Doesn't like new home?

[Skymall007]

So since finding out my 20 gallon tank with rabbit pallet substrate is bad I have done my best to update (I feel so embarrassed about my lack of knowledge about this. I have had minster for 8 years. At least he had proper heating and lights)

Anyway, today I put him in a Rubbermaid 55 gallon with 50/50 garden loam and play sand. I gave him his usual drinking dish and made a hide with timmothy hay inside. He likes to play with a stuffed Christmas tree so I made sure it is with hi
. The only thing he is missing is his geisha picture that he loves staring at.

I am confused because he looked around and then began trying to make an escape. Whenever he was done roaming before and I put hi
In his old tank he would be calm.


Is this normal behavior? Could it be just that he is confused?

 

[dmmj]

They often get stressed when moving to a new home, just give him some time to adjust. Is he eating?

 

[wellington]

Don't feel bad about the lack of knowledge you had. Most of us have been there until finding this forum. most info out there is bad. If everything else is okay with him, he probably just needs time to adjust.

 

[Skymall007]

Thank you guys so much also I am not sure if he is still eating yet since I fed him before moving him. He is very picky and only likes fresh heart of romain so I always have to sprinkle vitamins ontop. He does eat other things at other places. I am hoping that with his new home he shall eat better. I fed him his usuall before putting him into his new home.

Again thank you guys so much, I am so glad to have found this place. Now Minster can have proper care

 

[Zamric]

He will continue to try excaping.... thats what Torts do! If he wasn't before then his enclosure was WAY to small! Glad you found us and better yet, I'm sure Minster is glad you found us!

Put his "meditation" picture by/in his hide as a reminder of his "OLD" home.

 

[dmarcus]

No worries this tends to happen when you change things.

I just replaced the substrate in one of my enclosures and I decided to change things a bit and remove some plants and it took my turtles a little time to get use to it because they all had there favorite spot before the change and with the change those spots were not there. They are good and happy now with new hiding spots...

 

[Laurie]

Don't feel bad, I think a lot of us, myself included, had our setups wrong. The important thing is you took the time to educate yourself, your tortoise will be strong and healthy! That being said, tortoises take a while to adapt to change. Give it some time, I'm sure he/she will love it

 

[Skymall007]

Thank you everyone so much =) I added his geisha picture so he shall be more at home. =) He has started to calm down. I still let him roam around the house a bit. It's 80 degrees right now and the house has no air conditioning so he is pretty active. He is looking out the window. No matter how big inside is or his enclosure is, he still always looks out the sliding glass window until I take him outside. So cute =)


Thank you everyone again so much! This really helped me calm down