please help me! (climbing the walls)

CharlieS2020

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hi my tortoise charlie is climbing her cage walls and circaling her cage. im really worried about her so please help me. Charlie is seen doing this throughout the day. could it be because her cage is to small, her cage is 4 feet long 21 inches wide and 4 inches high. charlie is one years old. she started climbing walls and people on this forum helped me with the problem, but she is still doing it. she will walk around climbing her walls or walking in circals all day. ive tried what people have suggested to stop the climbing but its no working. any help is appreciated. Charlie
 

Yvonne G

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This is a problem of your making. Look at it this way: Let's say that all your life, talking now about YOU the person, have lived in a closet. You were totally happy living in the closet because that's all you knew. You had food, water, everything you needed.

One day the person taking care of you brought you out of the closet into the rest of the house and turned you loose. Now that you know there's more to the world than inside the four walls of your closet would you be content to be put back in there?

Your tortoise has experienced what's outside his enclosure and he wants out. It's not safe for a tortoise to wander around on the floor of the house. So you just have to live with him climbing the walls and hope he'll eventually settle.

Try giving him something else to think about - a ping pong ball, a turtle figurine, etc. Put his food in several different places so he has to look for it. Hang some greens in a clip just high enough so he has to stretch to reach it.

Good luck.
 

CharlieS2020

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This is a problem of your making. Look at it this way: Let's say that all your life, talking now about YOU the person, have lived in a closet. You were totally happy living in the closet because that's all you knew. You had food, water, everything you needed.

One day the person taking care of you brought you out of the closet into the rest of the house and turned you loose. Now that you know there's more to the world than inside the four walls of your closet would you be content to be put back in there?

Your tortoise has experienced what's outside his enclosure and he wants out. It's not safe for a tortoise to wander around on the floor of the house. So you just have to live with him climbing the walls and hope he'll eventually settle.

Try giving him something else to think about - a ping pong ball, a turtle figurine, etc. Put his food in several different places so he has to look for it. Hang some greens in a clip just high enough so he has to stretch to reach it.

Good luck.
thanks for the respons and so there si nothing i can do about it,right. today i added in some plants and some rocks hoping that would help but that did nothing. im jsut going to hope she will stop this. and i fell bad that i have cused it.
 

Yvonne G

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thanks for the respons and so there si nothing i can do about it,right. today i added in some plants and some rocks hoping that would help but that did nothing. im jsut going to hope she will stop this. and i fell bad that i have cused it.
I didn't say that. I gave a few suggestions in my last paragraph. But above all, be strong. If you let him out again it's going to take that much longer.
 

Krista S

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thanks for the respons and so there si nothing i can do about it,right. today i added in some plants and some rocks hoping that would help but that did nothing. im jsut going to hope she will stop this. and i fell bad that i have cused it.
Don’t forget about all of the great tips and information you were also given on your other thread for this same issue.
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/why-is-my-tortoise-climbing-her-cage-walls.189010/

There’s plenty you can do, however nothing will be an instant fix. This will take time, and that’s ok. You mentioned that she’s “circling her cage”. If you mean that she’s is walking the perimeter of her enclosure, this is completely normal. Your tortoise needs exercise and a lot of movement to digest her food properly. If she’s doing laps, this isn’t something that should be alarming. Make sure the plants and rocks aren’t in the perimeter for her to crawl on and try to escape. Like @Yvonne G says, stay strong. Every time you let Charlie out to roam, you will have to start all over again with trying to get her to be content in her enclosure.
 
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