Does he need a hide...really?

[tyler0912]

Does Tiago need a hide he has a nice one but it takes up alot of room ive tried aot of things but he just pushes them around he does not have alot of space and im working on a new enclosure...of course i want him to feel secure but does he need a hide it takes up to much room and he needs the room at the moment....is theyre anyother way i can make him feel secure..... instead of a hide? thankyou?

 

[terryo]

RE: Does he need a hide...really? lookinside

You can get a fern or some kind of plant with biggish leaves and put a lot of long fiber moss under it. That's what I do with my box turtle hatchlings.
For my little Cherry Head, I don't have a hide either. I got a few plants and some artificial plants and kind of bend them over a little to form a cave and then put lots of long fiber moss under to dig into. This is a nice size cave on one side of the vivarium, and she goes in and digs under into the moss, and then I can't see her at all. Like this:

 

[tyler0912]

RE: Does he need a hide...really? lookinside

plants do not survive in my table atall lol!

 

[terryo]

RE: Does he need a hide...really? lookinside

Get some artificial plants. I got some at the craft store. I got the silk one's because they stay wet longer and hold the humidity well.

 

[tyler0912]

RE: Does he need a hide...really? lookinside

okay thankyou!

 

[TurtleTortoise]

RE: Does he need a hide...really? lookinside

you can always put a board all the way across or over some part resting on the edge so no part touches the bottom.

 

[jackrat]

RE: Does he need a hide...really? lookinside

I actally use driftwood. They just dig under it. Everyone has their own little private cave.

 

[Madkins007]

RE: Does he need a hide...really? lookinside

Red-foots in the wild look for shelter areas they can feel safe in. They seem to look for burrows, places they can wedge into, etc. They sometimes do not even seem to worry about being seen much if they are wedged in tightly enough.

My trials have shown me that my torts prefer any hide they can 'snuggle' into over things like boxes or shelves. My indoor habitat has a big chunk of 'wild' bark that is as wide as the habitat and a few inches longer than the biggest tortoise. It is propped up at one corner and they crawl in, then wiggle down as deep as they can get.

I also had luck with a big chunk of camping foam padding, as long as there were gaps they could crawl into.

I often find one or more of them under big leaves, wedged between a clay pot and the habitat wall, or wedged into an old root tangle I have in the outdoor pen.

It is important that they feel safe and secure as they rest, digest, and sleep but this does not require a typical box.

Check out the hides and shelters of the Library below for info on a 'moist root hide' idea that may work for you to combine hide and exercise space.

 

[Yvonne G]

This is why you need to buy the biggest tub/bin/container you possibly can afford. Because once you start putting in all the 'furniture', it takes away the space.

 

[terryo]

It's true they like to dig their way into the hide. In Solo's "cave" I have a lot of moss, and she has to dig into the moss. For Pio, I have a large fake rock that I cut the bottom off, and filled with warm moist moss. As big as she is, she digs into the moss and you can't see her at all.

 

[DixieParadise]

Was going to suggest the plants, but I think TerryO already covered it. Good Luck, all three of mine choose different areas. "Ollie" hides in the tall grass, "Gypsy" who hides in the corner behind the vines and "Iago", who actually uses one of the 4 regular hides I have put out for them. Which one he chooses...is different each day.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

First of all I make sure I have provided the largest container I can, knowing tortoises grow. Then I add some hides, not just one and none are a typical square box. Some are rocks forming a cave, in another habitat I use bricks and a piece of slate, another has a plastic plant pot (say that 10 times fast) with a hole carved out for an entrance, another is a ceramic plant pot on it's side under some plants. So use your imagination. Your tortoise needs to feel safe and secure as he rests and it is up to you to provide the place for him to feel safe and secure. Feeling safe as they sleep is a part of growing a healthy animal. If they don't feel safe, they don't rest well and that means they most probably won't be healthy. I know some people will disagree with me, but the proof is in the pudding as they say, and I grow healthy animals. Look at Bob and Queenie, Fat Nat is quite healthy and my box turtles are healthy and active as well. I guess I could go on, but I won't...