Gianna Gamboa
New Member
Hello everyone!
I just need some direction in how to help my girl. I live in Arizona and we had just moved into a new house around this time last year. It's been extremely hot lately and we've been keeping her outside until it gets over 105, then we bring her inside the house where we have a bin that is not too tall around but large enough for her to be able to move and walk a little inside of it. It also has pellets so she can burrow a little bit that she can also eat but chooses not to and we have two lamps for her for the morning and night. We only keep her in there when we feed her and when she's done we throw on a diaper on her so she can roam around the house.
Over the weekend, she was scratching the door to come inside the house so we let her in and she has been in the same general area of the house since we let her in on Saturday (3 days ago). I didn't want to bother her so I let her cuddle up with the couch and ottoman and just placed a leaf of lettuce near her for when she wakes up because I leave for work. When she was outside, she was eating about 4-5 pieces of lettuce and a strawberry a day which is WAY more than she ate a few weeks ago. We felt like she is going through a growth spurt until we brought her inside and now she's not eating so much. I feel like she was eating so much outside because it was so hot and she ate the lettuce for the water. While she was out there, I'd mist her hut that we built for her before I'd leave for work, when I'd get home from work, and before I go to bed. On top of that, I soaked her 3 times a week for 15 minutes. Currently, she's taken a few bites of each piece of lettuce and has been sleeping most of the time. I'm extremely worried for her and I don't know if this is normal behavior for a tortoise.
I just need some direction in how to help my girl. I live in Arizona and we had just moved into a new house around this time last year. It's been extremely hot lately and we've been keeping her outside until it gets over 105, then we bring her inside the house where we have a bin that is not too tall around but large enough for her to be able to move and walk a little inside of it. It also has pellets so she can burrow a little bit that she can also eat but chooses not to and we have two lamps for her for the morning and night. We only keep her in there when we feed her and when she's done we throw on a diaper on her so she can roam around the house.
Over the weekend, she was scratching the door to come inside the house so we let her in and she has been in the same general area of the house since we let her in on Saturday (3 days ago). I didn't want to bother her so I let her cuddle up with the couch and ottoman and just placed a leaf of lettuce near her for when she wakes up because I leave for work. When she was outside, she was eating about 4-5 pieces of lettuce and a strawberry a day which is WAY more than she ate a few weeks ago. We felt like she is going through a growth spurt until we brought her inside and now she's not eating so much. I feel like she was eating so much outside because it was so hot and she ate the lettuce for the water. While she was out there, I'd mist her hut that we built for her before I'd leave for work, when I'd get home from work, and before I go to bed. On top of that, I soaked her 3 times a week for 15 minutes. Currently, she's taken a few bites of each piece of lettuce and has been sleeping most of the time. I'm extremely worried for her and I don't know if this is normal behavior for a tortoise.