Pacing restless tortoise

[swifton]

My sulcata has been pacing back in forth along our fence for the past couple of days. He managed to escape on the fourth of july and got into a neighbors yard.

Do you think he's just acting this way because of the heat? Its been around 100 this whole week. He has plenty of shade and I've been running sprinklers so he can cool off.

 

[Candy]

Can he see through the fence? If he can then he will pace all of the time thinking that he can get out again.

 

[Missy]

Sulcatas are notorious for pacing.

 

[Jacob]

They Do This When Either They Are Bored, Or The Fence is See Thru!
Try Adding Lots Of Shade Spots and Natural Obstacles to Make Your Little Guy,
Not As Bored

 

[Laura]

.. or if thier pen is too small...
which one is it? there are different way to change the habit..
but it is what they do...

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi swifton:

Welcome to the wonderful world of sulcatas. That's what they do...pace the fence line. My Dudley (100+lb male sulcata) has a path worn in the grass all along the fence line that looks like a small car has been driving back and forth...a two-track.

Also...Welcome to the forum!! May we know your name and where you are?

 

[Tom]

Only one of mine does this in the pen and its not all the time. They all do it when I turn them loose on the entire 5 acre ranch. You'd think five acres would be enough, huh? Nope.

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum.. My males does this as well until he finds something else to do, like dig in his burrow..

 

[jaizei]

It's natural for just about any animal to pace along fences. In nature when they come to an obstacle they just follow it until they get around it.

 

[wrmitchell22]

My itty bitty 4 month old sulcata paces at a brick wall. I would think he has plenty of room on the patio outside, so I don't think he is overly confined. I try to put things against the wall to make him at least go around them, but he is very stubborn already, he is so darn cute thought, I love it!

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My itty bitty 4 month old sulcata paces at a brick wall. I would think he has plenty of room on the patio outside, so I don't think he is overly confined. I try to put things against the wall to make him at least go around them, but he is very stubborn already, he is so darn cute thought, I love it!

 

[HankC13]

Butters paces all day! He use to do it when I had his heat lamp on for a while and he got some energy in him. I turn the heat off, temp drops to around the 70s and he goes to sleep. Now it's the summer time and he'll pace even with the lamp off cause of the high temps. I'm going to give him a bigger indoor enclosure soon to see if it helps, but I'm almost positive it's the heat.