Opinions on my enclosure please

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Mr Magoo

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Hello,
I recently bought a Russian Tortoise, who my girlfriend has named Mr Pumblechook (I voted for Captain Awesome but got overruled).

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I read round a bit before building my first tortoise table and came up with this:
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It was four feet by two, with a UVB/UVA lamp at one end at a height of 1 foot from the substrate, and about 3 inch depth of hemp substrate with some playsand/soil mix in the corner. I found Mr Pumblechook spent a lot of his time scrabbling at the wooden base, trying to burrow deeper, so I have built him a new and improved house with a deep end -
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The shallow and hot end has hemp substrate to 2-3 inches deep, the deep end is a bit over a foot deep and filled with a mixture of topsoil and playsand.

I got back today and after some increasingly panicked digging, found a very mucky tortoise about 9 inches down. I expected him to make a tunnel, but he was completely buried. I got him out and popped him in a bath, and he doesn't seem any the worse for wear.

Does anyone have experience with Russian tortoises burrowing habits? Should he be making himself a little tunnel or is total immersion normal? Perhaps I have the substrate mixture wrong or too dry? I'm assuming I can rely on his little tortoise instincts to not suffocate himself..
 

Jacqui

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:D It's okay that it did not stay a "tunnel". They suffer no problems with it coming down around them like that inside. Even outside, you will sometimes see they either by choice or chance, are "buried" rather then "tunneled".
 

Mr Magoo

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Jacqui said:
:D It's okay that it did not stay a "tunnel". They suffer no problems with it coming down around them like that inside. Even outside, you will sometimes see they either by choice or chance, are "buried" rather then "tunneled".
Thanks, that's a relief. I was concerned that I'd bought a suicidally stupid tortoise. He did seem very indignant when I excavated him.
 

laramie

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Hi Mr. Magoo:D I have to ask, what is the story behind that name Mr. Pumblechook? That is a great name
 

Mr Magoo

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laramie said:
Hi Mr. Magoo:D I have to ask, what is the story behind that name Mr. Pumblechook? That is a great name

It's a character from Charles Dickens, Great Expectations. She had no particular resaon for choosing it except that it just sounds tortoisey.
 

Mr Magoo

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I think perhaps the upgrade has led to a problem - that deep end holds about 40kg of mixed sand and topsoil, which is significantly colder than the rest of his habitat. He seems to dig himself down about 9 inches, them just stay there unless I dig him out. I though perhaps he trying to hibernate. If so, should I let him?
 

lynnedit

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If the temps are not under 50F, then he is not hibernating. Troll recent threads for similar concerns about decreased activity. Some torts just seem to sense it is fall. You do need your tort to be very healthy to hibernate, and it is not necessary for good health.
For reasons that are not clear, they won't suffocate down there, but if left for days or weeks, could lose weight and become ill, as it is sort of a 'twilight*' existence. (not cold enough to turn down the metabolism, but still not eating).
Make sure your thermometer is accurate. I might have to change my name to 'thermolynne', but it is so important to get this right, so you can make the proper adjustments. Make sure you are measuring temps at the tort level, not several inches above him.
So play with the enclosure to get your temps right: 95F basking, 70F cool side, a bit less at night. Lower your basking light to bulb distance of 12" from tort's shell, if needed.

*no reference to the latest sequel coming out, BTW
 
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