filing her nails????

Jen Womack

New Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2016
Messages
7
has anyone ever heard of torts filing their own nails?

My female has been doing what looks like just that this week. She's never done it before so it's very out of the ordinary and I'm not 100% sure that's what she's doing because I've never heard of it before.

I gave her some new slate a few weeks back which covers her basking area and she's started to rub her back feet against it all the time. She scrapes her nails against it, which are a little long, so I'm wondering if she's just got the instict to sort them out herself here. I don't know?

I was worried that she might be scraping for a nesting spot but she's not digging around anywhere in her table and she is only scraping with her back legs only on the slate.

Weird.

Hope someone can shed some light.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Hi Jen, and welcome to the Forum!

Let's send a shout-out to @HermanniChris . Maybe this species likes to make her nest in hard/rocky surfaces? I've never known tortoises to file their nails, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't do it. Female tortoises usually have longer nails because they use them to dig nests.
 

HermanniChris

Well-Known Member
TFO Sponsor
10 Year Member!
Joined
Sep 7, 2007
Messages
2,126
She might be trying to nest. Can you take a video?
 

Jen Womack

New Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2016
Messages
7
Here's a video of what she's doing. I've built her a nesting site in her table just in case, she did stop the scratching for a couple of days but she's been doing it all day again today

 

WithLisa

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2015
Messages
967
Location (City and/or State)
Austria
Maybe the nesting site is too cold, does she have another basking spot there?
 

Jen Womack

New Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2016
Messages
7
no she doesn't, do you think i should make her another nesting spot so she can choose? I don't think I could wire in another basking spot, got 2 sockets in the entire room it's an old house
 

WithLisa

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2015
Messages
967
Location (City and/or State)
Austria
If you don't have another lamp I would move the basking spot to the nesting site.
 

Jen Womack

New Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2016
Messages
7
okay thanks, I'll do that and keep yous updated on how she gets on....do you think she's definitely trying to nest then?
 

Jen Womack

New Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2016
Messages
7
Yeah @Loohan she's fine now. This happened within the first year of me getting her, I didn't have a clue back then to be honest and she was getting a diet of nothing but bagged salad, turns out there was a lot of protein in this. She's seen a vet about it and everything, he confirmed this was what did it and she's on a diet of mainly dandelion leaves and other weeds now. My male started to get the same but he was only on that diet for a few months as I got him a year after Ferne, so his is nowehere near as bad because I caught it much earlier
 

Jen Womack

New Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2016
Messages
7
ps; @WithLisa I think you might be right! she's been feeling around the nesting spot a lot more today. I'm thinking of adding some more soil to it and compacting it a little more but she's definitely showing a lot of interest in it this morning now that it's got the basking light shining there, thank you!!! :)
 

Linhdan Nguyen

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 29, 2016
Messages
1,790
Location (City and/or State)
Maryland
you can get one of those things with multiple outlets... I dont know the proper name for it :(
theres 1 cord that goes in the wall with like 4 outlets on a rectangular box? That could be useful if you would like to add another heat source. Or if you would like to hook up anything else in the room .
 

WithLisa

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2015
Messages
967
Location (City and/or State)
Austria
Glad it seems to work. :) Keep us updated!

you can get one of those things with multiple outlets... I dont know the proper name for it :(
I also thought about it and tried to look it up in the dictionary, but couldn't find a name for it. :rolleyes: I don't even know how to call it in German... :D
 

Loohan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2015
Messages
832
Location (City and/or State)
North-Central Arkansas
They are often sold as cheap "surge protectors" because they have an inbuilt fuse or weak spot that gets destroyed in the event of a surge. When they work right, anyway.
 

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
you can get one of those things with multiple outlets... I dont know the proper name for it :(
theres 1 cord that goes in the wall with like 4 outlets on a rectangular box? That could be useful if you would like to add another heat source. Or if you would like to hook up anything else in the room .
They're known as extension leads in the UK. You have to be careful not to overload them by plugging in too many high wattage appliances.

In the UK the maximum load is
240Volts x 13Amps = 3100 Watts (3.1kW)

In the USA I believe your Voltage is 120V, so assuming you also use a 13Amp fuse the maximum load would be
120V x 13Amps = 1500Watts (1.5kW)

Check the fuse! Results will change!
 

Linhdan Nguyen

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 29, 2016
Messages
1,790
Location (City and/or State)
Maryland
Glad it seems to work. :) Keep us updated!


I also thought about it and tried to look it up in the dictionary, but couldn't find a name for it. :rolleyes: I don't even know how to call it in German... :D
Glad to know I'm not the only one.
And glad to know someone here knows whats called. Lol
 

Jen Womack

New Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2016
Messages
7
I already have an extension lead, I just don't have any more plugs that I can use as it already carries lighting/heat mats for the two tortoise tables and lighting for a seperate snake vivarium. Don't want to overload it! :)
 
Top