QUICK QUESTION PLEASE!! (burying tortoise)

[Artemis the Tortoise]

Hi,
I was wondering if my tort is supposed to bury himself- like completely I mean there was a tiny little exposed shell and that's how I found him. Is this normal or should I be concerned??? Plz help



Artemis' Mommy[HERB][TULIP][TURTLE][TULIP][HERB]

 

[kimber_lee_314]

RE: Ummm help please

Very normal!

 

[Artemis the Tortoise]

Ummm help please

Buy, ca he breathe?


Artemis' Mommy[HERB][TULIP][TURTLE][TULIP][HERB]

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And why do they do that?


Artemis' Mommy[HERB][TULIP][TURTLE][TULIP][HERB]

 

[Artemis the Tortoise]

QUICK QUESTIONS PLEASE!!

1. Why does my tortoise bury himself in his dirt/sand mix?

2. Can my little Artemis breathe?

3. What's some nice plants that I can plant in his cage that are edible?


Artemis' Mommy[HERB][TULIP][TURTLE][TULIP][HERB]

 

[lynnedit]

RE: QUICK QUESTIONS PLEASE!!

They can bury themselves and they must not need to breathe. I don't get it, but they have done it since the dinosaurs. Sometimes for months.
It seems to be very satisfying for them.

Look at these web sites for edible plants:

http://russiantortoise.net
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp

 

[abclements]

Re: QUICK QUESTIONS PLEASE!!

Your little Artemis breathes just fine when he is burried. When torts dig they create a little air pocket around the front of the shell and stay nice and tucked into their shell. The nice thing about being cold bloodied is the fact that they can't heat the air up by breathing. It more or less, comes out the exact temp it did when they breathed in. So they don't get uncomfortably warm like you and I do if we cover our head with a blanket. There is plenty of air, a nice temperature and they are completely hidden! What more could they ask for!

Sent from my LG-P769 using TortForum mobile app

 

[JoesMum]

Re: QUICK QUESTIONS PLEASE!!

They dig down because they like it; it feels safe and the temperature is stable and not too hot or cold.

Yes, they can breathe just as any creature that digs into the ground can. Russian torts can spend months underground in the wild , especially in the winter months... in captivity they like to spend a fair amount of time underground too.

Spider plants are good for an enclosure. You can grow one on the window sill and it throws out runners of baby plants that you can use in the enclosure and have a ready suply of replacements when they get eaten.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

RE: QUICK QUESTIONS PLEASE!!

Yes, digging and hiding is very normal and comfortable for tortoises and box turtles. Being cold-blooded, reptiles have a metabolism that is only 1/10th as fast as that of warm-blooded birds and mammals, so they need much less oxygen than we do.

BTW - Some aquatic turtles breathe not only through their nose and mouth, but also from their cloaca (i.e. their rear end). They have a lot of blood vessels there, so they can use it almost like a second lung, and don't have to come to the surface to breathe for long periods.