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  1. xyhapu

    Box turtle help

    Is there a correlation between her behavior and outdoor temperatures? One of my eastern box turtles behaves the same way as soon as the first cold spell hits, despite there being little change to indoor temps/humidity/light. This is only the second year I've had him, but so far he's been very...
  2. xyhapu

    How do I remove this black thing?

    Looks like some kind of adhesive-backed foil. Use heat (like a hairdryer) to loosen the adhesive and then scrape it off. Be very careful not to overheat the aquarium/don't leave it on one spot for too long, as you can crack the glass.
  3. xyhapu

    Do tortoises play?

    But that's what playing is for humans and mammals too! It helps/helped us survive and so we evolved to like doing it - we don't play for no reason.
  4. xyhapu

    Do tortoises play?

    Here's an interesting excerpt from a Scientific American article: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/not-bad-science/looking-past-the-scales-the-truth-about-reptilian-behavior/ Whether or not play and the need to play in reptiles is exactly the same thing as in mammals, I think it is...
  5. xyhapu

    Do tortoises play?

    That's an interesting question. Play behavior is evolutionarily attributed in part to letting an animal simulate behaviors like foraging, hunting, and fighting, and give it practice with real-world skills it will need to survive. Since this practice behavior could also be advantageous to a...
  6. xyhapu

    Russian tortoise enclosure

    4' x 8' is a standard size for construction materials like plywood or steel, so I'm suspicious someone threw that number out there out of convenience or familiarity. That said, I agree with everyone else that even that size is technically still 'small', and that bigger is better if possible...
  7. xyhapu

    New tortoise what should I do?

    Here is a 3-year study where they radio-tracked newly-hatched box turtles to see how they survived. Tortoises probably face similar conditions. It has data on all the ways in which they died: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/theses/853/ Sadly, none seemed to have made it past their first year in...
  8. xyhapu

    Tortoise Feet

    Not a tortoise, but hopefully still effective stress therapy!
  9. xyhapu

    Is My Tortoise Really This Smart?

    It could be that he notices you behave differently/you are around more on Saturdays due to it being the weekend, and has learned to associate that with the pellets? Explains why he doesn't 'recognize' Tuesdays since it's a weekday. A simple association like that would IMO be well within a...
  10. xyhapu

    Box turtle sneezing/screaming

    Thanks, and yep, that's him in the center under that small bit of wood (he's gotten bigger since the photo, he still tries to go 'in' there but the bit of wood just ends up resting on his shell . . .) His new winter home is about 250 sq inches vs 130 sq inches of the current one, so not hugely...
  11. xyhapu

    Box turtle sneezing/screaming

    Yes he definitely needs an upgrade, he's growing dang fast! (I've had to enlarge the openings to his hides twice already, it was quite pitiful watching him try to squeeze in.) Currently I have something a little bigger I want to move him into, I am gradually acclimating him to it since he acts...
  12. xyhapu

    Box turtle sneezing/screaming

    I was always intrigued by the knowledge that turtles can make various noises. Until now, the only sounds I've heard my ~6month old box turtle make are the occasional 'quack' while eating and farts. Well, this morning he/she seemingly ate a slug wrong (must've gone down the wrong hole) and this...
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