My RF tortoise is digging into the substrate. Is this normal? Should I be worried? We just moved it to a new terrarium. The first day he was really mobile and now just seems like he is gradually digging deeper and further from the heat lamp. He had a cool and warm side.
Need tips.
- Thread starter Supercurt
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It's difficult to say why he is digging without a photo of the enclosure. Perhaps he feels dry and is trying to find an area of higher humidity. It is also possible he does not feel like he has enough places to hide, do you have some areas set up as hides in the enclosure? Also how old is your tortoise?
(My adult redfoot lives outside and likes to bury himself about half way up his shell in damp soil to sleep during the night. In the morning he digs himself out at the first sign of sunlight.)
The more info you give about the situation, the more we can help.
-Jeff
(My adult redfoot lives outside and likes to bury himself about half way up his shell in damp soil to sleep during the night. In the morning he digs himself out at the first sign of sunlight.)
The more info you give about the situation, the more we can help.
-Jeff
I agree with Jeff. We need more information and he's asked very good questions. What are the exact temps and humidity? Mine completely bury themselves in sphagnum or at the base of plants. It drives me nuts trying to find them when they decide to find new hiding spots.
Also what do you use for lighting?
Also what do you use for lighting?
He is about 6-7 months old. And the humidity is about 45% we have been trying to increase it but haven't found anything that works. Gonna try putting a damp towel on the cooler side and see if the humidity comes up more. Will try and get a pic for you later today. We have 2 UVB bulbs. And a 150 watt Exo Terra daytime and basking bulb. Temp on the hot side is about 82 degrees during the day. We have a 75watt blue nighttime bulb. Not too sure what the temp is at night thinks it's around 70-75 degrees.
This was a pic of his old set up and we couldn't keep the humidity above 20. Even with a lid covering 75% of the top also had a UVB bulb in there.
This is a pic of my little RF
This was a pic of his old set up and we couldn't keep the humidity above 20. Even with a lid covering 75% of the top also had a UVB bulb in there.
This is a pic of my little RF
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Because your humidity levels are low, 70-75F is okay for now. If you show us the enclosure, some members might be able to help you with raising the humidity. Once that's accomplished, I wouldn't let the temps go below 80F at all. What are your uvb bulbs? From your description, the digging could be either bright lights or the wrong bulbs.. Buy an infrared temperature gun so you know what the temps are. Have you tried covering your enclosure with foil?
I'm guessing the uvb lights are fluorescent tubes? To be honest with you, I'd probably just use one of those tubes and switch everything else out with a CHE over the water dish. If the temps are too low then use the day bulb, too. What you have seems like a lot of light and a lot of redfoots like it dim. Something is weird with your setup. You said that even covered, the humidity was only 20%? How moist are you keeping the substrate and what are you using to measure humidity? The little circle dealies aren't very accurate. The foil would be used as a makeshift lid that covers lights and all.
Mine buries himself too (actually, I think it is female after reading how to identify, but that is another thread). My humidity is also low, but I thought russian's needed it low. What should the humidity be for a Russian tortoise? My hot side gets up to 90 during the day, the cool side never goes below 70. I'm new to tortoises so I want to make sure I'm doing it right!
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digging is very normal, my cage is set up so a dry end and cool end but both have 5-8 inches of a coco mix with New Zealand Long Fiber Sphagnum Moss. and then a flat area thats about 3-4 inches deep. never liked wood chips, since they like to dig and bury them self's so much.
pfara said:
This was the old tub style. Now I bought a terrarium that is 56 Lx24Wx26 h. And yes I have 2 fluorescent tubes so you suggest to get rid of one and reduce the light. As well he has slowed down on eating as well. Could this be because he temps are too low or because of the new terrarium?
The substrate I soak once a week and it is really moist and in this new terrarium the humidity stays between 40-50%.
What is a CHE over the water dish?
Will get a pic up of the new terrarium when I can
Like I said above he was very active Sunday when I set up the terrarium and he seems to be digging and I haven't noticed if he's eaten very much.
The new terrarium pics
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Thanks for the pictures. Keep both tubes but I suggest you get a reflective hood to keep the light shining down. The light intensity is fine. And his lack of appetite and lower energy levels might be from switching enclosures. Tortoises take a while to adapt to change. A CHE is a ceramic heat emitter, a bulb that converts energy to all heat and no light. I usually put them above water sources to aid in evaporation to increase humidity. You can also try putting long fibered sphagnum moss around the edges of the enclosure and keep spraying it down a few times a day to add humidity. Mine seem to love digging caves into the moss and keeps them moist. What are the temps in the new enclosure? Try boosting it to the mid 80s and wait a week or two for him to relax a bit and feel more comfortable.
Well with the 100w heat bulb the temps were in the 70 degree range. Now with the 150w. They stay just above 80 degrees. And we have that special miss inside the dark hide and spray it down regularly. Would putting a damp or moist towel over the cool side help with the humidity?
