Hyperactive baby Russian

[Carol S]

My 4 month old Russian Tortoise seems like a different tortoise outside than when he is in his inside enclosure. When in his inside enclosure he is not very active at all and doesn't have a big appetite. His outside enclose is a rubbermaid under the bed container. I take his hide, fake plants, rocks, slate, etc. out of his inside tank and put them in the outside enclosure, so he has familar items in his outside enclosure. Both of his enclosures have the bottom edges covered to reduce stress. When he is in his outside enclosure he seems like a different tortoise as he has a BIG appetite and is VERY, VERY active. However, what concerns me is the fact that when he is in his outside enclosure he scratches and seems like he is trying to escape and is constantly on the go. My first thought was that he was stressed, however, he is not hiding and is eating extremely well. When he is scared in his inside enclosure he hides under his plants and won't eat until he settles down. Do you think that perhaps he is stressed outside, or is it normal for him to try to escape. Yesterday I bought him a dog wading pool at PetSmart and I will be fixing that up for him outside to give him more room to explore, but first my husband has to build a wire top to protect him from predators. All this week he has been staying outside in his enclosure from around 10:00 a.m. until around 4:30 p.m. as that is the time that he usually goes to sleep for the night .
I can't believe the difference between his inside behavior and outside behavior - he seems like two different turtles - one lethargic and the other hyperactive.
Any input would be highly appreciated, as I hate to think that I am stressing him which will compromise his immune system.
Thank you,
Carol S

 

[tortoisenerd]

I think that is a prime example of how torts thrive outside!

Some things to check about the trying to escape, but that don't necessarily explain it are (these are off the top of my head): he can see out if the sides are clear and it is not covered well enough, it's too warm and he's trying to get to a cooler place (can also explain times of hyperactivity), the wall looks short enough to him he thinks he can get out and thus will try, or he's scared.

Hope the larger enclosure works well! Good job on the wire top. What type of wire are you using?

What other differences between the two enclosures such as size and temperature are there?

My tort has been scratching at the walls more lately in his enclosure, and I'm trying to figure out why as well. he has a lot of space for his size, I try to enrich his life with little toys and furnishings, etc. No luck yet. It's worse some days than others. It's almost like he has fun trying to climb the wall though...