HELP!!! (messy tortoise)

[marissab]

I just got a Russian tortoise. He's crawling into his water dish, and getting substrate everywhere in the dish, and making it a muddy mess. He's covered in the coconut substrate now. Help?? He keeps crawling into it and getting substrate stuck on his skin. Is my substrate too deep or too dry? He loves going into the water, but he hardly fits in the bowl.

 

[wellington]

Congrats, all is normal. I have two leopards that do this all the time. Get a dish that he can fit into all the way, but not a deep dish. The clay saucer used under flower pots work good. Also to help keep the water some what clean, you can place some rocks around the bowl that will help knock off some of the coir before he gets to the water. Also, how big is the enclosure? It should be at least 4x6 feet and larger would be better.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Press your substrate down a bit more to compact it.
Just gently wash off your tortoise.
They do this, it's fine.
You need to get a cheap terracotta plant saucer, big enough for him to comfortably soak in.

 

[marissab]

Congrats, all is normal. I have two leopards that do this all the time. Get a dish that he can fit into all the way, but not a deep dish. The clay saucer used under flower pots work good. Also to help keep the water some what clean, you can place some rocks around the bowl that will help knock off some of the coir before he gets to the water. Also, how big is the enclosure? It should be at least 4x6 feet and larger would be better.

Also, he keeps sliding past the substrate to the glass. I put in some rubber grids underneath the substrate but I think he's getting his nails stuck

 

[wellington]

It might help to cover the outside of the glass so he can't see out. This should help calm him a bit.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

or you might need deeper substrate.

 

[Jodie]

Sounds like you need deeper substrate, and it needs to be damp, and packed. Can you post pics of your enclosure so we can offer better advice?

 

[Eric Phillips]

Can you post a picture of the enclosure?

 

[Yvonne G]

Move the waterer away from the side of the habitat.