Crazy things my Tortoise does...

Hoka's Mom

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My Russian lightning loves to climb, until recently we had to confine him to quite a small area of our garden, but now he has his onboard tracker we can let him roam free, before this I have seen him standing completely vertical with his back legs straight & also seen him lift himself off the ground in this position like he was doing pull ups, then falling back onto his back, we have always been a bit concerned that he could not right himself properly but he never seems to have any trouble except in his house where he seems to struggle more, if you see one of my other posts you will see why we had to get him a tracker (tile mate) it is fixed to the top of his shell with a small blob of silicone & if we can’t find him just press app on my phone he plays a tune so you can hear him, it doesn’t seem to bother him as if he is asleep it does not wake him up.
As you other Russian owners must know they are always trying to escape & there are quick with it as well, in the sun the other day we watched him almost running down the garden path, your right people don’t tend to believe us when we tell them what he does. He is a totally source of wonder & amusement. When we go on holiday he stays with our grandchildren & they absolutely love him as unlike most Russian he will come up to you when you speak to him & if you are patient he will even take food from your hand. Sorry this post is a bit long.
Tom
Such big personalities in itty bitty shells! What is the "onboard tracker" you have for lightning? We are looking for another level of security for ours while he is outside.
 

Hoka's Mom

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Mine is very similar. He has a log with a cavity underneath where he would hide when he was smaller. its much too tiny for him now but if we take it away he just sits where it was scratching the ground and looking sad so we keep it in there. On warm days instead of going in his larger hide he'll stuff his face under the log and try to bury his feet under the bark. The log literally sits on his shell, its so small. Or he'll try and reverse into it. Very dignified.
In the day he uses the top as a slide. its painful to watch him clamber to the top and then zoom over the other side and mash his face into the ground but he seems to love it? We also have a sort of 'bannister' in his house which separates his cooler area from his warmer area. He only needs to go down a very accessible wide ramp RIGHT IN FRONT of his house to avoid it but he'll spend hours trying to climb over it.
He also has a small food bowl which he will flip onto his head, scattering food everywhere, and occasionally he'll try and sleep under it though its half his size!
Super funny! Clearly loves his log!
 

Hoka's Mom

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Mine uses her neck as a fifth limb for climbing. It’s a little disturbing to watch her hang her entire body from her neck while she tries to ballerina kick up to wherever she’d like to go; usually she’s trying to get inside the house.
Yikes! That would be hard to watch but they are so determined, gotta hand it (or neck it) to them!
 

Hoka's Mom

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Sorry that I find that funny...but I do. Not that he was about to get hurt but...don't put anything past a Russian. The one thing you can trust them to do is be up to no durn good. I found my little guy hanging by a claw from the hardware cloth on the lid of his indoor enclosure. I'd had him for years and he still managed to get himself in troouuble...I check on him a lot every day. I also have a hardware cloth lid on his outdoor enclosure that has a keyed lock. I'm probably an overprotective mom but... it's no wonder a Russian is a popular and favorite pet tortoise.
Best pet ever!
 

Cathie G

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Best pet ever!
I sooo agree. The only real reason I do a padlock on his outdoor enclosure is because I've seen raccoons get past just about anything. I live in a city but there's a lot of wildlife here and they go through my backyard.
 

Shuler24

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This is our first summer with Sheldon, and we built a nice outside enclosure and I’m just going to say this, I’m going on record as saying RTs instincts are to eat then test the perimeter like a Navy Seal for weakness. It is fun to watch. They are super smart. My guess is, this is an escape room to them? Lol.
 

Hoka's Mom

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This is our first summer with Sheldon, and we built a nice outside enclosure and I’m just going to say this, I’m going on record as saying RTs instincts are to eat then test the perimeter like a Navy Seal for weakness. It is fun to watch. They are super smart. My guess is, this is an escape room to them? Lol.
The perimeter testing really is so interesting. I keep thinking he will give up but he might actually be waiting for that one time when it works. We just built his outdoor enclosure and he spent the entire day poking his head through the grates and trying so hard to push his shell through too. He doesn't seem to believe that his body is any bigger than his neck (I need to give him a mirror..he is not a snake)
 

Cathie G

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The perimeter testing really is so interesting. I keep thinking he will give up but he might actually be waiting for that one time when it works. We just built his outdoor enclosure and he spent the entire day poking his head through the grates and trying so hard to push his shell through too. He doesn't seem to believe that his body is any bigger than his neck (I need to give him a mirror..he is not a snake)
If he can see a way out he'll keep trying. So a solid sight barrier about 12" high would probably stop a bit of that. A mirror would just make him mad that another turdess dared to invade his space. Have fun trying.
 

Miniman8

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Such big personalities in itty bitty shells! What is the "onboard tracker" you have for lightning? We are looking for another level of security for ours while he is outside.
Hi Hoka’s mum it is a Tile Mate, as I said it is fixed to the top of his shell with a small blob of silicone, it is the one with the replaceable battery, I got mine on amazon for £20 gbp, you should be able to get them in USA, the reason we got it was that last year he escaped from his run & we have a large garden with lots of hedges & bushes, we spent weeks looking for him without success then 3 1/2 months later when I was cutting grass I saw him at side of hedge, he was covered in dried mud, but none the worse for his little adventure, that was when we decided to get him a tracker it’s just over one inch square & about a 1/4 inch thick & weighs virtually nothing.
I have attached a picture of him wearing his new tag.
Just be aware this is a Bluetooth device & not gps so range is limited, but we have found it ok you just have to walk about until the square on your phone goes green then press the find button & hey presto it plays a tune.

4209E7CD-767A-4815-999E-1F214EDDC820.jpeg
 

Hoka's Mom

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I had been wondering about using a Tile and could not come up with how to attach it in a way that would not harm him or be forever permanent. I was also wondering if I was crazy for even thinking about tiling a tortoise but I saw an article by the company that said they have several tortoises listed as users ...so we are not alone in this. Thanks for the pic and information. I Sew and I was thinking of making a strap that would hold the tile on but I am still in protoype mode.
 

Hoka's Mom

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If he can see a way out he'll keep trying. So a solid sight barrier about 12" high would probably stop a bit of that. A mirror would just make him mad that another turdess dared to invade his space. Have fun trying.
Our indoor enclosure has solid walls on two sides and he patrols those sides just as much as our clear sides so I haven't really understood about the solid wall thing. I know a lot of people swear that it helps but Hoka seems to think even a solid wall is worth trying to dig through and will spend hours digging in that corner.
 

Cathie G

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Our indoor enclosure has solid walls on two sides and he patrols those sides just as much as our clear sides so I haven't really understood about the solid wall thing. I know a lot of people swear that it helps but Hoka seems to think even a solid wall is worth trying to dig through and will spend hours digging in that corner.
I've had my Russian for about 12 years. He doesn't dig like that in his indoor enclosure anymore but...if he can scoot his hide closer to one of the walls he will flip sideways and climb out. Therefore I put it in the center of a wall of his enclosure. It may take some time for your darling to give up the wall digging tactics and figure out a new escape route. I just try to spend some time watching my little guy to see what's going on in that beady little brain of his. Hopefully, I'll keep one step ahead of him.
 

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