Climbing

[rachelraines]

I’ve noticed my baby Burmese LOVES to climb - he’s always trying to climb up his hide but it scares me! What are some tortoise friendly climbing things I can put in his enclosure? I have looked on Amazon but every product has another review as to why I shouldn’t get it -! If you have any ideas I’d love to hear them! DIY or something I can purchase

 

[DoubleD1996!]

I’ve noticed my baby Burmese LOVES to climb - he’s always trying to climb up his hide but it scares me! What are some tortoise friendly climbing things I can put in his enclosure? I have looked on Amazon but every product has another review as to why I shouldn’t get it -! If you have any ideas I’d love to hear them! DIY or something I can purchase

Tortoises don't live on flat surfaces in the wild. I like to add different elevations for development of strong legs.

You can take something simple as a rock or log and burry it under the substrate. Just be sure not to go too crazy as they could fall over. So I wouldn't do it near a heat lamp where they could potentially flip and cook. Hopefully this helps.

 

[Tinyhigg]

My tortoise has logs (the zoo med habba hut), caves and humid hides. He climbs them all. Let him fall and flip when you are around, so you can intervene if needed (do not flip him yourself tho!), but let him get up by himself. They learn from it. Mine barely ever flips and he's got really good at getting back.

We also made different elevations with the substrate.

 

[wellington]

My tortoise has logs (the zoo med habba hut), caves and humid hides. He climbs them all. Let him fall and flip when you are around, so you can intervene if needed (do not flip him yourself tho!), but let him get up by himself. They learn from it. Mine barely ever flips and he's got really good at getting back.

We also made different elevations with the substrate.

Just to be sure you realize that while it is okay to let them try to flip themselves, it shouldn't be left to long to do so. They die in the wild when they flip and can't right themselves. They usually become dehydrated as they most times expell their urine and the pressure is on their lungs from being on their backs. If left to long, that they pee, they should be given a soak.

 

[Tinyhigg]

Just to be sure you realize that while it is okay to let them try to flip themselves, it shouldn't be left to long to do so. They die in the wild when they flip and can't right themselves. They usually become dehydrated as they most times expell their urine and the pressure is on their lungs from being on their backs. If left to long, that they pee, they should be given a soak.

We are always ready to intervene if needed. I actually rushed back home twice (5 min and 20 min away) just to find him chilling like nothing had happened. I do believe we flipped him back a couple times and we are also alert that he doesn't flip under the basking light - this being the main fear/reason why we have cam and remote control of the light. But I believe the fact that we allowed him to do so when he was younger made him better at it now, and better at knowing what can be climbed and what cannot. He is fairly familiar with his logs and hides by now.

He also never peed being flipped.

We soak him every other day, he is a two year old marginated. Is this enough?

 

[Tinyhigg]

@wellington
sorry I believe you liked before I edited my question at the end.

We soak him every other day, he is a two year old marginated. Is this enough?

 

[wellington]

@wellington
sorry I believe you liked before I edited my question at the end.

We soak him every other day, he is a two year old marginated. Is this enough?

Yes, that enough.