opening in to their outdoor bit for a few hours a day to keep them in the sunshine for a bit.

[sandy]

What you have to remember is it takes some tortoises a lot longer to settle into a new home
or surroundings. If its too hot or too cold they will hide away. They wont come out until they
are sure that things are safe.
When we get some warmer weather, try leaving your tortoise out over night,(she will be ok)
and see if he/she acts any differently.

[aisa36]

Hi, Thanks for your replies - In her tortoise table she has sand the end where the heat lamp is and substrate the other. She has a piece of bark with straw in that she crawls into when she goes to sleep. She's never got out of bed herself - I always have to get her out, if I don't she stays in it all day....I think she may hide away in it during the day to get away from the heat lamp, but since I've put her outside she's doing the same thing....Now that she's outside and I go to work I'm not sure as to how long she stays out before she crawls into her house...
I got her from a dreaded pet shop and took advice from them as to how I should keep her - what an idiot eh? They said keep her indoors for 5 years in a viv!!!!!!!!!!!. It's only that my friend has a tortoise in table that my hubby made me a table to keep her in, and I'd rather see her mooching about in the garden than being kept indoors...do you think that why she doesn't dig in the soil? I think I expected her to love her new enclosure and all the lovely food in it straight away, I think it's going to take her a bit longer to get used it.
I hope that I'm worrying too much but I can't help it...

[aisa36]

Thanks for your reply, I'm glad she's not the only one - I put the cover over the entrance to her indoor bit and when I went out to check on her she'd pushed it out the way and gone inside!!!!!!!! She's a right little tank!!!

[aerofine]

I also have a tort like this - she spends the majority of her day in her hide whether she is indoors or out. Now my other tort is much more active. Someone has told me that females tend to be lazier than males, so maybe that is what it is as my 2 are only a year old so I do not know what sex they are.

[marnismum]

Hi I just had to reply to what I have just read I had exactly the same ploblems as you.My Marni was bought from a pet shop with a large all glass viv and all that was needed to go with it and cost a fortune she lived in this for about 3 weeks then I found SW forum and found how wrong it was so we build her a lovely inside table and outside run.At first I thought she was not liking the table I had to get her up every day put her under the lamp and stare her in the direction of the food and hope she would eat,she would hide and go back to bed at the first chance she had wether she was inside or out.We are 2 months on from this now and she is a different tortoise and for the first time 2 weeks ago she got up on her own and has done so every day since she goes outside every day and now enjoys it.I am grateful to the people on here that give us advice and it is right what they say torts take along time to settle in to new surroundings and it just a matter of time and patience and it will all come right in the end.It is a big worry to start with but its great when things start going right.Good luck and enjoy your tort.


Marnismum.

[sandy]

I am so glad things sorted themselves on there own.

[aisa36]

No such luck with Shelly, I'm still having to get her out of bed and she runs back inside the 1st chance she gets!, I just hope that she gets up and walks around the enclosure when I'm not looking, mind you I don't think the cold weather's been helping.

I must admit that I'm not as worried as I was since I've been talking to all the great people on here, and at least I'm not the only one with a lazy tortoise!