Should i be worried?

[Alan RF]

First day back at work. I've come home and my teenage kids have had Alan out today on the grass as yes it's been a warm sunny day in the uk! Apparently they put him back in his viv and after 20 mins looked in on him and couldn't find him! On a closer inspection they found he'd burrowed in the corner and was asleep he has done this in his hide from the first day he came to live with us but he's never done it in any other area! I think it's part of being a red foot or am I wrong? His temp and humidity is the same? Should I be worried? Or am I being an over protective mummy!

 

[esiotrot]

I think he was just missing his mummy

 

[Yvonne G]

What I'd be worried about is the kids taking the tortoise outside. All it takes is for the kids to get a bit sidetracked and...whoops! The tortoise is gone.

 

[Alan RF]

I think he was just missing his mummy

Obviously! when I took him out of his burrow to soak him one of his eyes was shut and wouldn't open? It did after his soak but it's made me think it must of been he was cold or it wasn't humid enough? ...

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What I'd be worried about is the kids taking the tortoise outside. All it takes is for the kids to get a bit sidetracked and...whoops! The tortoise is gone.

Yeah I've talked to them about this and they are 15 and 17 sensible kids to be honest. Also, I told them its not just cats, dogs and foxes that worry me but birds such as hawks and blackbirds etc...

 

[Madkins007]

Birds and predators, nothing- there are literally hundreds of 'lost tortoise' stories that start with "I only took my eyes off him for a minute!" They can get out of sight in an amazingly small amount of time!

You may want to consider some sort of 'play pen'- a temporary, escape-resistant thing you can use on the rare nice days.

 

[Redstrike]

Mine will burrow down in their substrate like you have shown above, it's normal behavior.

Like Yvonne and Mark have said, it's easy to lose sight of free-ranging tortoises. Simply blocking off a section of the yard with wooden boards, landscaping bricks, stones, etc. can ensure this doesn't happen (or if it does, you know they're in a very defined space and easier to "re-discover"). It can be as costly or cheap as you wish. I've had a few scares myself with this. Sometimes they just get under a clump of grass or weeds so perfectly that they are very difficult to find. It takes seconds for them to wedge themselves in and the sinking feeling that you can't find them is mortifying! Nothing against your responsible, intelligent teens, just trying to tip you off to avoid potential heartache.

 

[Alan RF]

Thanks everyone! I'm going to make him an outside area soon. His behaviour in his vivarium was out of character but then I thought hey this little guy is finally settling into his new home! If red foots burrow naturally then this means he's finally happy?!

 

[Madkins007]

They don't actually burrow- they suck at digging in real dirt- but they do 'snuggle in', and will 'snuggle in' really deep in soft substrates. They generally seem to prefer to be in a tight hiding place.

 

[Redstrike]

They don't actually burrow- they suck at digging in real dirt- but they do 'snuggle in', and will 'snuggle in' really deep in soft substrates. They generally seem to prefer to be in a tight hiding place.

True, I've witnessed mine simply wedging themselves into their substrate until their carapace is about even with the top. They don't actually dig much with their front limbs as true burrowing tortoises do.