Hi everyone!
My little tort was showing some new behavior today that confused me. He did way more exploring than I've ever seen him do (walked around his entire 8 sq ft enclosure, trying to climb up the walls, stare at the walls, and make a noise with his jaw while his throat seemed to puff up). The only change I've made very recently is his light got attached to the stand correctly with a clamp (thanks Meg!), so it's changed position a bit related to the height (I adjusted it to maintain the same basking temperature as before). It seems like he may be seeing his reflection in the grey plastic lining his tort table:
I was thinking of filling it up more with substrate so the liner doesn't stick up so far. He's been digging down to the bottom anyways so this could be good. Does it sound like this could alleviate the chance he could be seeing himself in the plastic from the glare from his lamp?
Anyone know what the behavior is where he was making a noise with his jaw and breathing really heavy? He seemed to be chewing food but he had finished it earlier so there shouldn't have been food in his mouth.
Other than that he's been all sorts of active today and happily exploring all over. I've never seen him at the edges of his enclosure so much. He is usually pretty predictable with his grazing of food, basking, and naps (not so much walking around). Could he finally be testing the boundaries of his enclosure? It's definitely not too small for him... He actually tried to crawl up the wall which surprised me. He's always ignored the walls. Does this just mean he's settling in more?
Thanks...I still get the new tort baby worries so feel free just to tell me not too think too much into it. He's eating very well, gaining weight, growing, and even is getting stronger and a "better" eater as far as not missing the lettuce and being able to manage big pieces. He's sleeping under the heat emitter at night so he doesn't spend so much time basking first thing in the morning as well and goes straight for the food (letting him eat as much as he wants up to a certain amount, which he hasn't reached yet).
My little tort was showing some new behavior today that confused me. He did way more exploring than I've ever seen him do (walked around his entire 8 sq ft enclosure, trying to climb up the walls, stare at the walls, and make a noise with his jaw while his throat seemed to puff up). The only change I've made very recently is his light got attached to the stand correctly with a clamp (thanks Meg!), so it's changed position a bit related to the height (I adjusted it to maintain the same basking temperature as before). It seems like he may be seeing his reflection in the grey plastic lining his tort table:
I was thinking of filling it up more with substrate so the liner doesn't stick up so far. He's been digging down to the bottom anyways so this could be good. Does it sound like this could alleviate the chance he could be seeing himself in the plastic from the glare from his lamp?
Anyone know what the behavior is where he was making a noise with his jaw and breathing really heavy? He seemed to be chewing food but he had finished it earlier so there shouldn't have been food in his mouth.
Other than that he's been all sorts of active today and happily exploring all over. I've never seen him at the edges of his enclosure so much. He is usually pretty predictable with his grazing of food, basking, and naps (not so much walking around). Could he finally be testing the boundaries of his enclosure? It's definitely not too small for him... He actually tried to crawl up the wall which surprised me. He's always ignored the walls. Does this just mean he's settling in more?
Thanks...I still get the new tort baby worries so feel free just to tell me not too think too much into it. He's eating very well, gaining weight, growing, and even is getting stronger and a "better" eater as far as not missing the lettuce and being able to manage big pieces. He's sleeping under the heat emitter at night so he doesn't spend so much time basking first thing in the morning as well and goes straight for the food (letting him eat as much as he wants up to a certain amount, which he hasn't reached yet).
. As far as his jaw clicking or what appears to be chewing and heavy breathing. I would keep an eye on him and make sure he is not having any eating difficulties. Long walks and wall climbing is a form of increased activity and this could bring on heavy breathing. Sounds as if he is a happy, healthy, energetic tort to me. Awe watching them grow up and learn new things is so much fun.
