Collingwood
New Member
My girlfriend recently moved in and she brought her tortoise with her. I believe it's a Russian tortoise. I want him to be happy and well-cared for, so I've been reading a fair bit. He seems in good shape, with no pyramiding or similar, so it seems to me, initially, that she took good care of him.
At her place (with her mother) she let him roam around her room in the apartment, and he knew all the little places to hide. I was worried that he wouldn't know at my place, so might feel stressed. Also, mine is a bit messier than her mum's apartment, and I wanted a decent place for him to be. Given that, I built a makeshift habitat for him, from some plastic trays (imagine a cat-litter tray, but twice as deep) laid side by side, and enclosed with cardboard to give him some cover (I read this was important). It's a bit bigger than the recommended size for a tortoises I read. I filled them with pine bark, and put a embedded a plant pot as deep as it would go so he could hide there. There's still space for him to get out, if he wants a wander, and I'm comfortable with that.
I have some questions:
1. I tried to cover one end of the enclosure with a piece of cardboard, thinking that it would give him some privacy. At my girlfriend's old place, he loved hiding under a wardrobe, and I thought it would be similar. Here, though, he just goes half way in and doesn't move. He even slept like that last night. I want him to be as stress-free as possible, but can anybody advise on how to give him hiding spaces he'd like?
2. He moved the plant pot and then started digging in the corner. He got right to the bottom. Is this a normal instinct, good exercise and giving the adorable chap a chance to dig, or is it him feeling stressed and trying to get out? Again, what can I do to help him?
Thanks greatly for any advice you can give. I'm really soft when it comes to animals, and I think I'm more worried about making him happy than the tortoise is himself, but I really don't want him to feel stressed in any way.
At her place (with her mother) she let him roam around her room in the apartment, and he knew all the little places to hide. I was worried that he wouldn't know at my place, so might feel stressed. Also, mine is a bit messier than her mum's apartment, and I wanted a decent place for him to be. Given that, I built a makeshift habitat for him, from some plastic trays (imagine a cat-litter tray, but twice as deep) laid side by side, and enclosed with cardboard to give him some cover (I read this was important). It's a bit bigger than the recommended size for a tortoises I read. I filled them with pine bark, and put a embedded a plant pot as deep as it would go so he could hide there. There's still space for him to get out, if he wants a wander, and I'm comfortable with that.
I have some questions:
1. I tried to cover one end of the enclosure with a piece of cardboard, thinking that it would give him some privacy. At my girlfriend's old place, he loved hiding under a wardrobe, and I thought it would be similar. Here, though, he just goes half way in and doesn't move. He even slept like that last night. I want him to be as stress-free as possible, but can anybody advise on how to give him hiding spaces he'd like?
2. He moved the plant pot and then started digging in the corner. He got right to the bottom. Is this a normal instinct, good exercise and giving the adorable chap a chance to dig, or is it him feeling stressed and trying to get out? Again, what can I do to help him?
Thanks greatly for any advice you can give. I'm really soft when it comes to animals, and I think I'm more worried about making him happy than the tortoise is himself, but I really don't want him to feel stressed in any way.