Help (just wants to burrow)

[Evy]

Penny my sully weight less than a pound is been try to burrow herself most of the time. She has a dry area and a humid area. When she stays at the humid area which is about 74-78 degrees she gets very cold and I usually have to move her to her soaking area but a lot of times she doesn't stay there longer enough to get warm.
Is she trying to hibernate ?
I soak her everyday and still pees white[UNAMUSED FACE]
Her temperature in the dry are is 73-90 degrees.
the indoor is top and outdoor is bottom level of the enclosure.
the enclosure
top bottom,it's hard to see since I'm running the humidifier hat we set up for the enclose.

Also she doesn't try to gaze in her enclosure but she eats dirt and little rocks, and few pieces of grass when I'm outside with her. She has a calcium bone and she gets her food everyday( grass, weeds sometimes a little lettuce or cilantro, cactus and 5 pieces of mazuri)

Any suggestions of what it's worn or what I maybe doing wrong?

 

[Linz2491]

Help

I'm not an expert but I believe you need to have all areas of
Your enclosure a minimum of 80 degrees. Ambient should be 85-90 and basking should be 90-105. 73 would be way too cold.

 

[Tom]

RE: Help

Temps should not drop below 80 anywhere in the enclosure ever, but especially not in the humid area.

Is there a basking area where the tortoise can get warmer than 90?

The rock eating is typical for tortoises fed mostly grocery store greens. Try adding fiber, like weeds, grass, grass hay and leaves. I also have had good luck using a product called "MinerAll" for this. It is a mineral supplement, not just calcium alone.

Sulcatas do not hibernate. If your tortoise is losing appetite and getting lethargic, it is a sign that its too cold or something else is wrong.

 

[Evy]

I'm not an expert but I believe you need to have all areas of
Your enclosure a minimum of 80 degrees. Ambient should be 85-90 and basking should be 90-105. 73 would be way too cold.

That's what I had before.

---

Temps should not drop below 80 anywhere in the enclosure ever, but especially not in the humid area.

Is there a basking area where the tortoise can get warmer than 90?

The rock eating is typical for tortoises fed mostly grocery store greens. Try adding fiber, like weeds, grass, grass hay and leaves. I also have had good luck using a product called "MinerAll" for this. It is a mineral supplement, not just calcium alone.

Sulcatas do not hibernate. If your tortoise is losing appetite and getting lethargic, it is a sign that its too cold or something else is wrong.

Thank you for commenting Tom.
I guess my big problem here is that I lower my temperatures to see what my sully do.
Why did I lowered it because she doesn't want to be in the warm she tries to borrow to be cold and she stayed there for longer periods. She goes to the colder area. So it seem to me that she was hot. She doesn't go to her soaking spot which is 90-100. If I put her there she goes away.
Her feeding bowl usually have grass, weeds, few lettuce and cilantro, sometimes cactus and other stuff I mix in it but grass is always there for her plus 5 pieces of mazuri.
This are here measurements as of today:

 

[mike taylor]

What are you using to check temperatures? We use these .

 

[Evy]

The same brand. See picture above

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Mike means to say, ( I think) the base unit looks like the picture. The wireless remote goes in the enclosure. They are water resistant and rugged.

 

[Evy]

I'm confuse on what it's the confusion. On the started thread I posted pictures and one shows the thermometer that I have inside the enclosure. Now, the gadget is on the top level but I can read the bottom with the extra reader that comes with the thermometer which is an Acurite brand.
Outdoor = bottom level
Indoor= top level

I think what I'm going to do for now is put more dirt in her dry hiding spot and put plastic all around it to keep more humidity in the top level besides the humidifier.
Also, to make it the bath are more appealing. I'll put everyday little pieces of lettuce and mazuri to guide and encourage my sully to use the bath area in her own. Of course, I'll continue to give her everyday baths as my husband and I do.

I'll keep you all updated on this subject "why she goes away of her soaking spot and she wants to borrow all the time"
Hopefully that makes some difference and she changes her new ways.

 

[Livingstone]

Just throwing this out there. Your moving the animal is going to scare it and it definitely will not stay out in the open on it's own. The animal retreats to its hide because that is instinctual for a hatchling (its trying to stay safe). You need to raise the temp inside the enclosure so no matter where she is the temperature is no lower than 80.

Lastly, what bulbs are you using in for the basking spot??

 

[Evy]

Hi everybody, I'm so happy to share the revise of Penny's place
here is an addition to the area. At first we just out a ramp to the glass where she used to be when she was smaller. I wanted to keep more humidity so we build another box and attached to the big one.
this addition gives her grass and water without going up and down from ramp to ramp. She seems to go to the water more often now for a drink or just to bathe. Even though we bathe her twice a day she was peeing white. I hope this helps.
also more coconut coir was added to the top and bottom to make it thinker layer. There is grass on top and I changed her flowers and weeds since the other ones die or she ate them.
flowers and weeds.
she ate some on the other side
you can see Penny in her hide. Also I put a weed by her door to make it more private and the PVC is the homemade flogger that goes straight to her hide.

She really seems happier and she walks around more.


[TURTLE]Penny a lovely sulcata!