Never digs

[EuphoricSponge]

Hello all. My Russian Tortoise, Amaranth, never digs. She is kept indoors inside of a fifty gallon storage container. Her basking area is anywhere between 90-100(though she likes it in the 100's it seems) with areas throughout that are a various other degrees, usually around the lower to upper seventies. She has water available at all times that she may bathe herself in. She has a half log that is semi burried in her substrate of about 1/3 sand and 2/3 top soil (without chems). Her diet usually cons its of spring mix and the occasional grazing session outside in my unkept lawn(lots of delicious weeds to snack upon, and her favourite, clovers) and also the occasional flower from my girl's organic garden. I believe I've been keeping in pretty good conditions. She also has a UV light of course and spray calcium and vitamin supliments. She also has not pooped from what I can tell in possibly 5 days. There was a stray wet patch of dirt though so I assumed it was pee and two days ago I found white dried urates in her food bowl that smelled like her poop. Am I using a bad substrate? She's always active when she sees me and seems to like me rubbing under her chin. She loves to climb the half log. She has never burrowed.

 

[Spn785]

Some tortoises just don't burrow, it is odd for a Russian, but not unheard of. has she been eating in the last 2 days? Try giving some aloe or other succulent to help with that.

 

[mctlong]

What substrate are you using?

Russians burrow for different reasons, such as to stay warm or to hide. If your tort is warm and has plenty of space to hide without burrowing, it may see no need to burrow and therefore doesn't. Nothing to worry about, as long as he's active otherwise.

How long have you had him?

 

[EuphoricSponge]

It is a substrate of 1/3 sand and 2/3 top soil. I've had her for three months and she is very active. She sleeps a lot but wakes up perkily as soon as I enter the room. She eats very well. She eats absolutely everything oil put down that is edible. She also pooped today. Was very happy about that. Should I change the substrate?

 

[mctlong]

It is a substrate of 1/3 sand and 2/3 top soil. I've had her for three months and she is very active. She sleeps a lot but wakes up perkily as soon as I enter the room. She eats very well. She eats absolutely everything oil put down that is edible. She also pooped today. Was very happy about that. Should I change the substrate?

The substrate is fine. Next time you change it, you may want to eliminate the sand. If they eat too much of that, they can get constipated or compacted. Although, it doesn't sound like you've got very much sand in there. As far as digging, the substrate you have is easy to dig through, if he chooses to do so.

I love to hear that he's a healthy eater. Thats a very good sign of a healthy tortoise.

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Welcome to the forum, btw.

 

[EuphoricSponge]

She never stops eating so I have to take it away after like 25 minutes. She always seems starving. Would orchid bark actually be better than straight soil? I believe I have seen somewhere that that is agood substrate.

 

[mctlong]

She never stops eating so I have to take it away after like 25 minutes. She always seems starving. Would orchid bark actually be better than straight soil? I believe I have seen somewhere that that is agood substrate.

Orchard bark is a good substrate. I prefer topsoil for my Russian because its good for digging. It a personal preference. You can try one for awhile, then switch and try another to see which you and your tort prefers.

 

[EuphoricSponge]

She had reptile bark for a little while. She burrowed in that, but it was much colder and she was in a vibatiym. So that is probably why.

 

[Spn785]

1/3 sand and 2/3 soil is a good substrate as long as it is mixed well. The sand help the soil from becoming too moist and it makes it easier for a tortoise to dig into than just straight soil. Some people really like this others worry about them eating the sand.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I have had my Russian for 1 month now. He is kept outdoors in a 20'x6'pen. He has never dug into the dirt, Never burrowed... I have been finding it strange... Ours are weird i guess lol

 

[Kerryann]

My Russian goes in spurts. Sometimes she will go for months without really digging and then sometimes I will come into the room only to see a weird head sticking up at me out of the coir. One day I came home from work and she had excavated her coir all to the center of enclosure and had her hide sitting proudly on top like queen of the mountain. Her nails are getting a bit long in the front right now and I have noticed that the past few weeks she has been digging more. She doesn't like the emory board on her nails I think.