So would you get rid of the daytime bulb and just a go with a heat emitter? And would you then cover that side with the tin foil to keep the heat in?
So would you get rid of the daytime bulb and just a go with a heat emitter? And would you then cover that side with the tin foil to keep the heat in?
I'm not a fan of moist towels for humidity. Just from past experiences, leaving wet/moist towels around in general end up getting weird smells to it. Plus, I would think that just like with sponges, over time there can be bacterial build-up. That's just my personal preference. You don't have to change anything with your lighting if you don't want to. The only reason I suggest a CHE is because it's great for supplemental daytime heat but even better for maintaining nighttime heat while keeping the enclosure dark. As for the foil, I've never really used it. I just know that to keep heat and moisture in, you need to cover/close up your enclosure. Some people use foil, plexiglass, or plastic (shower curtains, dropcloths, etc.) or a combination. There are probably other ways to cover it up. Check the enclosure section of the forum for ideas or post a thread there asking for advice on the best way to close your enclosure up. Good luck!
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I would also add some low canopy shade loving plants in there. It will help with humidity, tort will feel safer to be out as well. Higher humidity and temps please. Moist sphagnum moss would be nice too.
Ideal temps would be in the low to mid 80s. I'd say aim for an overall ambient temperature of 82F. The humidity can vary between the upper 70s to high 80s. The higher the better, but about 85% is a good number to try and strive for. In my opinion, winter is a tough time to keep the temps and humidity high and stable unless you have a closed chamber.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-85186.html is my redfoot enclosure to give you an idea of plants. In it are spider plants, pothos, lipstick vine, prayer plants, bromeliad, christmas cactus. As of right now, I'm growing coleus, begonias, sempervivum, snapdragons, mimulus, nemesia and plenty of lettuces, greens, and tortoise seed mixes to add into the enclosure once they're well established. There are other plants you can add like Boston, maidenhair and bird's nest ferns, wandering jew, etc. Many of the items I listed are common houseplants that thrive in redfoot tropical-like conditions (warm, humid, low light). I'd be wary of adding store bought plants right away. They tend to have fertilizers, additives (perlite), or sprayed with pesticides.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-85186.html is my redfoot enclosure to give you an idea of plants. In it are spider plants, pothos, lipstick vine, prayer plants, bromeliad, christmas cactus. As of right now, I'm growing coleus, begonias, sempervivum, snapdragons, mimulus, nemesia and plenty of lettuces, greens, and tortoise seed mixes to add into the enclosure once they're well established. There are other plants you can add like Boston, maidenhair and bird's nest ferns, wandering jew, etc. Many of the items I listed are common houseplants that thrive in redfoot tropical-like conditions (warm, humid, low light). I'd be wary of adding store bought plants right away. They tend to have fertilizers, additives (perlite), or sprayed with pesticides.
Agreed with not wanting to add store bought plants right away is there some that I can start from scratch and how large should I wait until I can put them in. What kinda soil should I plant them in? Should I leave them in the potting container or take them out and put them in the terrarium. What kind of substrate should I use for these plants to strive?
There are plenty of places online where you can purchase tortoise seed mixes. www.tortoisesupply.com has a "testudo mix" which is pretty good. www.carolinapetsupply.com has mixes and tort-friendly seeds as well. www.sulcatafood.com is another place, but I've never purchased from them before. You can use other types of seeds from any other online site or from your local home improvement store as long as they're tort-friendly. http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/tortoise_home_1.asp is a place where you can get info on plants.
Soil depends on if you're going to put the plants in the enclosure. I keep some plants in a window sill as my own personal grocery store. For those types, you can use regular organic potting soil. For indoor enclosures, you can use plain topsoil, coco coir, or combinations as long as they're sterile or organic dirt (not treated with harsh chemicals or has perlite or vermiculite). You can keep them in pots when you transfer them. Sometimes this helps to keep torts from completely destroying the plants down to the roots (if you keep the pot a few inches taller than the substrate). Otherwise, if you have coco coir or top soil as your substrate, you can always just plant straight into it. You can transfer them into the enclosure at any time that you want but usually it takes about two months for plants and flowers or 4-6 weeks for browsing mixes/grasses for the plants to be "well established". It will all depend on the particular plant. Check seed packets for planting instructions.
Soil depends on if you're going to put the plants in the enclosure. I keep some plants in a window sill as my own personal grocery store. For those types, you can use regular organic potting soil. For indoor enclosures, you can use plain topsoil, coco coir, or combinations as long as they're sterile or organic dirt (not treated with harsh chemicals or has perlite or vermiculite). You can keep them in pots when you transfer them. Sometimes this helps to keep torts from completely destroying the plants down to the roots (if you keep the pot a few inches taller than the substrate). Otherwise, if you have coco coir or top soil as your substrate, you can always just plant straight into it. You can transfer them into the enclosure at any time that you want but usually it takes about two months for plants and flowers or 4-6 weeks for browsing mixes/grasses for the plants to be "well established". It will all depend on the particular plant. Check seed packets for planting instructions.
